Monica Dawson
| Monica | |
|---|---|
| |
| Portrayed by | Dana Davis |
| First appearance | The Kindness of Strangers |
| In-story stats | |
| Known ability | Adoptive muscle memory |
| Formal name | Monica Dawson |
| Gender | |
| Home | New Orleans, LA |
| Residence | A single-family home in post-Katrina New Orleans |
| Parent | Unnamed mother |
| Guardian | Nana Dawson |
| Sibling | Damon (brother) |
Monica Dawson is an evolved human from New Orleans, LA with the ability of "adoptive muscle memory." She is Micah's second cousin and acts as a surrogate to him while Niki is away.
Character History
The Kindness of Strangers
At the Dawsons' home, Nana prepares breakfast for Micah and Damon while Monica gets ready for work. She argues with Damon about a wrestling pay-per-view event he wants to watch, and comments on a cooking show Nana is watching.
At Burger Bonanza, she talks with Camille about her application for a management program. She expresses frustration that Hurricane Katrina cost her so much, including her mother and her college education. As she talks, she absentmindedly cuts a tomato rose, just as she'd seen the cooking show host do earlier.
Mr. Lamont calls her aside and tells her she did not make it into the management program. While her scores were fine, the company believed her home life was too unstable since she's taking care of her grandmother, brother, and cousin.
Back at home for dinner, Monica sees that Damon is watching the wrestling match. She begins to get angry, but Damon tells her that Micah is a genius and rigged the cable. Micah apologizes, and she reminds him that his mother asked Monica to look after him.
Back at the restaurant, Mr. Lamont decides to close early. As he leaves to lock up the back, Monica tries to lock the front door, but a man forces his way in and draws a gun on her. As the man robs the cash register, Monica performs a stunning spinning kick--an exact copy of a move she witnessed a wrestler perform on television--and sends the robber through a glass partition. The man runs out of the restaurant, leaving Monica and her boss amazed by her ability.
Fight or Flight
Monica speaks to the police about the attempted robbery but tells them she didn't see the man well enough to identify him. She later tells Camille that she only said this to avoid repercussions from the robber. Camille asks how she did the "karate kick" that knocked the robber out, and Monica tells her she does not know.
Later, at home, Monica finds Micah playing the piano and tells him it's nice to have a musician in the household again, as the piano had been untouched since her mother died. As they talk, Monica mimics Micah's piano-playing and begins to play the same song, not realizing she is doing so until Micah points it out. Because of her surprise at this, Micah realizes that she is a muscle mimic like a female crimefighter in the 9th Wonders! comic named St. Joan. He tells her so, also revealing his own ability and that of his father. He also tells Monica of his mother, but decides not to go into her situation. The two go out to test her ability and agree to keep it a secret between the two of them. After they return, Monica answers a knock at the door and finds Mohinder standing on the other side.
The Line
In the gym at the Company's hospital, Monica copies the moves of a gymnist on the television for Mohinder, who is testing her. When she asks about others like her, he tells her that there are others but their powers are different, that she was the first to demonstrate "adoptive muscle memory." Bob enters and reassures her that her ability is incredible. Monica asks who he is, and he introduces himself as chief of operations for the Company. He asks to speak to Mohinder in private. He reveals to Mohinder the next step of the testing: a variation of the Shanti virus. Mohinder explains that they could create an incurable version of the virus, and that it can spread, but Bob treats it as a risk they need to take. Mohinder tries to reason that Monica is a nice girl who loves her ability, but Bob is still willing to make Mohinder inject her. Later, on the phone, Mohinder explains Bob's plans to Noah, who is with the Haitian. Noah tells Mohinder that he has to take the risk, or else they will get rid of him and they will lose everything they've worked for. He explains that they have to do bad things sometimes in order to take down the Company.
Mohinder comes up to Monica with a syringe with the new variant of the virus, telling Monica it's standard procedure. She tells him she doesn't do needles, but he promises her that it's the last step in her training before they let her go home. She winces and turns away, but Mohinder decides against it and bursts in on Bob. He tells Bob that he won't inject Monica. Bob tells him that they'll find someone else to do it, and there's plenty more of the virus left over. Mohinder throws a stool at a storage cabinet full of vials and tells Bob that he's taking Molly.
Bob brings Monica to her home and explains that her story is covered. He gives her a list of contact information and a Video iPod with footage of just about anything for her to learn using her ability. She thanks him, and he replies that New Orleans could use her skills.
Powers
Monica has the ability of adoptive muscle memory which allows her to perfectly replicate, without practice, any physical motion that she has witnessed; either in person or by watching it on television. She is a copycat, able to replicate motions without active concentration, as shown when she absentmindedly cut a tomato into a rose. When watching a move performed, she goes into a short trance-like state as she memorizes the movement.
Equipment
Notes
- In a CBR Q&A session, Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite elaborated on Monica's powers. "Monica can only do things within her physical limit. Now as an athletic 20-year-old girl, there are a lot of things within her limit. But, no--if she saw Nathan fly, she couldn't fly."
See Also
- For other uses of Monica, see Monica (disambig).
- For articles related to Monica, see Related Articles:Monica.
- For images of Monica, see Images of Monica Dawson.
Fan Theories
Please refer to Theory:Monica Dawson for fan-created theories and other speculation.