One of The X-Men’s Greatest Powers Has a Dark, Secret Origin

The ability to transform her skin to organic diamond seemingly manifested as Emma Frost’s second mutation, but was secretly given to her by a dangerous X-Men foe, Cassandra Nova. The hateful twin of Charles Xavier is a master manipulator and Emma’s new power was a piece in her grand schemes to destroy her brother.

The X-Men were introduced to Emma Frost as the White Queen, member of the Hellfire Club and formidable mutant telepath. The longtime foe eventually became a member of the X-Men team, after surviving the mutant genocide at Genosha with the help of a timely secondary mutation. The new mutation allowed Emma’s skin to harden to a diamond-like substance, giving her increased invulnerability and strength. In her diamond form she’s impervious to psychic attacks, needs no food, water or air. This multifaceted addition to Emma’s mutant abilities vastly increased her versatility and quickly asserted her as one of the most powerful mutants in the X-Men’s ranks.

Neither the X-Men, nor Emma herself, realized Cassandra Nova orchestrated her secondary mutation. Xavier’s mutants are unaware Nova has been pulling strings behind the scenes using Emma as her puppet and in Astonishing X-Men #13 Cassandra reveals just how long this has been in motion. Before causing the genocide at Genosha with a massive Sentinel attack, Nova approaches Frost to declare her plans to kill millions in minutes and guarantees Emma’s survival by promising to create a secondary mutation for Emma. Cassandra also promises Frost will retain absolutely no memory of her presence or plans, her mental capabilities being far more powerful than the former White Queen’s. All of this with the purpose of embedding Emma into the X-Men so Cassandra can have an inside operative to activate when the time is right. Emma Frost gaining one of her most important and useful abilities was nothing but a minor portion of Cassandra Nova’s plot.

Cassandra Nova is the evil twin of Charles Xavier, and was originally thought to have been killed in the womb by her brother. Nova is what the Shiar refer to as a Mummundrai, an incorporeal parasite of emotional energy. She possesses mutant abilities mirroring Xavier’s and many others, such as the power to copy and manipulate DNA, impressive telepathic shielding, and the creation of psionic armor. Her most powerful attribute, however, is her absolute hatred of Charles, which causes her to dedicate her considerable genius to enacting complex plots to torment and eradicate him and his X-Men. Using a genocide as cover for inserting a sleeper agent on the mutant team only scratches the surface of the lengths Cassandra Nova will take to achieve her singular goal in life.

Despite being a gift from an enemy, Emma Frost’s ability to transform into a diamond form has since become one of her defining characteristics. Cassandra hit the mark perfectly, conceiving a diamond-related ability for Frost, who is known for her impeccable fashion sense and opulence. Frost’s diamond skin made appearances in live action adaptations, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men: First Class. Neither of those films referenced Nova, making the ability a natural part of Emma’s power set. That doesn’t take away from the fact Cassandra Nova upgraded Emma Frost’s stature within the X-Men very significantly. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend — even when they’re supplied by a girl’s worst enemy.

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Dillon Stevenson
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Dillon Stevenson is a comedian and writer based out of NYC, and is the one “Dillon” anyone ever REALLY needs in their life. As the One Dillon, he’s landed writing jobs at Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (HBO), and The Big Fib (Disney+) and co-created Super Video Bros, a comedy party dedicated to celebrating music videos as an art form. Much like his favorite superhero, the Silver Surfer, Dillon’s passion is finding the best places to eat.

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