Layla Miller
Encyclopedia
Layla Rose Miller, also known as Butterfly, is a fictional character
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. She first appeared in House of M
#4, and was created by Brian Michael Bendis
and Oliver Coipel. Peter David
has developed the character, placing Layla at the center of the ensemble of mutant private detectives in his title X-Factor
.
. When she wakes up one morning, she finds everything has changed
and is one of a small number of unaffected characters. Layla was instrumental in bringing down the "House of M" by using her ability to restore the memories of superheroes who rebelled and helped restore reality. Dr. Strange suggested that the Scarlet Witch had created Layla as a fail safe to help the heroes in case something went wrong.
's theory of her origin, Layla's life prior to the events of House of M has been described: she was a young mutant living in an orphanage where she was picked on by the other orphans. However, Layla was shown to have fabricated a large portion of her experiences at the orphanage in order to facilitate her entry into X-Factor Investigations. The extent of what really occurred is unknown. When asked, Layla has purported to understand how it is that she "knows stuff." However, she claims that if she were to tell anyone, she would be struck down and die on the spot. Since she has proven to be capable of manipulation, the veracity of her contention is in doubt.
arrives to inform Siryn that her father, Banshee
, has died, he pretends not to recognize Layla.
Layla has taken steps to deal with Singularity Investigations, a rival investigations firm. When X-Factor have their final showdown with Singularity Investigations, she helps uncover that Guido
has been brainwashed by them at some point in his past and rescuing a client. Jamie organizes all X-Factor members to see Doc Samson
for psychiatric evaluations, they play chess and she reveals she is willing to make sacrifices for the greater good and that even she is expendable.
, Quicksilver
makes repeated attempts to enter X-Factor Investigations Headquarters. Each time, however, he is thwarted by Layla, who Quicksilver comes to consider his nemesis.
When the rest of the team are discussing their stance in the war, they eventually begin to talk about M-Day
. Later it comes to light that she knew the truth about why and how it happened leaving the other members distrustful of her.
, who believes the government had depowered mutants, are hiding in Mutant Town. When Siryn and Monet return from France
they bring an ex-mutant called Nicole, which shocks Layla because she didn’t know of her arrival. Layla visits Quicksilver who had restored most of X-Cell's powers. She reveals to Callisto
and Marrow
that it was he and Wanda Maximoff who caused the Decimation, the government did not depower them, and Pietro has lied. After a failed attempt on Layla's life, Nicole is tripped by Layla and falls in front of a train, which destroys her, revealing she was actually a robot.
Around this time she is also offered a place among Nick Fury
's Secret Warriors
by Daisy Johnson
but declines, claiming the mutants will need her more.
that the mutant messiah had caused this world. Layla then proceeds to kill the dupe to send the information back to the original Jamie, leaving her alone and stranded in the future.
It is implied in Layla's final words in the story- 'but not the right stuff' (in response to Jamie's 'I'm Jamie. I know stuff.'), as well as her 8 days in a trance in the Layla Miller one-shot (after which she whispers the same lines she says to Jamie, 'One of us, One of us') that this 'figment' of Jamie's imagination is actually Layla contacting Jamie to give him some guidance.
. Together with Ruby, she initiates the Summers Rebellion. Layla is last seen stating that, while she is unsure of the future, she is confident in her ability to "know stuff."
Layla finds a way back into the past but is now much older than she was before. She pretends to be a nun and works with John Maddox, a duplicate who settled down to raise a family. When she arrives at John's church, she finds Jamie about to kill himself. She stops him and reveals who she really is, much to his shock. She reveals herself to be a holographic projection and takes Jamie into the alternate future. When Layla and Jamie return to the future, Jamie meets Ruby, who berates Layla for traveling back in time when warned not to. The group is then attacked by Sentinels.
After Layla and Jamie argue about how they never came for one another, the two finally give into their emotions and share a kiss. Jamie is awkward about starting a relationship with Layla, feeling she is still a child, though Layla tells him she never really was.
Later, Layla, Jamie and Ruby go find an old, frail Doctor Doom
, requesting his help in time-travel. Doom reveals he has met Layla before and informs the trio about Doomlocks. They are then attacked by sentinels and saved by Trevor Fitzroy
. They bring the frail Doom back to their stronghold in Atlantic City where she gets into an argument with Cyclops about bringing him with them and Trevor Fitzroy's future. Taking Doom to an old lab, he creates a Doomlock and turns on them, bringing forth Cortex, the rogue Madrox dupe. Cortex kills Trevor and Ruby asks Layla if she can bring him back. Layla reveals that her ability isn't to "know stuff" but to bring back the dead. However there are consequences to bringing back a human: the cost of their soul, conscience and morality.
