Origin

Becca grew up part of a wealthy family raised by a strict, evangelical mother. She was afforded no movies, tv, or music. The only comforts she was allowed were books and her best friend, Ember, her riding horse. One night, she was awoken by the smell of smoke to find the barn was on fire. She ran out to save Ember but never alerted anyone else, as she was conditioned to never to shout.

Creation

Calico first appeared in Uncanny X-Men (2024) #1 by Gail Simone and David Marquez

Major Story Arcs

Red Wave

Calico and the other Outliers were being chased by Sarah Gaunt, a monstrous bounty hunter that was capturing mutants for Graymalkin, the prison that used to be the X-Academy. Member Ransom flipped a coin between X-Men and the Brotherhood, and it landed on X-Men. They tracked a few former members to Haven House orphanage in Louisiana. Rogue was inspired to restart the X-Men to train and protect these kids, working out of Haven. She was joined by Gambit, Nightcrawler, Jubilee, and a reluctant Wolverine.

Sarah Gaunt eventually caught up with them, attacking Wolverine. When Rogue and Kurt found his body, she sent Logan back with Kurt while she faced Sarah on her own. Meanwhile, an army of Sarah's followers showed up to Haven House forcing the X-Men and The Outliers to team up before the Outliers were ready. They proved successful, although it meant Gambit using the Second Eye of Agamotto to give them an edge.

Raid on Graymalkin

During a supply run into town, Calico was captured along with Jubilee and taken to the Graymalkin Prison, formerly the Xavier Institute. Her wealthy, politically connected family was willing to make a donation to free her and sweep her mutant status under the rug, but Calico stood firm in her dedication to her new team. The guards eventually forced her to leave, but while walking away from the prison, she summoned Ember all the way from Haven. They smashed through the gates together to save Jubilee and made an entrance for her team, whom had teleported onto the outskirts of the prison for a rescue mission.

Unfortunately, during their raid, they ran into the Alaskan X-Men conducting their own raid to save their teammate, Beast. The two teams started a standoff believing their individual raids were in danger of failing due to the other raid, with a psychic push from Scurvy, an empath working for Graymalkin. As Graymalkin guards got involved with the fight, they were interrupted by Charles Xavier, former leader of the X-Men who had escaped his cell in the prison.

Xavier battled Scurvy releasing the two X-Men teams from his grasp to make a concerted effort against the Graymalkin security team. Outgunned, warden Corina Ellis resorted to threatening the towns in which the X-Men were operating with her sonic weapons in orbit. With no other choice, the teams peacefully left with only their imprisoned members returned to them. Xavier volunteered to stay, admitting to his sins and accepting his punishment.

However, Xavier later escaped and left the planet after receiving a psychic distress call from his daughter, Xandra.

The Dark Artery

Calico and the others were awoken by Deathdream who was communicating with a nearby spirit. The voice leads them to The Artery, a graveyard under a swamp guarded by Man-Thing. Behind a door was Lady Henrietta, Guardian of the Penumbra, an underworld for relatives of mutants who betrayed or abused them, but the actual Penumbra was ruled by Shuvahrak, who had been calling to one of the Outliers to take her place. Hotoru volunteers, but his teammates refuse to let him go alone.

Dressed in special living uniforms to protect them in the underworld, the Outliers were confronted by the spirits trapped in Penumbra, rageful and spiteful toward living mutants. Thankfully, they got back up from Man-Thing, who took a liking to the kids, and their X-Men mentors who came looking for them. Shuvahrak interrupted the fight to demand one of the Outliers be her successor, but the X-Men weren’t giving any of them up without a fight. Calico called forth Ember, who was revealed to have been brought back from the dead. Shuvahrak feared Ember and was, by extension, weak to Man-Thing, who caused her to burn.

Injured, Jubilee asked for mercy from Shuvahrak, that she not kidnap any of the kids under their guardianship as her daughter was kidnapped from her (her inspiration for creating Penumbra). She relented but demanded they never return.

Powers & Abilities

Animal Control: Calico has a special bond to her riding steed, Ember.