BIOGRAPHY - Page 2
Not long after, the Scarlet Witch stripped the powers of most of the world’s mutants, Miranda included. The loss of her pheromone abilities was devastating to Miranda, as using them had become a way of life for her and a means of survival. With the X-Men unable to take her in and 
nowhere else to go, she found herself homeless and sleeping on the streets once more. She resorted to prostitution for survival again, only this time she didn’t have her powers to rely on. Shortly after, she was contacted by a journalist who was writing an article on the victims of the depowerment. [Generation M #2]
Miranda was alone and depressed, but her salvation came from an unlikely source when Night Thrasher of the New Warriors sought her out. Many of the original New Warriors had been killed in the Stamford incident, a super-powered fight which resulted in the deaths of over 600 people. A superhero registration act was introduced that was designed to stop vigilante heroes from using their powers without being monitored. Night Thrasher opposed this law and gathered up a group of depowered mutants to act as the latest incarnation of the New Warriors. Miranda was given a 
new suit that allowed her to extend and manipulate metal tentacles, as well as the new name of Ripcord. She had found purpose once more and quickly dove into the superhero life again, working alongside other former X-Men such as Jubilee and Chamber.
As the former New Warriors were blamed for the Stamford incident, Miranda and the others found themselves constantly evading the authorities. Setting up base in in the disused Murderworld, the team was able to train in the use of their new powers, although many of them, Miranda included, struggled to work effectively together. Despite their issues, the team managed to take down a number of low-level costumed criminals, leaving them for the authorities to deal with. The team left their calling card wherever they went, signaling to the world that the New Warriors were back in an attempt to undermine the Superhero Registration Act. Soon enough, the team became overconfident in their skills and one of them was killed in a fight with the new Zodiac. Night 
Thrasher wanted to disband the team for their own safety, but Miranda was adamant she wanted to continue on as Ripcord. She had finally found a place she felt she belonged and a cause to commit to. Not even the offer of $200,000 dollars was enough to make her “retire.” Night Thrasher eventually saw reason and the team continued on, but the training became more intense. [New Warriors (4th series) #2-6]
The team started to function well together, taking on threats such as the Machinesmith, as well as dealing with the Skrull invasion and some former New Warrior members. [New Warriors (4th series) #7-15] Things would end tragically for Miranda when a S.H.I.E.L.D. taskforce was created to take down the New Warriors. When the team was cornered, they tried to escape but, in the ensuing fight, Miranda accidentally damaged a soldier carrying a flamethrower. Unable to escape in time, she was seemingly killed in the resulting explosion, devastating the rest of her team. [New Warriors (4th series) #16]
Miranda somehow survived the incident but soon enough the New Warriors disbanded again and she had nowhere to turn. Missing her old powers, she pretended to those around her that she still had them, even going as far as to painting her body with snake-skin features and using the name Stacy X once more. It was enough to fool most people, as she was caught by Magneto in a tryst with the Ultimate Nullifier and the pop star Sugar Kane. [Vengeance #2]
[Note: There has never been an explanation as to whether she really did die and was resurrected, or merely survived the explosion in New Warriors. When she appeared in Vengeance #2, it seemed she had her powers intact, but a small explanation in the subsequent Domino (3rd series) Annual #1 revealed she was still powerless.]
Miranda struggled without her powers again but she eventually turned up in a meeting for superpowered individuals who were physically different from humans. The other members such as Beak, Eye Boy and Thumbelina were curious as to why she showed up, given that she could now pass as a regular human. Miranda explained that she longed for her scaly skin once again as she hated being like everyone else, providing the group with a different outlook on their physical mutations. [Domino (3rd series) Annual #1]
Miranda’s fortunes turned around when a mutant nation was set up on the island of Krakoa. In unrevealed circumstances, Miranda gained her mutant powers once more and joined the rest of the mutants on the island.
[Note: Though not explicitly stated, it’s likely Miranda went through Krakoa’s resurrection process, allowing her to be reborn with her mutant powers intact. One such scenario would be Miranda taking part in the Crucible, where depowered mutants fight to the death in a bid to “earn” their powers once more.]
Once on Krakoa, Stacy X began to see through the paradise-like façade of the island, and noticed that many of the mutants who travelled there were struggling to fit in. She created a safe space called the Bower, a place where mutants could come and be intimate with each other, whether it was simply holding hands or something more carnal. She took her new role very seriously and saw her work as a vital part of helping the Krakoan society function. What alarmed her though was the consequences of one of Krakoa’s sacred laws “make more mutants.” One day, she found an abandoned baby on the island, so she took it back to the Bower to be cared for. Soon enough, more babies started to be left there, and Miranda found herself taking on the role of caregiver to the abandoned children.
A while later, Krakoa hosted the Hellfire Gala, a big party which everyone on the island would attend. Knowing what the likely outcome of the party would be, Stacy X went around handing out contraceptives to everyone she could find. She gained the attention of Nightcrawler, who was on a spiritual crusade and took the “make more mutants” law very seriously. He was angry that Miranda was going against the law by preventing more mutant births, but she fired back at him that he hadn’t bothered to see the consequences of the law. She took him to the Bower and showed him the creche with all the abandoned babies in, humbling the man. [Way of X #3]
Miranda continued to work alongside Nightcrawler in his quest to create a mutant religion. She even joined up with Nightcrawler and David Haller’s Legionnaires to help keep the peace on Krakoa. [Legion of X #7]