Cecilia Reyes
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Cecilia Reyes is a fictional character appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. Created by
Scott Lobdell Scott Lobdell (; born 1960) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter known for his work on numerous X-Men series for Marvel Comics in the 1990s, various work for DC Comics in the 2010s, namely '' Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans,'' ...
and
Carlos Pacheco Carlos Pacheco Perujo (14 November 1961 – 9 November 2022) was a Spanish comics penciller. After breaking into the European market doing cover work for Planeta De Agostini, he gained recognition doing work for Marvel UK, the England-based bra ...
, the character first appeared in ''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
'' (vol. 2) #65 (June
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
). She belongs to the subspecies of humans called mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. Raised in the
Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
by her Puerto Rican family, she is a medical doctor specializing in trauma surgery. She has the mutant ability to project a force field around her body. Unlike most X-Men, she has no interest in superheroics and desires only to live an ordinary life, having been forced into the team by circumstance. Cecilia Reyes was briefly a member of the
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
and often works to assist them.


Publication history

Created by writer
Scott Lobdell Scott Lobdell (; born 1960) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter known for his work on numerous X-Men series for Marvel Comics in the 1990s, various work for DC Comics in the 2010s, namely '' Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans,'' ...
and artist
Carlos Pacheco Carlos Pacheco Perujo (14 November 1961 – 9 November 2022) was a Spanish comics penciller. After breaking into the European market doing cover work for Planeta De Agostini, he gained recognition doing work for Marvel UK, the England-based bra ...
, she first appeared in ''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
'' (vol. 2) #65 (June
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
).


Fictional character biography

Cecilia Reyes decided to become a doctor when her father was gunned down in front of her as a child, and she was unable to do anything to help him. The X-Men tried recruiting her when it was discovered that she was a mutant, but Reyes had no interest in being a superhero. She preferred to pursue her trauma surgeon career.


Operation Zero Tolerance

When she was targeted by '' Operation: Zero Tolerance'', a government-backed anti-mutant task force, she was forced to join forces with the X-Man Iceman and other mutants to escape
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and track down
Bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...
, leader of Operation Zero Tolerance. After meeting with problems with racism and both encouragement from Daredevil and an encounter with the villain Pyro, Reyes reluctantly joined the X-Men. Her first adventure involved saving Cyclops from a nanotech deep inside his body, which threatened to kill him, Reyes, other X-Men and obliterate anything in a three-mile radius. Despite having absolutely no medical supplies, she improvised in her successful attempt. For example, she had Storm use lightning to boil buckets of water. Afterwards, a dazed Cyclops offers her honorary X-Men status. She has several adventures with the team, combating the Ru'tai and the
Shadow King The Shadow King (Amahl Farouk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily as an enemy of the X-Men. His nemesis is the X-Men's leader, Professor X, while he also figures into the backstory of the X-M ...
. She usually did not bother with a costume, wearing either the yellow and blue training uniform or, on one occasion as a joke by Beast, an old costume of Wasp's. It was while wearing Wasp's old uniform that Reyes became involved in a battle with the X-Men's frequent enemy, the N'Garai, interdimensional demons. Reyes mostly ran away, but was saved (and mocked) by the X-Man rookie Marrow. She was eventually sucked into the N'Garai dimension, to be experimented upon, but her force field saved her from the cutting instruments. She escaped with the rest of the X-Men and the civilians they had saved. Reyes was tempted by the
Shadow King The Shadow King (Amahl Farouk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily as an enemy of the X-Men. His nemesis is the X-Men's leader, Professor X, while he also figures into the backstory of the X-M ...
by offers of a new life, but managed to resist the villain's offer. Reyes did not find costumed adventuring suitable for her, and left to set up her own medical practice. Later, she was caught up in the X-Men's battle with the Neo, a villainous group of mutants who claimed to have evolved beyond the level of other mutants. Reyes was trapped in the Neo's fortress below New York City and used a street drug called Rave to make her mutant powers more destructive, ensuring her survival. The X-Men rescued her, and the
telepathic Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
Professor X Professor X (Prof. Charles Francis Xavier) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 ( ...
helped her kick her addiction to Rave during a detox period back at the X-Mansion. Reyes last appearance with the X-Men was at the time when Beast discovered the cure to the Legacy Virus. She was the one to discover
Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue; colossal statues, are generally taken to mean a statue at least twice life-size ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ...
dead after injecting himself with the cure. Reyes attempted to revive him, but was unsuccessful.


