Nico Minoru

"Some people hide behind makeup, others behind a smile. It's still hiding."

- Nico Minoru to Karolina Dean

Nico Minoru is a Wiccan and the daughter of Robert and Tina Minoru. After the death of her older sister, Amy Minoru, Minoru crafted a goth appearance to isolate herself. Upon reuniting with her childhood friends, they discovered that their parents used PRIDE to cover up ceremonial sacrifices of the Church of Gibborim. While exploring her mother's office, Minoru found the Staff of One. She teamed up with her friends and formed the Runaways, and she eventually began a relationship with Karolina Dean. Having been framed for Destiny Gonzalez's murder, and with no other choice, they were forced to run.

Despite being on the run, Minoru managed to reclaim the Staff of One from her mother and began training with it to fully master its power. With Alex Wilder frequently being busy with other matters, she also had to take leadership of the Runaways from time to time. As such, she expressed great distrust towards Topher when he found the Hostel where they were hiding. Minoru also took this time to develop her relationship with Dean, but this was put in great constraint when Dean revealed that Amy had been murdered by Jonah. Indeed, Minoru stabbed Jonah during the Battle at the PRIDE Construction Site, causing Dean to blame her for having apparently killed her father. Moreover, Minoru began to fear the power of the Staff of One, which proved crucial during the Siege of the Hostel, as she felt like the artifact actually controlled her. However, her improving relationship with Dean helped her to overcome her fears. Minoru later faced her parents during the Chase of the Runaways and managed to escape from them, but she found out that Dean had been captured and that she was one of the only three Runaways remaining free along with Wilder and Molly Hernandez.

Childhood
Nico Minoru was born the second child of Robert and Tina Minoru. She and her sister, Amy Minoru, frequently played with the children of the other members of PRIDE, while their parents attended meetings for the organization.

Losing a Sister
"No, no! This isn't happening!"

- Nico Minoru

In 2015, Nico entered her sister Amy's bedroom in order to tell her to get ready for school. However, she found her sister still lying in bed and apparently dead after committing suicide. Nico screamed in horror at this sight, alerting her parents Tina and Robert, refusing to believe that her sister was gone. She tried to tell Wizey to call 911, only to have the command cancelled by Tina. Nico rushed to her bedroom and tried to contact 911 all the same by herself, but she was knocked out by Tina using the Staff of One before finishing her message.

Upon regaining consciousness, Nico figured out that she was locked up in her room. She heard her mother discussing with another man and had Wizey show her the video feed from Tina's office. She thus saw Tina talk with Detective Flores, who was given an envelope and declared that he would handle it. Nico froze the feed on Flores' face to remember it, and then resumed it to live feed, only to see her mother staring at the camera, knowing that Nico could be watching.

The death of Amy, who was declared a suicide although she had actually been murdered by Jonah, was a tragic defining moment for Nico, who began distancing herself from her friends and family, isolating herself, dressing in goth style and dark makeup and turning into Wiccan beliefs.

Reunion
"You still never told me why you didn't come to the funeral. I guess what difference does it make? It wouldn't bring her back. Thanks for doing this tonight. For me."

- Nico Minoru to Alex Wilder

Two years after her sister Amy Minoru's death, while preparing for school, Nico went into her sister's bedroom to find a pair of tights, only to be confronted by her mother Tina for entering Amy's room. During the ensuing argument, Nico accidentally broke one of Amy's trophy, causing her mother to angrily order her to leave as her father Robert arrived. At Atlas Academy, Minoru was approached by her former friend Alex Wilder. Minoru listened in silence as Wilder explained that he missed his friends who had grown apart, and especially her, and that he wanted to gather them once again. However, she pretended not hearing him due to listening to music and left. Arriving in the bathroom, Minoru let her feelings burst out and started to cry; but stopped upon seeing Karolina Dean, apparently crying as well, getting out of a toilet box. They both tried to conceal the real reason of their tears, and when Dean told Minoru that she did not need to hide behind her makeup, Minoru retorted that Dean was no better than herself by hiding behind her smile. With the night coming, Nico went to the beach and performed a Wiccan ritual, hoping to contact her late sister Amy, but it did not work, leaving Nico in great distress. She then received a photo sent by Wilder, depicting their former group of friends, and decided that it could be worth trying to reconnect with them. Therefore, Nico went to the Wilder Mansion, where all her old friends had gone as well after receiving the picture. However, the tension between them was still heavy and arguments began to erupt. Nico even apologized to her friends for being so different from Amy, although they insisted that she had nothing to blame herself for.

