Nightwatch's history is surprisingly gradual compared to most other superheroes and vigilantes. There was no grand moment that solidified her commitment to fighting crime, much less donning a costume and taking to the rooftops. She was raised by two caring parents, her two sisters are still alive and on good terms with her, and none of her significant others ever fell to sudden violence. Indeed, every step on her journey to being Nightwatch was forged by little events in her life. While her father made his money tending bar, he was a practitioner of Chángquán (Long Fist Kung Fu), and he made sure to pass on what he had learned to his daughters so that they might better defend themselves in the rough neighborhood of Detroit that they lived in. As the oldest, Sofia took to the teachings much more seriously than her sisters, for she saw protecting them as being her duty. While she went through a few scraps in her youth, nothing serious ever came of it. During high school, she entered the school gymnastics team, and did well enough in her other academics that she was given an athletics scholarship to Emerald City University. It was there that she learned about Parkour from the other athletic people, and soon took to it with much gusto. It was also during this time that she started studying Eskrima, if only to keep herself in top fighting condition.

She graduated with a Bachelors in Business Administration, and went on to open a gym in Jadetown. She also offered self-defense training for women in the local area, and for a time she made a fine living. However, one of her continuously showed up for workouts covered in bruises. Though she denied that it was her boyfriend, Sofia called the police anyway, like a diligent citizen should. They however, didn't do anything. And when the woman didn't show up for a lesson, Sofia went looking for her. She confronted her boyfriend, and ended up in a fight with him. She hoped that when the paramedics took him away, that would be the end of it, but unfortunately the man was part of the local gang, and they came looking for her for payback. Though it wrecked half her gym, Sofia emerged victorious from that vicious fight. From then on, people in the neighborhood who's situations were such that they could not get help from the police started coming to her for help. Having witnessed first hand the apathy of the justice system, and the cruelty of the criminals, Sofia's conscious wouldn't let her ignore these pleas for long.

But she was smart, she knew that vigilantism could land her in serious trouble. As such, she took to wearing a mask, and wearing gloves to conceal her identity. Drug dealers, pimps, gangers, and all manner of street crime perpetrators fell to her quickly improving fighting skills. And before long, it became a true double life, and she could not stop herself. It was part of her, and she could no more cease protecting the people of the city than she could cut off her own leg. With the passage of time, she perfected her crime fighting ways, and even started increasing her arsenal. Taking the dirty money from the criminals she thrashed, Sofia was amassing an impressive fortune, though she wasn't using it for personal gain. She purchased (through various intermediaries) a custom form-fitting suit constructed of kevlar thread and carbon nanotube fibers. She also grabbed various nonlethal weaponry to give her an edge against the firearm wielding thugs of the street. Her favorite include a pair of Eskrima sticks.

Now, after many years of making hope better, she has gained the moniker of Nightwatch from the media, who have taken her nighttime activities and given her a reputation that she often uses to her advantage. So, whenever injustice is enacted under the neighborhoods under her watch, she will get to the bottom of it...