Iara Dos Santos (Earth-616)

Shark-Girl
Name	Iara dos Santos
Current Alias	Shark-Girl
Aliases	Sharkgirl
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Dark Riders; formerly X-Men, Summers Institute student body, Spider-Man's Special class
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Female
Height	5′2″ (1.57 m) (as Iara)
Eyes	Irises: Brown (as Iara) Black (as Shark Girl)
Hair	Brown (as Iara), No Hair At All (as Shark Girl)
Skin	Grey, Black
Unusual Features	Claws, gills and fins in shark form
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Mutant
Living Status	Alive; formerly deceased
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Recife, Brazil
Cause of Death	Killed by Reavers(resurrected by The Five)
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Citizenship	Brazilian, Krakoan
Occupation	Adventurer; former student
Education	High School courses at Xavier Institute
Base of Operations	Krakoa; Formerly Summers Institute for Higher Learning, Age of X-Man Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach, Central Park, New York; Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, Westchester County, New York; Recife, Brazil
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Jason Aaron, Nick Bradshaw
First	Wolverine & the X-Men #20 (November, 2012)
First	Wolverine & the X-Men #20 (November, 2012)

History

Early Life

Iara dos Santos was born in a small coastal town in Brazil, her childhood spent amid the vibrant rhythms of coastal life. She was a regular Brazilian girl, with dreams as vast as the ocean that bordered her home. However, her life took an unexpected turn when she began experiencing peculiar cravings for fresh fish. As she grew, so did the intensity of these cravings, until they became overpowering urges that seemed to consume her thoughts. It wasn't long before the inexplicable happened - Iara underwent a startling transformation, her human form giving way to that of a fearsome were-shark. Caught between the tumult of adolescence and the chaos of her newfound mutant powers, Iara found herself the subject of interest of the mutant community. Among them were Angel and Mystique, who both sought to recruit her to their respective causes.

Initially resistant to the overtures of both Angel and Mystique, Iara grappled with the weight of her choices. The world of mutants was as alien to her as the depths of the ocean were familiar. Despite their persuasive attempts, she remained steadfast in her refusal to align herself with either faction. However, Mystique's patience wore thin, her determination leading her to resort to force in her pursuit of Iara. Angel swooped in just in time, rescuing Iara from the clutches of Mystique's relentless pursuit. He whisked her away to safety, transporting her to the sanctuary of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.

Jean Grey School for Higher Learning

Under the compassionate guidance of the school's faculty and students, Iara found solace and purpose. Despite the distance from her coastal home in Brazil, she felt a sense of belonging within the school's walls. Eventually, she made the decision to enroll as a student, eager to learn more about her abilities and how to wield them responsibly. Balancing her education with her ties to Brazil, Iara adopted a unique arrangement, splitting her time between the school and her homeland. Weekdays were spent honing her skills and expanding her knowledge at the school, while weekends offered her the chance to return to the familiar shores of Brazil, where she could reconnect with her family she held dear.

Later, she was among the students to go in the Frankenstein's Monster's Murder Circus, where she battled a mind-controlled Warbird and zombie clowns.

After that adventure, Wolverine took her and other troubling students to the Savage Land, hoping they would learn to work together by being subjected to dangers they couldn't overcome alone. The excursion didn't go as Wolverine planned due to a surprise attack by his missing brother Dog Logan, but the students, with the exception of Glob, all came through and passed the special class.

The months passed, and Iara began finding her place in the school, also growing more comfortable in her shark form, and rarely changing back to human.

Age of X-Man

Iara was one of the many mutants that opposed the crazed X-Man from remaking the world in his image. When X-Man realized that his vision of the world would never come about with the X-Men around, X-Man made his enemies vanish in an instant, including Iara.

Iara and the others were transported to another plane of existence created by X-Man in an attempt at a utopia where every mutant would be at peace, altering their memories so they wouldn't resist. There, Iara was happy as a student of the Summers Institute for Higher Learning and a member of its Agricultural Division, but eventually the illusion fell apart and everyone was returned to the real world.

Krakoa

After returning from the Age of X-Man reality, Iara became a citizen of the mutant nation of Krakoa and she was seen celebrating when Krakoa was officially recognized as a nation. While there, she appeared to have become friends with the former Morlock Marrow, and the two even went on missions with the Dark Riders together.

Dazzler's Band

After the fall of Krakoa, Iara became a part of Dazzler's Band. Because of strained human-mutant relations and public appearance, Wind Dancer, the band's manager, had her wear an image inducer in order to appear human-looking while performing their first show. However, it failed during Scorpia's attack on Dazzler.

Attributes

Powers

Iara is a new mutant activated after the Phoenix dispersion and has displayed the following mutant powers:

Human Form

• Selachothropy: Iara can transform into a shark. She can also retain full memory of herself, and therefore has her human consciousness while in her shark form, although not always under control. Other effects include:
  • Amphibious physiological adaptation: Her hybrid physiology means she can survive indefinitely underwater or on land.
  • Superhuman Strength: As Wolverine describes, Iara has a punch that can shatter cinder blocks. She can collapse a cavern wall with a single punch.
  • Superhuman Speed: Iara has impressive speed underwater.
  • Claws and Fangs
  • Regenerative Healing Factor: Iara possesses a rapid healing factor that makes her immune to snake poison.
• Marine Telepathy: Iara is able to control sea creatures.

Weaknesses

In her shark-form, Iara can lose control of her body, submerged by shark instinct such as blood hunger.

Notes

• Iara is fluent in English and Portuguese.

Trivia

• Iara was part of the soccer team at Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
• Iara can play drums.

See Also

• 75 appearance(s) of Iara Dos Santos (Earth-616)
• 6 minor appearance(s) of Iara Dos Santos (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) of Iara Dos Santos (Earth-616)
• 56 image(s) of Iara Dos Santos (Earth-616)