When the battle is over and Layla explains what her powers are to Jamie, they are teleported by a Doomlock back in time and Jamie ends up back with X-Factor while Layla is transported back to before she joined up at X-Factor Investigations. She ends up at the orphanage she lived at before M-Day and after talking with her younger self. She sets forth the motions that lead her to joining X-Factor by downloading all her knowledge into her younger version's brain which causes her to pass-out and give her the ability to "know stuff", Layla then gets up and walks away, contemplating what she did to herself. Cryptically she informs her younger self that while she knows why Doom sent her further back, Jamie will find out in "a couple of years", apparently indicating that much time has elapsed since the current X-Factor series began (since Layla has only been "Knowing Stuff" since after the "House of M" event, prior to this her ability was to awaken lost memories).
, it is revealed Layla has been living with Dr. Doom in an advisory capacity for a year; awaiting to cross paths with X-Factor while they search for Susan.
During the event's of Second Coming
, Bastion
assigns Bolivar Trask
and his Mutant Response Division to target and kill every member of X-Factor Investigations. Arriving at Dublin Airport, Layla and Shatterstar
have come to the aid of Theresa Cassidy, who is now going by the codename Banshee. During the confrontation, Layla uses technology acquired from Dr. Doom to combat the MRD soldiers and point Monet in the right direction to help turn the tide of the battle.
After Monet's encounter with Baron Mordo
, Layla has an almost violent encounter with Monet who doesn't trust her since finding out about her partnership with Dr. Doom. After Monet faints from exhaustion, she informs Guido that Wolfsbane has returned and joins the rest of X-Factor on a trip to Las Vegas.
When Guido receives a fatal shot while protecting J. Jonah Jameson, the doctors pronounce him dead. But upon their return to the room he is seen alive with Layla hiding in the closet suggesting she resurrects Guido. Layla speaks to Guido in the hospital and begins to cry. She cryptically tells Guido she'll find a way to get his soul back. Madrox has figured out that Layla has brought Guido (Strong Guy) back from death at the cost of his soul.
after being killed by Cortex, knowing the murderous villain he'll become due to her bringing him back to life.
Layla has extensive scientific knowledge and advanced weaponry due to her partnership with and tutelage under Dr. Doom. One such device she has acquired and shown using regularly is a gauntlet which creates force fields capable of ricocheting bullets, giant saws and even volcanic blasts.
Layla purports to "know stuff": she claims to have the ability to see paths of causality to their ultimate conclusion, allowing her to alter events to prevent or cause certain occurrences. In the "Caterpillar Files" in the back of Secret Warriors
#1, her power is listed as "causality
". However, a few times she has encountered blind spots: her abilities did not enable her to discern that her teammate Strong Guy
was brainwashed, the machinations of Singularity CEO Damian Tryp
, or that Frenchwoman Nicole was actually a robot created by Josef Huber
. While trapped in the future, Layla also explains that "knowing stuff" does not mean knowing all that she would like to - for example, any information about how/if/when she would get back to her own time. This is explained in X-Factor #50 when the grown up Layla visits her younger self before she meets the team and uploads all her knowledge into her younger version's brain. The sheer volume of knowledge is too much for a normal brain to take, and that causes several gaps in her knowledge. Her precognition abilities were revealed to only be a ploy to explain her knowledge of future events.
During House of M she was immune to the memory alteration created by Scarlet Witch using Charles Xavier's ability, and she therefore knew how the Scarlet Witch had warped reality. She also had the ability to "awaken" heroes and make them remember their lives before the reality warp. By making eye contact and exhibiting an unexplained power, Layla restored the memories of victims of a combination of Scarlet Witch's reality manipulation and Charles Xavier's telepathy. She has not exhibited this ability since House of M.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. She first appeared in House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
#4, and was created by Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
and Oliver Coipel. Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
has developed the character, placing Layla at the center of the ensemble of mutant private detectives in his title X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
.
House of M
Layla Miller is first seen as a young mutant girl who lives in Hell’s KitchenHell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
. When she wakes up one morning, she finds everything has changed
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
and is one of a small number of unaffected characters. Layla was instrumental in bringing down the "House of M" by using her ability to restore the memories of superheroes who rebelled and helped restore reality. Dr. Strange suggested that the Scarlet Witch had created Layla as a fail safe to help the heroes in case something went wrong.
