| Arianna Marie Rockford-Johannsen | |
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| Portrayed By | Mira Sorvino |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Date of Birth | July 31st, 1972 |
| Age | 35 |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
| Aliases | Rianna |
| Place of Birth | New York City, NY, USA |
| Current Location | New York City, NY, USA |
| Occupation | New York City Council Member |
| Known Relatives | Elizabeth Rockford (mother), Jefferson James Rockford, III (father; deceased), Jefferson James Rockford, IV (brother) |
| Significant Other | Mr. Richard Johannsen (husband) |
| Known Abilities | ??? |
| First Appearance | Getting to Know You |
Known to those few whom she trusts as Rianna, Mrs. Arianna Marie Rockford-Johannsen isn't as sensitive to the needs of the general public as her charitable work, numerous financial donations, and other activities would lead you to believe.
History
Rianna Rockford wasn't always the pleasant, smiling socialite that the public of New York City sees today. Born into the wealthy Rockford family, no expense was spared for Elizabeth Rockford's beautiful daughter. The best of everything that upper-class New York had to offer, including education at the premier private schools of the state. There was just one problem.
Rianna began hearing the surface thoughts of people around her from time to time during the spring of 1981. Not realizing the stigma it would bring down on her, she would respond vocally to those thoughts, and the rumors and truths about the girl who could read your mind spread quickly. She retreated socially, as her parents transferred her to school after school where she would make no friends, and continue to slide deeper into a depressed state, but that would all end when Thompson showed up at the Rockford's front door.
Thompson was alerted to Rianna Rockford by one of the counselors at Eastgate Preparatory School, and telling the Rockfords that he could help her, they consented and Rianna was taken in by the Company. She would come home during the holidays, but she would only smile when her parents asked her about the school the Company had her attending, choosing only to say that "they were helping her become happy with herself". That was enough for her parents.
When she turned 18, she returned home to New York City, having been accepted into NYU. The life of a normal college student was not for her, however, as she had become an agent of the Company, seeking out those like her and bringing them in. But she had other plans in mind for her future. The Company wanted to keep those with powers in check, in hiding, secreted. She wanted them to have their own place in the world. Where they wouldn't have to hide their powers, or be ostracized by those who had not evolved. At 28, she graduated from Harvard and married her first and only boyfriend, Rick Johannsen, also a graduate of Harvard Law.
The only man to have ever accepted her at face value, her was perfect for her. Together, they established the Johannsen Foundation with the readily available supply of money from both of their affluent families. Their motto? "Helping to Guide and Empower the Children of the Future."
By the time the Johannsens had started their Foundation, it was too late for the Company to intervene. Rianna Rockford had spent over ten years building the political and social connections that would solidify her public standing, and recruiting the loyalties of those with powers to follow her and protect her from the Company's secretive machinations.
Somewhere between her release from the Company at 18 and now, her view of the normal population soured. The efforts it took to protect the children who were just coming into their power were immense, and did not work all the time, and she was forced to sit idly and do nothing as some children were taken in by the Company, others killed because of their power. It was no longer enough for her that the Evolved live alongside their inferior cousins. Why should the clearly superior live under the reins of those who had not been chosen to represent the next evolution of the human race?
Arianna Marie Rockford-Johannsen may be morally grey like Bob Bishop and his Company, but their methods are not the same, and at this point, it is only their polar opposition of each other that prevents one or the other from establishing a firm grip on the future of the human race.
Timeline
- July 31st, 1972: Arianna Rockford is born.
- December, 1980: Rianna first begins noticing the surface thoughts of others.
- May, 1986: Rianna Rockford and Family meet Thompson for the first time.
- August, 1986: Rianna is taken in by the Company.
- June, 1990: Rianna receives high school diploma, is released into field work for the Company.
- August, 1990: Rianna begins attending NYU.
- August, 1994: Rianna begins graduate education at Harvard, meets Rick Johannsen.
- May, 1996: Rianna graduates from Harvard with her MBA, Rick Johannsen graduates from Harvard Law.
- September, 1996: Rick and Rianna marry.
- January, 2002: Publicly known by her legal name Arianna, Rianna Rockford-Johannsen establishes the Johannsen Foundation, whose secret motivation is the identification and protection of evolved children from the Company and the world at large.
- November, 2005: Arianna Rockford-Johannsen is elected to the New York City Council.
- February, 2007: Rumors abound that Arianna Rockford-Johannsen may be considering a bid for State Senator in 2008.
Quotes
- "The Johannsen Foundation: Helping to Guide and Empower the Children of the Future."
Trivia
- Interesting miscellany.