PERSONALITY: Very outgoing, loves attention. Alison was not too keen on following other people’s directions from an early age, and her independent nature has served her well in getting her foot in the door in the music biz. She is intelligent emotionally as well as intellectually, and endeavors to respect other people’s feelings always. A strident individualist.

HISTORY: Alison had already decided she wanted to be a singer long before her mutant ability manifested itself at a high school talent show. Those in the audience saw the lights that she produced from sound as a sort of special effect. She practiced her skills and honed them so they could be part of her show, and was not keen on joining the X-men when they first encountered her at a dance club. She could use her light and singing ability to soothe crowds, but had no desire to fight anyone. Later on, however, she fell on hard times and had trouble controlling her power. She received some training at XI, and began to fall in love with Hank McCoy, aka Beast. Alison learned some finer points of light control from Cyclops, but did not get along with Rogue and disliked having authority over her after being on her own for so long.

A charismatic man named Flynn who owned an underground mutant fighting establishment called the Pit lured her there so she could master her abilities. She chose to stay there even when a fellow mutant was killed in one fight. Hank argued with her about remaining at the Pit, but to no avail, so he undertook to rescue her from Flynn. He wound up beaten and drugged and put into the arena against Dazzler in her next match. Drugged as he was, Dazzler called to his mind their feelings for each other until Hank was able to regain his awareness. Flynn set the rest of the gladiators against the couple and another mutant who stood by them, Horse. The three of them defeated a hundred opponents, eventually getting help from two other friends, Link and Poltergeist. Link nearly killed Flynn, but Hank and Alison dissuaded him from this kind of revenge. The fight stopped when Flynn’s supposed father, Doom, repudiated his son for his loss in this grand melee. Dazzler decided that though she cared for Hank, it was better for them if they parted, so she went to LA to pursue her career.

After years of hard work, Alison was about to enjoy her biggest break in show-biz with the debut of her movie, Glitter. She’d gotten good reviews and was toasted in Hollywood until her boyfriend/agent Roman Nekoboh. persuaded her to reveal that she was a mutant. The publicity stunt backfired, she found herself black-listed, and left her LA home one night distraught and angry at the incredible loss she suffered as a result of this knowledge becoming public. Yet at the same time, she was proud of her ability and wanted to be appreciated for all of who she was, a mutant who happened to be extremely talented. No longer able to hide this part of her, Alison wanted to embrace it. She returned to XI to get her feet back under her and maybe make a difference in the lives of others as a teacher.