Origin
Contradicting Doctor StrangeDoctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
's theory of her origin, Layla's life prior to the events of House of M has been described: she was a young mutant living in an orphanage where she was picked on by the other orphans. However, Layla was shown to have fabricated a large portion of her experiences at the orphanage in order to facilitate her entry into X-Factor Investigations. The extent of what really occurred is unknown. When asked, Layla has purported to understand how it is that she "knows stuff." However, she claims that if she were to tell anyone, she would be struck down and die on the spot. Since she has proven to be capable of manipulation, the veracity of her contention is in doubt.
X-Factor Investigations
After Layla joins X-Factor Investigations, she helps the other team members in various, indirect ways. When an operative of Singularity Investigations tries to murder Rictor, Layla electrocutes him. She then sends his body back to Singularity Investigations with a note that says "stay out of Mutant Town." After being taken back to an abusive orphanage, Jamie makes an arrangement that allows her to return at X-Factor where she would be safe. When CyclopsCyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
arrives to inform Siryn that her father, Banshee
Banshee (comics)
Banshee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who operates as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Banshee first appeared in X-Men #28 ....
, has died, he pretends not to recognize Layla.
Layla has taken steps to deal with Singularity Investigations, a rival investigations firm. When X-Factor have their final showdown with Singularity Investigations, she helps uncover that Guido
Strong Guy
Strong Guy is the alias of Guido Carosella, a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz in New Mutants volume 1 #29 , and was reinvented as Strong Guy by Peter David and Larry Stroman in X-Factor #71 .-Early life:Born in Rhinebeck,...
has been brainwashed by them at some point in his past and rescuing a client. Jamie organizes all X-Factor members to see Doc Samson
Doc Samson
Doc Samson is a fictional character, a superhero and psychiatrist in the Marvel Comics universe, known as a supporting character in stories featuring the Hulk.-Publication history:...
for psychiatric evaluations, they play chess and she reveals she is willing to make sacrifices for the greater good and that even she is expendable.
Civil War
During the Marvel Civil WarCivil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
, Quicksilver
Quicksilver (comics)
Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
makes repeated attempts to enter X-Factor Investigations Headquarters. Each time, however, he is thwarted by Layla, who Quicksilver comes to consider his nemesis.
When the rest of the team are discussing their stance in the war, they eventually begin to talk about M-Day
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
. Later it comes to light that she knew the truth about why and how it happened leaving the other members distrustful of her.
Silent War
When the Inhumans come looking for Quicksilver, Layla advises him that Black Bolt isn’t going to kill him during the confrontation and that he should take a small trip to the future to see the outcome of what happens to them. She and Jamie go to the meeting where she reveals to Jamie that she tried to kill Pietro but couldn’t because he escaped and that his actions are meant to happen.X-Cell and Nicole
A group made up of ex-mutants by the name of X-CellX-Cell
X-Cell is a terrorist organization in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional team biography:Made up of ex-mutants, the group targets government authorities in an attempt to regain their lost powers after the Decimation event, which de-powered over 90% of the world's mutant population and which they...
, who believes the government had depowered mutants, are hiding in Mutant Town. When Siryn and Monet return from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
they bring an ex-mutant called Nicole, which shocks Layla because she didn’t know of her arrival. Layla visits Quicksilver who had restored most of X-Cell's powers. She reveals to Callisto
Callisto (comics)
Callisto is a Marvel Comics fictional character, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, she first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #169 ....
and Marrow
Marrow (comics)
Marrow , is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is a mutant whose bones grow out of her skin and can be removed from her body, providing her with potential knives and clubs as well as body armor....
that it was he and Wanda Maximoff who caused the Decimation, the government did not depower them, and Pietro has lied. After a failed attempt on Layla's life, Nicole is tripped by Layla and falls in front of a train, which destroys her, revealing she was actually a robot.
Around this time she is also offered a place among Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
's Secret Warriors
Secret Warriors
The Secret Warriors is a Marvel series featuring Nick Fury and Team White, a fictional team of superpowered agents in the . Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, the characters were introduced in Mighty Avengers #13, and debuted as a team in Secret Invasion #3, both published in...
by Daisy Johnson
Daisy Johnson
Daisy Johnson is a fictional, superpowered secret agent in the Marvel Comics universe. A member of the international espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D., she was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Gabriele Dell'Otto, and first appeared in Secret War #2...
but declines, claiming the mutants will need her more.
