Lila Cheney grew up a natural performer, entertaining her parents with fantastic stories of alien worlds, actually derived from the young girl’s experiences teleporting across interstellar distances. The alien Spyder discovered Lila’s mutant abilities and financed her removal from Earth and sale into slavery; though the circumstances remain unrevealed, Lila believes Earth “sold her”. While Lila was forced into blood sports, Spyder coveted her teleportation talent and secretly arranged her escape, forcing her owner into bankruptcy so he could cheaply claim her contract. Spyder did not relocate the elusive Lila for some time. Lila traveled the galaxy, making an abandoned Dyson Sphere her home while becoming a master thief and a talented musician. Acquiring a team of supporting musicians and roadies both alien and human (employing image inducers as disguises when necessary)< Lila became a famous singer on and off Earth. When the embittered Lila attempted to sell Earth herself, drummer Phil Hovannes betrayed her to the Vrakanin Charasulla, whose attack on Lila was opposed when the New Mutants intervened. Hovannes was killed, the theft was stopped, and Lila became romantically involved with Sam Guthrie (Cannonball). Lila allied with the New Mutants repeatedly thereafter: in locating the Shadow King’s Gladiators (introducing her to Alison Blaire, Dazzler, who briefly became Lila’s keyboardist and back-up singer), when Lila was attacked non Earth by Zyndarians she’d once robbed, and when Spyder kidnapped her. She also aided the alien Snaarl, attacked by the extra-dimensional Zxaxz when his band, Cataclysm, opened for Lila.
After recovering from teleporting into a sun’s corona with several planet-destroying aliens, Lila helped the X-Men, the Starjammers, and Deathbird thwart a Skrull takeover of the Shi’ar government. Treturning to Earth, Lila met an amnesiac Dazzler and was pulled into a rebellion on Mojoworld. Lila and Cannonball amicably ended their relationship; and, now wanted by Earth’s authorities after aiding Sam and his X-Force team against S.H.I.E.L.D., Lila returned to interstellar touring. However, the alien thief Jornik looted Lila’s Dyson Sphere, selling much of her stolen wealth. When the K’lanti race came in search of their twice-stolen harmonium, Lila and former bodyguard/friend Guido Carosella (Strong Guy) recovered it, but Guido was left comatose. The traumatized Lila retreated to performing only in intimate Earth venues, and when Guido recovered they resumed traveling together. After stopping a war between the Jorken and Krant races, the pair reassembled Lila’s band and returned to the space ways. Lila now lives two lives: one traveling the stars with her band, and one on Earth where she and Sam Guthrie have rekindled their quiet romantic affair.
