Wind Dancer (comics)

Wind Dancer
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 Mantega
Species	Depowered Human Mutant
Team affiliations	New Mutants training squad New Warriors
Notable aliases	Renascence
Abilities	Minimal athlete and martial artist Suit with six mechanical tentacles and electrically charged talons Personal force field Formerly: Air and wind manipulation Flight Long-distance eavesdropping

Sofia Mantega, also known as Renascence and formerly known as Wind Dancer, is a fictional character, a former mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. One of the student body in the Xavier Institute, she is a member of the New Mutants squad therein. Her first appearance was in New Mutants, vol. 2 #1. At the beginning of New Mutants, vol. 2, she is 16 years old.

Sofia was born and lived most of her life in Caracas, Venezuela. While under the care of her uncle, Sofia's mother is killed in a riot. Her only Venezuelan adult relative, an uncle, is unable to support her in addition to his own children, so she is sent to her father, who had been previously unaware of her existence. The head of a major supermarket chain located in the United States, Walter Barrett is a cold, asocial man with no interest in a daughter. As such, he extracts from her a promise that she would learn English before school started, she would get good grades, and she would not use her mutant power, in exchange for which all her material wants would be provided for without question.

Over the next three weeks, she befriends her father's manservant Derek, learns English, and joins a local school, but despite her outgoing nature, she has difficulty fitting in and is unable to reconcile herself to her father's lack of affection for her. She ultimately acts out by skipping school and wrecking one of her father's stores with hurricane-force winds, making sure her actions are caught on a store security camera. Her father is incensed, less at the destruction of his store than by her exposing him as the father of a mutant, and considers leaving her in prison for 48 hours to punish her. Danielle Moonstar, having seen Sofía's vandalism on the news, steps in and offers her a place at the Xavier Institute.

Resident mischief maker Julian Keller (codenamed Hellion) finds himself instantly attracted to Mantega and begins courting her. She rejects him after he makes derogatory remarks about her roommate, the shy Laurie Collins (later known as Wallflower), but the attraction remains mutual, and despite herself Sofia later ends up flirting with Julian during a combat training exercise. Derek remains in touch, even quitting his job when her father objects to his seeing Sofia.