Messiah Complex
Layla goes with one of Jamie's dupes to investigate an alternate future caused by the birth of the mutant messiah. While there, they discover that the mutants are living in internment camps. While in an internment camp, the mutant scanners alternate between detecting Layla as a mutant and detecting Layla as human. They learn from a child version of BishopBishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
that the mutant messiah had caused this world. Layla then proceeds to kill the dupe to send the information back to the original Jamie, leaving her alone and stranded in the future.
Divided We Stand
Despite being trapped in an alternate future, Layla is still seen interacting with Jamie as a figment of his imagination. This figment serves as "stuff [Jamie] knows deep down", appearing in moments of self-realization, such as when Jamie admitted to himself that he knows about Siryn's pregnancy.It is implied in Layla's final words in the story- 'but not the right stuff' (in response to Jamie's 'I'm Jamie. I know stuff.'), as well as her 8 days in a trance in the Layla Miller one-shot (after which she whispers the same lines she says to Jamie, 'One of us, One of us') that this 'figment' of Jamie's imagination is actually Layla contacting Jamie to give him some guidance.
The Summers Rebellion
Layla eventually escapes the camp and helps a new mutant called Linqon. After revealing to some people an operation called Operation Purity, which involves every citizen being tested for mutant genes, she goes to Atlantic City and meets up with Cyclops and his daughter RubyRuby Summers
Ruby Summers is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe first appearing in the one-shot X-Factor: Layla Miller.-Fictional character biography:Ruby is the daughter of Scott Summers and Emma Frost from the dystopian alternate future Earth-1191....
. Together with Ruby, she initiates the Summers Rebellion. Layla is last seen stating that, while she is unsure of the future, she is confident in her ability to "know stuff."
Layla finds a way back into the past but is now much older than she was before. She pretends to be a nun and works with John Maddox, a duplicate who settled down to raise a family. When she arrives at John's church, she finds Jamie about to kill himself. She stops him and reveals who she really is, much to his shock. She reveals herself to be a holographic projection and takes Jamie into the alternate future. When Layla and Jamie return to the future, Jamie meets Ruby, who berates Layla for traveling back in time when warned not to. The group is then attacked by Sentinels.
After Layla and Jamie argue about how they never came for one another, the two finally give into their emotions and share a kiss. Jamie is awkward about starting a relationship with Layla, feeling she is still a child, though Layla tells him she never really was.
Later, Layla, Jamie and Ruby go find an old, frail Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, requesting his help in time-travel. Doom reveals he has met Layla before and informs the trio about Doomlocks. They are then attacked by sentinels and saved by Trevor Fitzroy
Trevor Fitzroy
Trevor Fitzroy is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men, in particular Bishop. Created by Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #281 .Fitzroy hails from the same dystopian future as Bishop...
. They bring the frail Doom back to their stronghold in Atlantic City where she gets into an argument with Cyclops about bringing him with them and Trevor Fitzroy's future. Taking Doom to an old lab, he creates a Doomlock and turns on them, bringing forth Cortex, the rogue Madrox dupe. Cortex kills Trevor and Ruby asks Layla if she can bring him back. Layla reveals that her ability isn't to "know stuff" but to bring back the dead. However there are consequences to bringing back a human: the cost of their soul, conscience and morality.
When the battle is over and Layla explains what her powers are to Jamie, they are teleported by a Doomlock back in time and Jamie ends up back with X-Factor while Layla is transported back to before she joined up at X-Factor Investigations. She ends up at the orphanage she lived at before M-Day and after talking with her younger self. She sets forth the motions that lead her to joining X-Factor by downloading all her knowledge into her younger version's brain which causes her to pass-out and give her the ability to "know stuff", Layla then gets up and walks away, contemplating what she did to herself. Cryptically she informs her younger self that while she knows why Doom sent her further back, Jamie will find out in "a couple of years", apparently indicating that much time has elapsed since the current X-Factor series began (since Layla has only been "Knowing Stuff" since after the "House of M" event, prior to this her ability was to awaken lost memories).
Return to present
Following the disappearance of the Invisible WomanInvisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
, it is revealed Layla has been living with Dr. Doom in an advisory capacity for a year; awaiting to cross paths with X-Factor while they search for Susan.
During the event's of Second Coming
X-Men: Second Coming
"Second Coming" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that ran through the most of the X-Men comic books from March to July 2010.-Publication history:...
