Wind Dancer Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Renascence
Renascence in action, taken from New Warriors, vol.4 #9. Art by Paco Medina.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	New Mutants, vol. 2 #1 (July 2003)
Created by	Nunzio DeFilippis Christina Weir Keron Grant
In-story information
Alter ego	Sofia Elizabeth Mantega-Barrett
Species	Human Mutant
Team affiliations	New Mutants training squad New Warriors S.H.I.E.L.D Avengers
Notable aliases	Renascence Wind Dancer
Abilities	Minimal athlete and martial artist Suit with six mechanical tentacles and electrically charged talons Personal force field Air, wind and climate manipulation Flight Long-distance eavesdropping

Sofia Elizabeth Mantega, also known as Renascence and formerly Wind Dancer, is a fictional character from Marvel Comics. She used to be a mutant with special powers. Sofia first appeared in the comic book New Mutants, vol. 2 #1, when she was 16 years old. She was a student at the Xavier Institute and part of the New Mutants team.

Sofia's Story
Powers and Abilities
Other Stories
- House of M Reality
Images for kids
See also

Sofia's Story

Early Life and Powers

Sofia was born in Caracas, Venezuela. Her mother died in a riot, and her uncle could not care for her. So, Sofia went to live with her father, Walter Barrett, in the United States. He owned a big supermarket chain and did not know he had a daughter.

Her father was a cold person. He told Sofia she had to learn English, get good grades, and not use her mutant powers. In return, he would give her anything she wanted. Sofia quickly learned English and made a friend named Derek, who was her father's manservant. But she felt sad because her father did not show her any love.

One day, Sofia got upset and used her wind powers to cause a big storm at one of her father's stores. She made sure it was caught on camera. Her father was very angry, not just about the damage, but because it showed he had a mutant daughter. Luckily, Danielle Moonstar saw the news and offered Sofia a place at the Xavier Institute, a school for mutants.

Life at Xavier Institute

At the Xavier Institute, Sofia met other young mutants. Julian Keller, also called Hellion, liked Sofia right away. She also became friends with her roommate, Laurie Collins. Derek, her father's manservant, stayed in touch with Sofia and even quit his job when her father did not want him seeing her.

Sofia and Laurie joined the New Mutants squad. Their team included Surge, Elixir, David Alleyne (Prodigy), and Wither. Sofia was well-liked and was even voted "Most Outgoing" in the school yearbook.

Sofia became the leader of the New Mutants. She felt bad when the team lost their first training exercise. Later, when Wither was arrested, Sofia briefly helped Julian's team, the Hellions, to try and free him. After a fight between the two teams, Prodigy convinced Sofia to let Wither go. Sofia then asked Prodigy to be co-leader, and he agreed.

Sofia's mood improved, and she helped her teammates get along. She even got them to go on a camp-out to fix their arguments.

Losing Her Powers

Later, most mutants, including Sofia, lost their powers because of a powerful spell by the Scarlet Witch. Sofia moved out of the Xavier Institute and planned to go back to Venezuela with Derek. She left quickly after seeing Julian being mean to Prodigy, who had also lost his powers.

Joining the New Warriors

Sofia moved to New York City and worked as a waitress. She felt lost without her powers and often dreamed of flying. She started getting messages from a group called the New Warriors. A young man named Barry, whom Sofia knew from the restaurant, turned out to be her old friend Beak from the Xavier Institute. He looked different because he had lost his powers too. Beak took Sofia to the New Warriors' secret base, but she did not want to join them at first.

However, a battle broke out near her restaurant between the New Warriors and a group called the Zodiac. Sofia saw a New Warrior named Longstrike get hurt. When a little boy was in danger, Sofia bravely ran towards the villain, distracting them. While the superpowered heroes fought, Sofia tried to get the boy to safety but was hurt.

At the hospital, doctors said Sofia had burns and other injuries. While she was in a coma, Sofia dreamed she was meeting her mother and had angel-like wings. Sofia became famous for her bravery. She recovered fully, though she lost her hair from surgery. After leaving the hospital, Sofia decided to join the New Warriors.

Becoming Renascence

Sofia's first mission with the New Warriors was against a villain team called the Alphaclan. She did well, and the team succeeded with help from Night Thrasher, their leader.

Sofia took on the new codename Renascence. She kept her waitressing job and lived on her own, wanting to be independent. After the New Warriors team broke up, Sofia kept the special tech gear they had given her.

Return to Krakoa

Much later, Sofia learned that the Mojoverse, a strange dimension, was very interested in mutants. She started live streaming her life and became very popular. After asking her followers what they wanted to see, most of them wanted to see her "die." So, she hired Adam X to help her. Just before this happened, she told her audience, "Let's give the people what they want."

After she was confirmed to be gone, a group called The Five brought her back to life, and her powers returned. She met up with Hellion and her other friends. She told them she had to pretend to die to escape something, but her friends Spiral, Adam X, and Shatterstar still needed to be rescued.

Powers and Abilities

As Wind Dancer, Sofia could control air and wind. She could:

Create strong winds to lift objects.
Fly through the air.
Hear faraway conversations by making small air vibrations louder.
Make a "cutting" effect with strong wind.
Briefly make someone lose their balance by compressing air in their ear.

As Renascence, Sofia wears a special suit. This suit has:

Six metal cybernetic tentacles that can shoot electricity.
A personal force field that glows golden.

Sofia also has some athletic and martial arts skills. She learned these from her training at the Xavier Institute and her combat sessions with the New Warriors.

Images for kids

Wind Dancer as a New Mutant using her wind powers.

Wind Dancer facts for kids

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