Oh, yes. Send zee girl for backup instead of realizing zat she ees capable of doing. I came to Alpha to fight and win, and now I'ave done both. 
- —Murmur[src]
History
Early Life[]
Arlette Truffaut's mother was reportedly a house cleaner who had a passionate encounter with a Frenchman and got pregnant. Arlette' mother told her that her father was the famous French film director, François Truffaut. Arlette's mother eventually went in search of her lost love, leaving Arlette at Hull House, an orphanage in Orloo, Ontario. Her mother never returned and Arlette has no idea what happened to her.[1] Arlette grew up in Hull House at the same time as her future teammates Flex and Radius, but she was reportedly not on speaking terms with them. She was unaware of much of their experiences there and only got to know them properly after all three had left the orphanage.[2]
Alpha Flight[]
When she displayed her superhuman powers, Arlette was drafted by Department H to become a part of their new Alpha Flight. There, she often used her powers to control the wild Sasquatch. However she had to remain in contact with him for her powers to work.[3] Arlette was interested in spending time with her teammate Radius, but his inability to shut down his force field prevented any real intimate moments between them. He could neither touch others, nor could others touch him. Murmur did visit his room and reportedly gave him a back rub.[4]
At a later point, Arlette attempted to give Jared another back rub while he was working at the gym. He claimed he could not feel her touch and angrily used his force field to push her away. He accused her of being "lovesick" and her apparent romantic interest in him was a problem. Arlette was pissed off herself. Vindicator advised Arlette that intra-team relationships can hurt both the individual involved and the entire team. Arlette rejected her advice, pointing that Heather was in no position to judge her. She had heard that Heather had already dated or married many of her teammates.[5]
Arlette was also romantically interested in the youthful Guardian and wanted to spend time with him. After he confided his feelings about being trapped and alone to her, Arlette identified herself as his friend and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was observed by his supposed wife, Vindicator, who was not exactly thrilled by his apparent infidelity.[1] Arlette later acted very concerned when she noticed that the Guardian was bleeding, following his fight with a Wolverine Synthoid. She caressed him, though Mac claimed his injury was just a little cut from a single claw. Heather was angry with the "little hussy" rubbing up against her husband, while Heather and Mac had just started patching up their strained relationship.[6]
Arlette displayed an extreme, irrational fear and hatred of bugs, most evident when Alpha Flight faced the X-Men and she was forced to battle Maggott.[7][8]
When the Zodiac attacked Department H, Murmur was seriously injured and forced to take some time off from active missions.[9]
When the original Alpha Flight returned, Murmur and her fellow novices were demoted to Beta Flight.[10]
She was one of the many mutants to lose her powers due to M-Day.[11]Attributes
 |
Powers
None.
Abilities
- When facing an attacking opponent or something immune to her powers, Murmur resorted to using her HTH skills, both for defense and to touch. Most of her training would be in unarmed combat, and she was able to copy an effective move that Radius used on her.[16]
- Multilingual: Fluent in French and English.[15] Arlette speaks English with a French accent that affects her pronunciation of several words. For example she uses the term "this" as "thees".[17]
Weaknesses
- When Murmur and Mesmero tried to use their mind-control powers on each other, Mesmero won. He comments that he is a more powerful mental manipulator than she is.[2]
- Murmur is not immune to her own powers. Vindicator once forced Arlette to touch her own face and give commands to herself.[2]
- Vanity: before leaving her room for a battle, Murmur spends time checking out her appearance in front of a mirror. She knows that any conflict could result in her death, but she still wants to look her best.[16] Murmur is deeply worried about the safety of her pretty face and even getting a cream pie in the face seems to terrify her.[17] Vindicator was able to use a threat to Arlette's face to get through to a mind-controlled Arlette.[2] It is hinted that beneath Murmur's beauty lies an ugly secret. However what that secret is was not explained.[17]
Notes
- Arlette's alleged father Francois Truffaut (1932-1984) was a famous French film director.[1] In Earth-1218, Francois was among the founders of the French New Wave movement, a film movement of the late 1950s and 1960s that experimented with new film techniques and means of expression. He directed 21 feature films between 1959 and 1983, including some highly acclaimed ones. He also directed a number of short films, occasionally collaborated with other directors, and served as a screenwriter, actor, and producer in other directors' films. He died due to a brain tumor when 52-years-old.
- Her alleged father Francois Truffaut had three known daughters in Earth-1218: Laura (born 1959), Eva (born 1961), and Joséphine (born 1983). If they have counterparts in Earth-616, Arlette might have paternal half-siblings.
- Assuming Arlette's father was Francois Truffaut, her ancestry is both French and Jewish. Francois was born out of wedlock to a single mother and eventually took the name of his stepfather Roland Truffaut. His biological father was reportedly Roland Levy, a Jewish dentist.
Trivia
- Arlette Truffaut's astrological symbol is Aquarius.This indicates Arlette was born under this sign of the zodiac, sometime between January 19 and February 18.[3]
- Arlette Truffaut has light brown skin, possibly indicating some African or First Nations ancestry.
- Her mind-controls powers and flirtatious personality somewhat resemble a previous Alpha Flight associate, the Purple Girl. It is unclear if this is a coincidence or whether her creator Steven T. Seagle conceived of Arlette as a substitute character for Kara.
- The Sliding Timescale may end up negating Arlette's origin story. When originally published in 1998, it was believable that young Arlette was the daughter of a man who died in 1984. She would have to be at least 14-years-old in present-time to be his biological daughter. As of 2016, she would have to be at least 32-years-old to be his biological daughter.
- While Vindicator habitually called the Guardian "Mac", Arlette kept calling him "James". She was the only one to call him by his actual first name.[1] Arlette also used the phrase "mon cher" for the Guardian. It is French for "my dear".[6]
See Also
- 22 appearance(s) of Arlette Truffaut (Earth-616)
- 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Arlette Truffaut (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Arlette Truffaut (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Arlette Truffaut (Earth-616)
- 43 image(s) of Arlette Truffaut (Earth-616)
- 2 quotation(s) by or about Arlette Truffaut (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Marvel Encyclopedia Vol 2: X-Men
- Her profile at the Appendix to the Marvel Handbook.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #7
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #2–3
- ↑ Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #6
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #8
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #355
- ↑ Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #9
- ↑ Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #12–13
- ↑ Wolverine (Vol. 2) #142
- ↑ New Avengers #18
- ↑ Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #4
- ↑ Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #5
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #355
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #2
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Alpha Flight (Vol. 2) #5
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #3
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update Vol 1 3