Silhouette

Real Name: Unknown

Powers: Silhouette has the mutant ability to assimilate and re-corporate herself into and out of any area of darkness or shadow, by shifting into a dimension known as the Darkforce dimension. While in shadow-form, she effectively vanishes, becoming totally insubstantial. She is not able to walk through solid materials, although she can slip between the cracks of a door, for example. Silhouette also has increased senses of areas in shadow, sensing movement within them more easily.

Silhouette suffered a serious spinal injury and moves with the help of two crutches. Walking without them is uncomfortable to her, although she does possess super-normal strength, speed, and reflexes. As such, in time of need, she can move as fast or faster than a normal person (with or without her crutches). Silhouette's crutches house a taser-type weapon, capable of delivering an electrical charge, and are outfitted with needles laced with a knock-out drug.

History: The young woman known as Silhouette grew up knowing little of her past, believing her parents to have been killed in a car accident when she was a baby. Silhouette had known of her mutant powers from childhood, but kept them concealed. As a teenager, she worked with her brother, taking the street name Midnight's Fire, using their enhanced speed and senses to battle crime. Together, they ran a series of sting operations, gaining criminals' confidence, then busting their gangs. During this period she met Dwayne Taylor, and fell in love with him. Dwayne joined them and the crime-fighting duo became a trio.

One night Silhouette was infiltrating a Chinatown gun-running operation with Dwayne and Midnight's Fire as backup when a police officer unexpectedly appeared. Things quickly went sour, and, afraid the policeman was going to shoot Silhouette, Midnight's Fire prepared to throw a knife at him. Dwayne stopped him, but the result was a firefight with Silhouette caught in the middle. A stray bullet struck her in the spine, and she collapsed, mortally injured. Midnight's Fire blamed his sister's fate on Dwayne Taylor's interference and the two parted bitter foes, Dwayne believing Silhouette was dead.

In reality, Silhouette was left scarred and crippled. When their paths crossed again, Dwayne had taken the code nmae Night Thrasher, and Midnight's Fire had fully turned to crime, running another Chinatown gang with connections to the criminal organization Advanced Idea Mechanics. With the help of his formative hero team New Warriors, Dwayne defeated Midnight's Fire, at which point Silhouette reappeared. Silhouette was disgusted at the revelation of Midnight's Fire's criminal activities and she abandoned her brother, resuming her close relationship with Dwayne.

Silhouette revealed her shadow-shifting powers to the New Warriors when she helped protect her friend Father James against the assassin known as Bengal. She soon joined as a full-fledged member of the team and also assisted the taciturn Night Thrasher in his role as team leader, arranging a reconciliation between Night Thrasher and Nova, who had resented the high-handed way Night Thrasher had dragooned him into joining the New Warriors. As a New Warrior, Silhouette fought a variety of foes, including the White Queen and her Hellions, Psionex, Harness, and Gideon.

Silhouette's personal life later was rocked by revelations about her true parentage. Night Thrasher's guardian, Tai, turned out to be Silhouette's grandmother, and told Silhouette that Chord, Night Thrasher's other guardian, is her real father. Tai revealed that Miyami, Silhouette's mother (and thus Tai's own daughter) faked the deadly car accident in order keep Silhouette and her brother out of Tai's hands. When Tai discovered this and learned of Silhouette's true parentage, she killed Miyami and attempted to slay Silhouette, all to further a mysterious "pact" that would result in Tai gaining ultimate power

Later, Night Thrasher was estranged from the New Warriors by criminal allegations of his own Taylor Industries. This led to his joining the criminal team Folding Circle, of which Midnight's Fire was a part, and a clash with the New Warriors. In doing so, it was revealed that Night Thrasher's guardian, Tai, turned out to be Silhouette's grandmother, and told Silhouette that Chord, Night Thrasher's other guardian, is her real father. It was further revealed that Miyami, Silhouette's mother (and thus Tai's own daughter) faked the deadly car accident in order keep Silhouette and her brother out of Tai's hands. When Tai discovered this and learned of Silhouette's true parentage, she killed Miyami and attempted to slay Silhouette.

Silhouette, Midnight's Fire, Night Thrasher, and others were children of a pact between their parents, while serving the army in Vietnam, after being captured by Tai, who was a powerful sorcerer guarding an ancient temple. Tai coerced Silhouette's father and others in his military unit to have children with the women of the temple, in order that their children would later be sacrificed in the temple's mystic well of dimensional energies in order to give Tai even more power. The New Warriors, investigating Night Thrasher's activities, joined Folding Circle in defeating Tai, who was seemingly killed by the well of energies.