Sophia was raised in the upper reaches of the European financial world, the child of the old money Beaulieus of Paris. She wined and dined with heads of state and captains of industry from all nations. Her passionate nature and forceful personality led her to a cause as she reached her teens, the same as many young urbane Europeans: environmentalism. Sophia became a vegan, and even that she adopted reluctantly, as she viewed plants as sentient creatures no different than animals, or humans. She was arrested often at protests, but never feared the jailor thanks to her name and fortune.

Sophia learned of her adoption on her 18th birthday. Sailing on the Riviera with her parents, they explained that her American mother had come to Paris fleeing someone or some thing unknown, and quietly put her up for adoption. Her parents had happily taken the infant in, being unable to conceive a child of their own.

Sophia did not take the news well, being a pampered, wealthy teenager. It was on the boat, sparked by her confusion and rage, that her mutant powers first manifested. At her command arose a terrible storm, lightning struck the boat in several places. Before she realized that it was she who controlled the storm, her parents had been blown into the sea and drowned.

Sophia, still angry at them for their lies, and guilty for that anger because they were dead by her hand, threw herself into her cause. She used her inheritance to begin funding a huge organization, dedicated to terrorist attacks on polluting corporations and the corrupt governments which enabled their crimes. She recruited paranormals from around the globe, certain that she would sooner or later encounter the American heroes, whom she viewed as nothing but corporate lapdogs.

Sophia eventually traveled to America to track down her mother. After months of searching she found her mother’s grave in Florida, and discovered that she’d committed suicide only months before Sophia had arrived in the States. More investigation turned up her father’s name: Martin Langstrom, a successful but eccentric businessman. He is also the supervillain known as Maelstrom.

Sophia’s whereabouts immediately after The Gap are unknown; the Guardians encountered her most recently in Sri Lanka, where she led a successful coup and has become that country’s official ruler.