Welcome to the Golden Age of Muslim Women in Comics

THE SUPERWOMAN: Monet St. Croix
various titles, created by Scott Lobdell

You probably didn’t know that one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe was a French Algerian Muslimah. Or maybe you did; she’s been around the X-Men canon in many incarnations since 1991.
Monet St. Croix is a superhuman in every sense. Her strength, endurance, and speed are nearly unrivaled. She can fly faster than a jet. She’s telepathic and telekinetic. She’s a supergenius with advanced healing capabilities and knows more languages than you. Not only is she powerful, she’s empowered–Monet’s wit and personality are sharp and she is never one to back down.

Monet has most recently been seen helping guide an all-female X-Men team (editor’s note: yes, for some reason they’re still called “X-Men” when zero men are involved, I dunno, take it up with Marvel) which, since X-Men Vol. 4 began its run in May 2013, has been a strong title, proving that women can be at the center of the story without being boxed in or held back by their gender.

The title’s (and Monet’s) success certainly helped pave the way for Marvel’s strong push for dynamic female-led titles. Without characters like Monet breaking down barriers, we may never have ended up with everyone’s favorite teenage Inhuman.