Juanita Espinosa

PHASE 1

Juanita Espinosa
Portrayed by Mercedes Ruehl
Known Aliases:	None
Affiliations:	Angelo Espinosa
Socked By:	Kate
Introduction:	December 12, 2003

Angelo's mother believed he was dead for several months after he fled LA. Brought to New York by Marie D'Ancato, she has since settled into a busy life, maintaining close ties to her son.

Details

Name: Juanita Espinosa

Aliases: None

Occupation: Shop assistant

First appearance: December 12, 2003

Family: Angelo Espinosa (son), Eduardo Espinosa (husband; deceased)

Biography

Juanita was born in Mexico, and came to Los Angeles with her family as a young girl, where she then grew up. Later, she met and married a fellow immigrant named Eduardo Espinosa, and they had a son, Angelo. When the boy was five, however, tragedy struck the family when Eduardo was attacked for his wallet and stabbed fatally - though he lived long enough to reach the family home, where he died in front of his son despite Juanita's efforts to save him.

She never remarried, choosing instead to raise her son alone. Following his father's death, however, Angelo started to go off the rails and nothing Juanita could do put him back on the right path. He believes she knows little of his activities during this time, but she has always known more than he thought, for all she was helpless to do anything about it without betraying him to the police, which she feared he would never have forgiven.

After Angelo's manifestation, Juanita was left for several months to believe that her son was dead, as he didn't dare to get in touch with her for her own safety. Finally, however, Marie D'Ancato went to LA on his behalf to talk to her, and ended up bringing her back to the mansion after riots broke out in the city. It was not long afterward that things were put in motion for her move to New York City, where she now lives. Juanita's house in New York was the first place off the mansion grounds where Yvette ventured to go after arriving at the mansion, having been invited by Angelo.

After a conversation with Nathan, Juanita spoke to Gail Collins about starting a support group for parents whose children are mutants, continuing her friendship with the other woman through the relapse of Gail's cancer.

In February 2007Juanita traveled to Tel Aviv with Amanda to be with Angelo, who had been injured in bombings at the Elpis office. In October of that year, she helped take care of the displaced students when the mansion was threatened as a result of Magneto's commandeering a space station and threatening to launch a laser strike against Moscow and Washington, despite dealing with the fact that Angelo had been injured. In addition to cooking for the students, Juanita also offered her house to Kevin and Yvette to escape the chaos that accompanied their displacement.

In October 2008 when Apocalypse attacked New York Juanita was rescued from the city by Angelo doing his flying squirrel imitation on the rooftops and taken to safety at Gail's house upstate. Juanita returned to her home after Apocalypse's defeat and continues to cook for people at the mansion.

Powers/Abilities

None - baseline human.

Plots

Asgard (plot)

Epiphany Frosts

Kaiten

Thirteen Days (part of the evacuation)

Day Zero (her rescue derailed Angelo from other duties until she was safe)

Meta

PB: Mercedes Ruehl

Socked by: Kate

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