Neverland

Later, she was seen as a prisoner at a mutant
concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
run by the
Weapon X Weapon X is a fictional government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They were conducted by Department K, which turned willing and unwilling beings into living weapons to carry out c ...
program, called Neverland. There she attempted to use her medical expertise to help out the other prisoners. She was apparently killed off panel when a brainwashed Agent Zero destroyed the camp, and her death was later confirmed in the
letter column A letter to the editor (LTE) is a letter sent to a publication about an issue of concern to the reader. Usually, such letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to the editor may be sent either through conventional mai ...
of '' New Excalibur'' #1. Mike Marts contradicted this in an interview on uncannyxmen.net, stating that if Cecilia would be dead they would show it on panel, and therefore Cecilia was not yet considered deceased at that time. In '' X-Men: The 198 Files'', it has been revealed that Cecilia's older non-mutant brother, Colonel Miguel Reyes, had been assigned to head O*N*E security on the Xavier School grounds, with the purpose of finding out the fate of his sister.


Return

After M-Day and her escape from Neverland, Cecilia volunteers at local homeless shelters as well as working out of her apartment. According to Bobby Soul, she works off the record and under the table. The NYX teenagers bring an injured Tatiana to her for help. During their visit to her apartment she does not reveal to the teens that she used to be an X-Man. After treating Tatiana, she offers them a place to rest while she goes out for a few hours. Unaware Kiden Nixon is following her, she calls up Beast to ask a favor. Later when Cecilia returns with groceries, she finds the teens have left. Sometime after these events, Cecilia moves to the X-Men's new base of operations; Utopia. When Magneto decides to bring back Shadowcat as a good will gesture, Cyclops asks specifically for her to help treat him of any injuries he might have suffered.


The Five Lights

After the events of
Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christianity, Christian and Islam, Islamic belief that Jesus, Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his Ascension of Jesus, ascension to Heaven (Christianity), Heav ...
, Cecilia is partnered with
Psylocke Psylocke is the name of two connected characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Both characters are portrayed as Mutant (Marvel Comics), mutants, a subspecies of humans born w ...
and sent to Mexico to locate the second of the Five Lights; the first mutants to manifest powers since M-Day. After sedating
Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...
, she informs his parents of what is transpiring and offers him help from the X-Men. Psylocke comes to the room and explains that something has happened, Gabriel's manifesting speed powers caused him to move so fast he is invisible to the naked eye. Psylocke taps into Cecilia's powers to create a force field around his room so they would not lose him before
Hope Summers Sarah Hope Summers (June 7, 1902 – June 22, 1979) was an American actress known for her work on ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and '' Mayberry R.F.D.'', portraying Clara Edwards. Early life Hope Summers was born in Mattoon, Illinois, the daugh ...
could arrive to help.


X-23

Gambit and X-23 arrive in New York City following a lead from London. Gambit is injured, with his wounds reopening later on. They visit Cecilia at her apartment, and she agrees to give Gambit stitches, but is perturbed at being disturbed and admits she left Utopia to avoid such "stupidity". X-23 picks up the scents of her friends from NYX in the apartment, and asks where they are. Cecilia states that she gave them permission to stay there before she went to Utopia, but they were gone by the time she returned. X-23 leaves to pursue a lead, and the city is soon rocked by a mysterious earthquake. Cecilia and Gambit help rescue and treat quake victims. Cecilia then accompanies Gambit as he searches for X-23, eventually finding her recovering in the care of the Future Foundation.


Fear Itself

During the " Fear Itself" storyline, Cecilia is added to a team of X-Men opposing the "worthy" empowered
Juggernaut A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originates in the mid-nineteenth century. ''Juggernaut'' is the early rendering in English ...
in the form of Kuurth: Breaker of Stone. She is instructed by Cyclops to protect a mob of anti-mutant protesters following Kuurth's attack.


Astonishing X-Men

Although she is still more comfortable healing humans than fighting superhumans, Cecilia Reyes is part of the new team composed by
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
. Alongside
Northstar Northstar may refer to: * Polaris, a star Arts and entertainment * Northstar (band), an emo band from Alabama * Northstar (rap group), a rap group affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan * "Northstar", a 2019 song by XXXTentacion from the album '' Bad ...
, Iceman, Beast, Gambit and
Warbird A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 100 ...
, she assists to Northstar's wedding and tries to help
Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
, whose mind has been taken over Ms. Hatchi for yet unknown reasons. She is also carrying on a romantic relationship with Gambit.


Dawn of X

In the new status quo for mutants post ''
House of X and Powers of X ''House of X'' and ''Powers of X'' (abbreviated as ''HOX'' and ''POX'') are two 2019 comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics featuring the X-Men by writer Jonathan Hickman and artists Pepe Larraz, R. B. Silva, and Marte Gracia. Both bo ...
'', Professor X and Magneto invite all mutants to live on Krakoa and welcome even former enemies into their fold. Cecilia Reyes becomes something of a medical expert on mutant biology, running medical operations, autopsies and the like. She is also approached by Prodigy of X-Factor with a suggestion to build a body farm to study the effects of decomposition on mutant bodies.