, Bastion
Bastion (comics)
Bastion is a supervillain that appears in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Scott Lobdell and Pascual Ferry and first made a cameo appearance in X-Men #52 . His first full appearance was Uncanny X-Men #333...
assigns Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask is a fictional character and a military scientist in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #14 . He is the creator of the Sentinels.-Fictional character biography:...
and his Mutant Response Division to target and kill every member of X-Factor Investigations. Arriving at Dublin Airport, Layla and Shatterstar
Shatterstar
Shatterstar is a fictional character, a mutant superhero in the .-Publication history:Shatterstar first appeared in The New Mutants vol. 1 #99 , and was created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld. Since his debut Shatterstar has mainly appeared in the original X-Force title, with some issues...
have come to the aid of Theresa Cassidy, who is now going by the codename Banshee. During the confrontation, Layla uses technology acquired from Dr. Doom to combat the MRD soldiers and point Monet in the right direction to help turn the tide of the battle.
After Monet's encounter with Baron Mordo
Baron Mordo
Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by Marvel Comics and appearing as an enemy of Doctor Strange...
, Layla has an almost violent encounter with Monet who doesn't trust her since finding out about her partnership with Dr. Doom. After Monet faints from exhaustion, she informs Guido that Wolfsbane has returned and joins the rest of X-Factor on a trip to Las Vegas.
When Guido receives a fatal shot while protecting J. Jonah Jameson, the doctors pronounce him dead. But upon their return to the room he is seen alive with Layla hiding in the closet suggesting she resurrects Guido. Layla speaks to Guido in the hospital and begins to cry. She cryptically tells Guido she'll find a way to get his soul back. Madrox has figured out that Layla has brought Guido (Strong Guy) back from death at the cost of his soul.
Powers and abilities
Layla has the mutant power to resurrect someone from the dead, however at the cost of their souls. They retain their memories, but experience a lack of empathy upon resurrection that is similar to sociopathy. This is explained when she resurrects Trevor FitzroyTrevor Fitzroy
Trevor Fitzroy is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men, in particular Bishop. Created by Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #281 .Fitzroy hails from the same dystopian future as Bishop...
after being killed by Cortex, knowing the murderous villain he'll become due to her bringing him back to life.
Layla has extensive scientific knowledge and advanced weaponry due to her partnership with and tutelage under Dr. Doom. One such device she has acquired and shown using regularly is a gauntlet which creates force fields capable of ricocheting bullets, giant saws and even volcanic blasts.
Layla purports to "know stuff": she claims to have the ability to see paths of causality to their ultimate conclusion, allowing her to alter events to prevent or cause certain occurrences. In the "Caterpillar Files" in the back of Secret Warriors
Secret Warriors
The Secret Warriors is a Marvel series featuring Nick Fury and Team White, a fictional team of superpowered agents in the . Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, the characters were introduced in Mighty Avengers #13, and debuted as a team in Secret Invasion #3, both published in...
#1, her power is listed as "causality
Causality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
". However, a few times she has encountered blind spots: her abilities did not enable her to discern that her teammate Strong Guy
Strong Guy
Strong Guy is the alias of Guido Carosella, a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz in New Mutants volume 1 #29 , and was reinvented as Strong Guy by Peter David and Larry Stroman in X-Factor #71 .-Early life:Born in Rhinebeck,...
was brainwashed, the machinations of Singularity CEO Damian Tryp
Damian Tryp
Damian Tryp is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in X-Factor vol. 3 #2.-Fictional character biography:left|thumbnail|Ancient Tryp...
, or that Frenchwoman Nicole was actually a robot created by Josef Huber
Isolationist (comics)
The Isolationist is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, created by Peter David and Pablo Raimondi. The character's first appearance was in X-Factor vol. 1, #89 on a single page, but his story wasn't continued until X-Factor vol...
. While trapped in the future, Layla also explains that "knowing stuff" does not mean knowing all that she would like to - for example, any information about how/if/when she would get back to her own time. This is explained in X-Factor #50 when the grown up Layla visits her younger self before she meets the team and uploads all her knowledge into her younger version's brain. The sheer volume of knowledge is too much for a normal brain to take, and that causes several gaps in her knowledge. Her precognition abilities were revealed to only be a ploy to explain her knowledge of future events.
During House of M she was immune to the memory alteration created by Scarlet Witch using Charles Xavier's ability, and she therefore knew how the Scarlet Witch had warped reality. She also had the ability to "awaken" heroes and make them remember their lives before the reality warp. By making eye contact and exhibiting an unexplained power, Layla restored the memories of victims of a combination of Scarlet Witch's reality manipulation and Charles Xavier's telepathy. She has not exhibited this ability since House of M.