Nico followed the others as they were headed for Wilder's father's study to find some alcohol to give them courage to open up to each other. On the way, she began asking Wilder why he had not showed up at Amy's funeral, but ultimately decided that it did not matter and thanked him for his efforts of gathering the group again. She then joined her friends in the study and, like everybody else, was utterly surprised when Wilder accidentally opened a secret passageway leading to the mansion's basement, which they decided to follow.

Mysterious Ritual
"Guys, whatever happened, I think our parents killed that girl."

- Nico Minoru

Minoru and the other teenagers wondered where the passage way would lead them and eventually reached a gallery from which they saw all of their parents wearing red robes and apparently being involved in some kind of ritual. Since they were isolated by an energy barrier, Minoru and the rest of the group were horrified to see their parents apparently sacrificing a young girl by putting her into a light-emitting box. However, due to Molly Hernandez attempting to take a picture of the scene, Minoru and the group fled because of the flash of light their parents spotted. Despite being temporarily blocked behind the door of the passageway, the Runaways managed to get out and went into the yard. As Alex Wilder claimed that he had an idea, Minoru told him that she trusted him and joined the others in the guesthouse while he temporarily left. Minoru then openly voiced her belief that their parents had murdered the young girl they had seen. Moments later, the power was cut and Wilder returned, explaining that this would provide a reasonable explanation for the flash, which Minoru acknowledged was clever thinking. Minoru then joined the others in pretending to be playing when Geoffrey and Catherine Wilder arrived to check on them.

Remaining alone, the teenagers began arguing about what they had seen and Minoru admitted that she was willing to believe that her mother could be an evil criminal, although the others were much more dubious regarding their own parents. They then returned into the Wilder Mansion's hall to act normal in front of their parents. Before leaving the house, the Runaways gathered one last time and agreed to behave as usual as possible as to not raise their parents' suspicions. However, overwhelmed by what she had seen, Minoru briefly left to isolate herself in the bathroom. She was later joined by Wilder, who explained that her parents were waiting for her. Minoru expressed her distress at the idea of returning home with her potentially murderous parents with her sister Amy no longer here to support her. In return, Minoru was comforted by Wilder, who assured her that she was not alone. She then rejoined her parents and returned into the Minoru Mansion, secretly sneaking into Amy's room to reflect on the past events. She then received a text message from Wilder asking the Runaways to come to the beach in the next morning.

Staff Discovery
"One minute I was looking at one of Amy's snowflakes, and then the next it was snowing. It was like it read my mind."

- Nico Minoru to Alex Wilder

To be added

Kidnapping of Alex Wilder
"Show us the way to Alex." "So much for the magical Wiccan proclamations." "What is that thing?"

- Nico Minoru, Gert Yorkes, and Karolina Dean

To be added

Infiltration into Wizard Headquarters
To be added

Infiltration into the PRIDE Construction Site
To be added

Running Away
"What do we do?" "We run."

- Nico Minoru and Alex Wilder

To be added

Powers
"You are the only other person in the world that staff will work for. Other than me."

- Tina Minoru to Nico Minoru

Staff of One Manipulation: Upon activating the Staff of One with her blood, Nico Minoru is able to command it to create and unleash a variety of effects, making her the only other user besides her mother that can activate the staff.
 * Elemental Manipulation: As stated, the staff mainly has the power to control and manipulate the elements.
 * Air Manipulation: Minoru can use the staff to manipulate the air around her to her desire, utilizing it for various tasks such as enabling her to fly or use it to knock back her opposers.
 * Weather Generation: While holding the Staff of One, Minoru unwillingly made it snow inside her mother's home office when she reminisced on one of her deceased sister's paper snowflakes.
 * Flight: While at the bottom of the hole, Minoru utilized the power of air and used it to carry her to the top where she confronted Jonah.
 * Earth Manipulation: By saying "Fill the hole," Minoru caused sand to swarm around a hole dug up by PRIDE. However, her mother cancelled the command before it can be completed by summoning the staff back to her hand. Minoru was also able to create a wall of stone from the road that stopped Geoffrey Wilder’s car from chasing them.
 * Sound Manipulation: By concentrating on what came to her mind first she was able to make her mother mute, her not being able to speak.
 * Electricity Manipulation: Minoru commanded her staff to create a spark in order to hotwire the engine on the Rolls.
 * Technology Manipulation: Minoru was able to use the Staff to turn and tune a radio in her room in the Hostel.
 * Fire Manipulation: During training with the other Runaways, Chase Stein's Fistigons created a fire which Minoru handled by extinguishing it with the staff.
 * Sensory Tracking: When Alex Wilder was kidnapped and Nico tried to find him, she asked the staff to lead her the way to him which it fulfilled by creating a series of lights that followed the heat signature of his kidnappers' car.
 * Barriers: During the Runaways' confrontation with Darius Davis, Minoru created an invisible barrier using the Staff of One that slowed down the hail of bullets he unleashed causing them to lose kinetic energy and drop in midair. She also created a sound barrier around Tina to prevent her from being heard. She was also able to create a energy shield to protect her from Chase Stein’s Fistigons blasts, and create a cone that stopped Topher from hearing her conversation with the rest of the runaways. Minoru also used the staff to camouflage the hideout as well as turn the building into a fortress which sealed the building with steel doors preventing anyone from entering or exiting. This however was only in affect while Minoru was concentrating on the spell, which caused her discomfort after extended periods.
 * Summoning: Like her mother, Minoru was able to summon the staff to her current whereabouts. The staff didn’t have to be activated for her to achieve this.
 * Telekinesis: Minoru was able to create a blast of telekinetic energy that sent Topher flying several feat backwards, she was also able to create a giant shockwave that destroyed most of a PRIDE office, sent her parents flying backwards, and fatally injured her father.
 * Sleep Inducement: Minoru was able to put all of the Runaways’ parents instantly to sleep.
 * Body Immobilization: Minoru was able to temporarily immobilize AWOL and his team, leaving them conscious yet incapacitated.
 * Dark Dimension Energy Manipulation: Unconsciously, Minoru is able to drawn power from another dimension.
 * Levitation: While in her darkened state, Minoru was able to levitate herself off of the ground and back on her feet again.
 * Body Immobilization: By chanting "Get Out!", Nico teleported AWOL and his team to a unknown location.