Powers and abilities

Cecilia can generate a force field described as a "psioplasmic bio-field" around her body. This force field provides superhuman durability, increasing her resistance to energy and physical attacks. She can shape or expand it to protect those nearby. Impacts on the force field cause Cecilia pain. She also has shown the ability to wield her forcefield as a blunt force, pushing others out of her way. She can create spikes which could punch through a human body. Under the effects of the mutant-enhancing drug Rave, Cecilia is able to use her force field offensively, as a blade to attack enemies. The field can be raised consciously and in her initial appearances, shown triggered by any external force used against it. Additionally, Cecilia is a capable medical doctor and surgeon.


Reception


Critical reception

Marc Buxton of ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...
'' said, "Dr. Cecilia Reyes has a really cool power, the ability to cast a force field that can protect herself or others, but the true specialness of the character is her desire to be a doctor instead of a superhero. Reyes is the X-Men’s most skilled healer, a woman who seeks true service as a medical professional rather than an adventuring crusader. Reyes is one of the most underutilized but humane of all the X-Men, a woman who has a clear sense of identity and purpose beyond throwing down with Unus, the Untouchable." Karen M. Walsh, in the book ''Geek Heroines'' (2019), also commented on Reyes offering a "unique representation of a mutant and an empowering female Puerto Rican doctor" who finds her place based on her medical and intellectual skills instead of her mutant abilities. Walsh opined that while the character is often "peripheral" in the X-Men line, "she is meaningful as a superheroine in many ways". Walsh highlighted Marjorie Liu's inclusion of Reyes in '' NYX: No Way Home'' – the X-Men often act as stand-ins for the "struggles marginalized groups face in society" so Liu's portrayal of Reyes as "a mutant defined by something other than her mutant powers offers an important perspective". Walsh commented that
token character In sociology, tokenism is the social practice of making a perfunctory and symbolic effort towards the equitable inclusion of members of a minority group, especially by recruiting people from under-represented social-minority groups in order for th ...
s from marginalized groups often "exist solely as representations of their cultures. By focusing on Reyes' full self, ''NYX'' offered a twice-marginalized character— Latinx and Mutant—whose sense of self arose out of her choices rather than how she was born. By giving her agency, Liu's story expanded the way in which marginalized characters are written".


Accolades

* In 2014, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' ranked Cecilia Reyes 95th in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list. * In 2014, ''
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'' ranked Cecilia Reyes 49th in their "95 X-Men Members Ranked From Worst To Best" list. * In 2017, ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...
'' included Cecilia Reyes in their "40 X-Men Characters Who Haven’t Appeared in the Movies But Should" list. * In 2019, '' CBR.com'' ranked Cecilia Reyes ranked 10th in their "Ranking All The Members Of NYX" list. * In 2020, ''
Scary Mommy Scary Mommy is a website that produces content targeting mothers, specifically focusing on parenting, motherhood, current events, and pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a ...
'' included Cecilia Reyes in their "Looking For A Role Model? These 195+ Marvel Female Characters Are Truly Heroic" list. * In 2020, '' CBR.com'' ranked Cecilia Reyes 5th in their "Doctors Unite! The Doctors Of Marvel Comics" list and 10th in their "10 Best Superhero Doctors In Marvel & DC" list. * In 2022, ''
Newsarama ''Newsarama'' is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website ''GamesRadar+'', also owned by Future US. Hi ...
'' included Cecilia Reyes in their "20 X-Men characters that should make the jump from Marvel comics to the MCU" list. * In 2022, ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...
'' included Cecilia Reyes in their "10 Best Doctors In Marvel Comics" list. * In 2022, '' CBR.com'' ranked Cecilia Reyes 3rd in their "X-Men Who Deserve Their Own Spinoff Films" list.


Other versions

In the '' Age of X-Man'' reality, Dr. Cecilia Reyes is the Medical Instructor of the 10th Year class within the Summers Institute Of Higher Learning, located in Winchester, NY.''Age of X-Man - NextGen'' #1 (February 2019) In ''Days of Future Now'', Cecilia survived the death camp Neverland and tried to help
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
to change the past to prevent "Days of Future Now" from ever happening. While watching over him, she was shot in the back by a
Fantomex Fantomex is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Igor Kordey, the character first appeared in '' New X-Men'' #128 (August 2002). Fantomex is an escaped experiment fr ...
who was under the control of Sublime. In '' X-Men: The End'', she also had survived Neverland and has married Beast and they have three children (two boys and one girl), Ciaran, Francesca & Miguel McCoy.


In other media

Dr. Cecilia Reyes appears in ''
The New Mutants The New Mutants may refer to: *''New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teena ...
'', portrayed by Alice Braga. This version works for the Essex Corporation, who tasked her with monitoring potential recruits, until she is killed by the Demon Bear.


References


External links

* *
World of Black Heroes: Cecilia Reyes Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Cecilia Comics characters introduced in 1997 Fictional female doctors Fictional Hispanic and Latino American people Fictional surgeons Marvel Comics female superheroes Marvel Comics mutants Puerto Rican superheroes X-Men supporting characters