| “ | Monster, Villain, Hero. There's no category called sidekick. | ” |
—Cruz before the Las Vegas battle |
||
Cruz Martinez Rojas, more commonly known as Cruz, is a main protagonist in the Monster, Villain, Hero arc. She is transgender and/or non-binary but leans towards femininity and uses she/her pronouns.
Description[]
Cruz is six foot two, and describes herself as a "straight girl in a guy's body". She is Latina, described as being good-looking with dark hair and dark brown eyes with mascara. She's old enough to drive but can't take her test as she's scared of the question "male or female?" She has no friends other than Shade Darby despite being trustworthy. She stands up to bullies, and doesn't approve of her born religion, Catholicism. She is described as looking unlike either gender, but sounding "distinctively feminine."
Power[]
Cruz's power is a cross between the abilities of Penny and Bug. Her power is different, however: she doesn't morph into anything, she just appears to. This allows her to turn invisible or appear to be someone else. She can control the hologram by simply moving, however she cannot create the hologram without a good reference image.
This likely represents the fact that she is transgender, as Peaks has discovered that the physical morphs are influenced by the thoughts and personality of the mutant. It is unknown what DNA Cruz's ounce of ASO-3 absorbed, given that none directly appear to be present.
Appearances[]
- Monster
Cruz first appears being harrassed by bullies about her gender. When they demand to know whether or not she "has a dick", she replies "You seem way too interested in what I have in my pants." provoking them to physically assault her. Shade Darby intervenes, and takes Cruz to her house, tending to Cruz's wounds. Shade casually mentions that she knows where one of the ASOs will land, and the government does not, because Shade edited the information on her father's computer, falsifying a new crash zone. Cruz is shocked, but is desperate for a friend, so accompanies Shade to go recover the rock. When Shade reveals she is a mutant, Cruz attempts to provoke her, but it doesn't work because both she and Shade keep bursting out laughing. Cruz was also jealous of Shade because her ability to morph came before hers and is unsure if hers will ever come. Shade finally morphs when they are attacked. Malik Tenerife sees, and tells Cruz not to involve herself with Shade's obsession.
Later, Cruz goes on the run with Shade and Malik after SWAT raids Shade's house. On the way, Cruz discovers the full extent of her power - she can look like anything she wants, if she knows exactly what it looks like, but her physical form does not change. She is also disturbed by the Dark Watchers. She accompanies Shade as the she fights Knightmare, and is involved in the final battle, where she distracts Napalm. She helps get Malik to the hospital when he is badly injured and when she discovers he is going to die, she accuses Shade of getting him killed. She however, negates any involvement to herself. She stays at Malik's bedside whilst he is injured, and she is present when Malik consumes some of ASO-3.
- Villain
Cruz is waiting with Shade near the hospital where Malik. She changes her appearance into that of various nurses to sneak in an check on him, eventually giving him some of the ASO rock, so that he can survive. She then goes with Cruz and Malik to an uninhabited house in the Mojave Desert. Cruz times Shade's running, and discovers she can go at speeds of just over Mach 1. She then accompanies Shade as she exposes the Ranch. Afterwards, they meet up with Dekka and Armo in Las Vegas, forming the Rockborn Gang.
In the battle of Las Vegas, Cruz decides that they should save everybody "when all hope is lost" so that they will be portrayed as heroes. Cruz, in her invisible form, acts as a scout, ready to call Shade in when they are presented with an opportunity. When Dillon Poe drops a sparking wind-up toy into a gasoline-soaked crowd, she realizes that he will cause a fatal fire. Cruz managed to save several people from the flames, but did not prevent mass casualties.
Hero
Cruz remains with the Rockborn Gang, and is well known for rescuing of a baby in the Las Vegas battle. She develops romantic feelings for Armo, and the two eventually kiss while working on the defeat of Vector. She continues to help the Rockborn Gang throughout the book, and plays a part in the battle to defeat Vector at the close of the book. Throughout Hero, she writes her thoughts and actions in her purple moleskin, which she converts to a sort of diary.
Notes[]
- Armo is seen to obey an order from Cruz, presumably erroneously.
- Shade calls Cruz "girl", although Cruz doesn't see herself as either male or female.
- Her favorite snack is Wheat Thins.
- Although Shade thinks Cruz is a boy when they first meet, and Cruz lamenting that she looks too much like a boy, all the other characters immediately see her as female when they first meet.
- Cruz is at one point #8 on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted.
- Its mentioned that Cruz's grandparents are from Chile
Quotes[]
"I'm scared to death to go out there. But I'm doing this." – Cruz on walking onto the Las Vegas battlefield.
"You seem way too interested in what I have in my pants." – Cruz being bullied
"Love us? Love a white girl who can go 800 miles an hour, a trans latina who can turn invisible or appear as anyone, and a black boy who can send out unbearable waves of pain? We're not exactly the Avengers here, Shade." – Cruz to Shade
"I'm e), all of the above. I'm multiple choice on a True/False question. You can quote me on that." – Cruz about her gender