PERSONALITY

Angelo Espinosa is a man of many secrets. It took him a long time to even reveal a little about his past to his best friend Chamber, and even longer to tell his friends that he had faked his own death in order to escape a harsh life on the streets. Little else is known about him. We don't know the full story of his involvement with the L.A. street gangs, or how his apparent ex-girlfriend, known to us only as Tores, became such a powerful and influential leader. We do know that his mother makes regular visits to his grave site, but we know little else of his close family. We know that after his "death", the first person he contacted was his surfer cousin in Venice Beach, Gil. It's clear that Angelo has done some things in his life that he is not proud of, and that he is always trying to make up for them, but beyond that know little else.

How does a man with too much skin survive in this world? It's all attitude. More so than most of his team mates, Angelo is willing to do what it takes to succeed. He will do anything to help others, even if it means putting his own life in danger. He can be very proud in his personal life, not willing to readily admit his faults to his friends, unless necessary. He also knows his limitations, when he faces a foe that is too big or too powerful for him to take on by himself, he does what he can to make sure that the others make it out first.

Being a grey-skinned mutant in a world of humans, it's hard to get by without a sense of humor. Skin may not be a complete joker like Speedball or the Beast, but he knows not to take himself or his problems to seriously. While once he would have let his disfiguring mutant powers bring him down, his time with Generation X has helped him accept himself and his situation much easier.

More then once Skin has had to rely on his wits to get he and his friends out of danger's way. He has shown a remarkable adaptability, whether thrown into a fantastical reality, or a warped trip through time, Skin has shown an ability to talk his way out of almost anything.

Having gray, distended, disfiguring skin has done nothing to damage Angelo's hormones. Even back before he became Skin, he had one of the finest chicas in the barrio, and one of his first acts after joining Generation X was to flirt with Paige constantly. Even in the above picture, with the threat of government conspirousy looming, all he can think about are the school girls he could meet investigating the matter.

When worst comes to worst, Skin will always be more then willing to risk his life to save another, but many of the adventures taken by the kids of Generation X are, in his mind, pointless. It's one thing to risk your life for a reason, it's something else entirely to go on a mission for the sake of having a mission. While the other kids are perfectly willing to go out and do as their told, Skin is not so inclined unless he feels the situation warrants it. Also, while the other kids might be more pron to pointing out the bright side of a bad situation, Skin won't hesitate to point out the bad.

Just because Skin isn't always the first into the fray, that doesn't mean he isn't willing to give his all to help others. Skin has always been willing to sacrifice his life if it will help another. He faked his own death, apparently for no other reason then to keep his friends safe (although there is probably more to this story that we don't know), and more then once he has been willing to go into insurmountable odds just so that others can survive.

Back on the mean streets of L.A., if a fellow gangsta' went down in a fight, in Angelo's own words, "he stayed down. You waved maņana from a distance." While the gang may have avenged the death, they would have had to leave the body where it fell. Now, in this new situation, Skin has learned that saving you're friends lives becomes paramount to any other concerns. No matter what's wrong with his friends, he'll do what he can to help them out, no matter what.

Part of being a hero is defending those who can't defend themselves, and Skin has never been able to sit idly by while someone else is getting picked on simply for being different or weaker. Even at the risk of exposing himself to greater danger, Angelo will jump into a confrontation without hessitation to defend another, whether it's fairy-folk from a bullying dragon, or a fellow school kid, picked on for being different.

Although he may not make a big production of it, religion is a big part of Angelo's life. When he was a gang member in L.A., his priorities were always, "God was first. Family was second. Your colors [gang] was third." (Angelo in Generation X #17). With prompting from his mother, he also attended a local Catholic Youth Organization, under the guidance of Father Miguel. In or out of costume, Skin is seldom seen without his Rosary (the cross and beads around his neck).

When it comes to mutant rights, the cause of both Xavier and Magneto, Skin has never really given an opinion. He's not one for politics. He'll help a victim of mutant prejudice, but that's just because it's the right thing to do, not necessarily because it furthers "the cause". That isn't to say he hasn't had his own problems with mutation, and prejudice. Often, whether seen as a mutant, or simply a freak, he is gawked at by passers-by, or seen as less then normal by others. Normally he doesn't let this phase him (and he can apparently make himself look "normal" if he chooses to), but occasionally, this treatment becomes too much, and he lets people know it.

Like any student hailing from an Xavier school, Skin is being tried to use a wide variety of vehicals, weaponry and technology. Among those skills to be learned, is how to fly a plane. Skin it seems, feels pretty confident about his abilities, while Banshee does not (similarly, M thinks she can fly, but last time she tried she nearly gave the kids heart attacks).

Like any red-blooded American male, Angelo has one true love, the car. Whenever a vehicle is given to the team, Skin is the first one to grab the keys, and the one most often driving. And he knows the value of a good car. When Sentinels attacked the gang while visiting L.A., he had to sacrifice several classic models... enough to send someone to VW hell.

Back in the Barrio, Angelo often got into car chaces, both for recreation and self-preservation. Apparently his then-girlfriend Tores would reward him with a kiss after winning a race.

Angelo learned many skills back in the hood, including how to properly hot-wire a car when need be. He's never revealed what, if any, illegal activities he was involved in back in L.A., but Angelo certainly had the skills to do all kinds of deeds.

Although he may not act like it, Angelo can handle himself with a computer. When long days as a grey distended skinned mutant hero get him down, he can always turn to the net for relief, often chatting under the screen name "BEE HLDR". He has also been said to be an excellent hacker and programer (see Movie).

The newest technology can be fun for Angelo, but his real joy comes from the classic 8-bit or less games of the early 80's and late 70's. Games like Space Invaders and Star Wars can be very addictive when there is always a higher score to win.

One of the bad habits Skin picked up on the streets of LA, is an addiction to cigarettes. When he first joined Generation X, he would often smoke right in from of his teammates, but he has since stopped doing this, most likely in an effort to silence Jubilee's constant complaining.

On to the next section to learn about Skin's Powers!

Back to Skin

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