Abilities

 * Skilled Combatant: Minoru was able to square off against both her parents simultaneously.
 * Skilled Acrobat: While battling her parents, Minoru performed flips and other feats of agility.
 * Staff Proficiency: Nico has demonstrated the ability to use the Staff of One as a tool in combat, utilizing it for offensive and defensive purposes.

Equipment

 * Staff of One: A powerful weapon used by Tina Minoru, but was later stolen by Nico. The staff is designed to activate in response to Tina's DNA, meaning that Nico, as Tina's daughter, is capable of using it.
 * Wooden Staff: During the Infiltration into Minoru Mansion, Nico wielded a wooden fighting staff in order to fight her mother Tina. Despite Nico's skills, the staff was eventually incinerated by Tina using the Staff of One.

Facilities

 * Minoru Mansion: Minoru lived in this wealthy residence with her parents and sister. The house was managed by artificial intelligence named Wizey which she would often use. Minoru gave up on this house when running away from her parents, but briefly returned to reclaim the Staff of One from her mother.
 * Atlas Academy: Minoru attended classes in this highly ranked school with her friends, also she began isolating herself from them after the death of her sister. She left the school when fleeing from PRIDE, although she briefly returned when the Runaways attempted to steal a computer from it.
 * Timely Coffee: Minoru often met with the other Runaways at the Timely Coffee, where they would discuss their plans to take down PRIDE.
 * Hostel: While living on the run from PRIDE, Minoru took residence in the abandoned underground mansion known as the Hostel. She initially shared a room with her girlfriend Karolina Dean, but they briefly slept in separate rooms after an argument before returning together again. Minoru also momentarily hid the Staff of One in a wall of the Hostel due to being afraid of its power, but she reclaimed it later.

Family

 * Grandmother
 * Robert Minoru - Father turned Enemy
 * Tina Minoru - Mother turned Enemy
 * Amy Minoru † - Sister

Allies

 * Wizey - Assistant
 * Runaways - Teammates and Friends
 * Alex Wilder - Former Love Interest
 * Karolina Dean - Love Interest
 * Gert Yorkes
 * Molly Hernandez
 * Old Lace
 * Vaughn Kaye
 * Livvie
 * Leslie Dean - Enemy turned Ally
 * Xavin

Enemies

 * PRIDE - Allies turned Enemies
 * Catherine Wilder
 * Geoffrey Wilder - Situational Ally
 * Dale Yorkes
 * Stacey Yorkes
 * Victor Stein
 * Janet Stein
 * Chase Stein
 * Crips
 * Darius Davis †
 * Eiffel - Former Classmate
 * Jonah - Attempted Victim
 * Topher
 * Jonah (Doctor) † - Victim
 * Los Angeles Police Department
 * Flores †
 * AWOL - Attempted Killer
 * Mitch
 * Vic
 * Jay
 * Church of Gibborim
 * Frank Dean

Trivia

 * In the comics, Nico Minoru is also known as Sister Grimm.

Behind the Scenes

 * Cassie Lee Minick and Mami Spéede were stunt doubles for Lyrica Okano in the role of Nico Minoru.