Identification

Real Name: Nico Minoru
Aliases: Sister Grimm
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Formerly student
Status: Citizen of the United States, Runaway
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Species: Human/Witch
Birth Place: Los Angeles, California
Known Relatives: Robert Minoru (father), Tina Minoru (mother)
Group Affiliation: Runaways
First Appearance: Runaways vol. 1, #1

Physical Attributes

Hair: Long, black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 102lbs.

Abilities/Accessories: Sister Grimm can control the ancient Staff of One, which can only be summoned when her own blood is drawn. She is also a novice at using the Staff and sometimes messes up her commands. To summon the staff, Nico must bleed and recite the incantation "When blood is shed, let the Staff of One emerge." (This incantation is always in an unusual font, to suggest a throaty, otherworldly voice.) The Staff will then emerge from the center of her chest, passing through any clothing she is wearing.

History: Nico Minoru is a somewhat rebellious goth teenager whose parents, Robert and Tina Minoru, are secretly dark wizards, and members of a secret society known as the Pride.

Nico's weapon of choice is the Staff of One, a magical rod which can cast any spell imaginable, but only once. If the same spell is attempted twice, a random effect occurs (the second time she tried to cast the "Freeze" spell, the staff created a flock of pelicans instead). The spell-word do not need to be in English (she once cast a spell in Latin). Only Nico can summon the Staff, but anyone can cast spells with it, even people without magical training or affinity. When not in use, the Staff retreats into her body. In Volume 2, Issue 1, Nico said "it feels like I have something in my eye, but instead of my eye, it's... it's my soul". To summon the staff, Nico must bleed and recite the incantation "When blood is shed, let the Staff of One emerge." (This incantation is always in an unusual font, to suggest a throaty, otherworldly voice.) The Staff will then emerge from the center of her chest, passing through any clothing she is wearing.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Runaways, volume 1
When Nico and the other children of the Pride witness their parents' murdering a girl as part of a ritual sacrifice, they run away from home, determined to defy their evil legacy. Nico briefly takes her AOL Instant Messenger screenname, "Sister Grimm", as a codename. During a battle with the Pride, Nico discovers that she has inherited her parents' abilities to manipulate magical energies. She comes into possession of a mystical Staff of One when her mother attempts to stab her with the staff and instead Nico's body absorbs it.

Nico's blood must be shed for the staff to emerge from her body, and Nico frequently uses a pocket knife given to her by fellow runaway Chase Stein to cut herself. Nico comments that it is easy to make the staff appear while she is menstruating. Before conjuring a spell, Nico must concentrate on memories that leave her with feelings of pain or guilt. Nico believes that she is unable to cast any particular spell more than once.

Nico is romantically involved with fellow runaway Alex Wilder until he reveals himself to be a mole for the runaways' parents. When the runaways confront their parents and their powerful allies, the Gibborim, Alex reveals that he planned to save Nico and himself, as well as their parents from the "Next Wave" that would annihilate humanity, but Nico rejects his advances and punches him in the face.

The Gibborim kill Alex for his part in disrupting their ritual sacrifice. The runaways' parents sacrifice themselves in order to hold the Gibborim at bay so that their children can escape. Despite his betrayal, Nico unsuccessfully tries to resurrect Alex with the Staff of One.


Runaways, volume 2
Following the death of their parents, the runaways are split up by California Social Services. Nico is sent to Father Flanagan's Orphanage, where she sees a psychologist. The teenagers escape their new homes to regroup and fight the supervillains that fill the void in Los Angeles left by the departure of the Pride, and Nico becomes their leader.

Nico claims to be "finished with boys", to the delight of teammate Karolina Dean, who secretly has a crush on her. When Karolina tries to kiss her, Nico tells her that she has no romantic feelings for her, but she is devastated when Karolina chooses to leave Earth with her fiancée Xavin and misses her friend deeply for months after her departure. Nico kisses Chase after a tense moment, and both become awkward immediately after. Chase is angry and says that Gert is the best thing in his life, and Nico is callously trying to ruin his relationship with her. They decide to keep it a secret from Gert. However, Gert finds out about the kiss when the new Pride divides and distracts the runaways long enough to kidnap Molly Hayes, which leads to an intense but brief argument that ends with the two joking and making up. After Gert dies, Nico deals with the grief by beginning a relationship with fellow runaway Victor Mancha.

After a battle with yet another bad artifact left behind by their evil parents, Nico believes that maybe it is time to take things a little more seriously with Victor, stating that after the likes of Alex and Topher she would like to settle down with a nice boy for a change. Before the two even have a chance to start the relationship Nico is abducted by Chase and has the Staff of One taken from her.


Staff of One Spells Already Used

Freeze
Smoke
Away
Mud
Burst
Rock and Roll
Waterproof
Float On
Dance
Bondage
Hands Off
Deconstruct
Flashback
Rockstars
You suck
Insulation
Shine on, You Crazy Diamond
Fumigation
Acid Rain
Old Lace to Old Yeller
Hellfire
Dreamtime
Sunburst
Detox
Get to Work
Revelations
Shut Up
Pixies, Find the Leak
Forget
Caffeine Injection
Now here comes the sweet talk
Incandescence
Castrareverse
Feather light
Rubber wrapper
Speak to me like I speak to you