The mutant metamorph, Mystique, shapeshifts her way through her long life and is often called many names: terrorist, thief and mercenary to name a few. No matter what name or visage, Mystique does what’s necessary to protect mutantkind and bring humanity to its knees.
She sometimes sides with the heroic X-Men for the good of all, making her seem more misguided than a true villain. Yet, true to her biology, her nature shifts from one thing to the next, ultimately and often only serving herself.
Shifting Identity
With powers manifesting at age 12 during a time when Mutants weren’t so common or empowered, the blue-skinned, shape-shifting mutant, later called Mystique, fights to survive. At the turn of the 20th century, while working as private investigator going by the name of Raven Darkhölme, she meets the blind mutant seer Irene Adler, AKA Destiny, who seeks Raven’s aid in deciphering her prophetic diaries. The two become fast friends, and eventually longtime lovers. During their time together, they investigate a number of grisly murders, inspired by Jack the Ripper, and catch the culprit, the immortality-obsessed Dr. Nathaniel Essex, AKA Mister Sinister.
In 1921, Raven meets the amnesiac mutant James Howlett/Logan, AKA Wolverine, and share a brief romance and criminal career.
Decades later, during the Cold War, Raven takes on the identity of German spy Leni Zauber and encounters the feral mutant Victor Creed, AKA Sabretooth, in Berlin. Their ensuing affair results in Raven giving birth to a child she names Graydon Creed, but after he reaches puberty and turns out to be human, she abandons the boy.
Raven later marries German Baron Christian Wagner, trying unsuccessfully to have a child with him. During the same time, she is wooed by the demonic-looking mutant Azazel. Raven falls in love with him and shows him her true form, after which he names her “Mystique”; however, Azazel abandons her after seemingly getting her pregnant (Mystique actually shapeshifts into a man to have a child with Destiny). Suspicious of Raven’s sudden pregnancy, Wagner demands a paternity test, so she kills him to hide the truth. Raven seemingly gives birth (though it was actually Destiny) to a blue mutant son she names Kurt Wagner, AKA Nightcrawler, and reverts to her own true form after losing concentration during the delivery. The townsfolk turn on her and Raven barely survives. She flees and cruelly throws the infant Kurt over a cliff, though Azazel saves him, leaving the child in the care of gypsy Margali Szardos.
But Mystique’s reasons for abandoning her son was a lie, one fabricated by telepath and leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier, AKA Professor X. Upon Mystique and Destiny’s request, Xavier helps them with their request to avert a future where Azazel would destroy them all unless he was preoccupied with heirs. Though Mystique was hesitant about not remembering that Nightcrawler was her son, so instead, Xavier made it seem like she abandoned him for other reasons.
Sometime later, while living with Irene, Mystique takes in the young runaway mutant Anna Marie, AKA Rogue, and raises the child as her own. Meanwhile, Mystique forms her own version of the terrorist Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, with Destiny. Afterward, the Brotherhood repeatedly face their enemies the X-Men in battle.
Mutant Metamorph
Mystique can psionically shift the atoms and molecules of her body to look and sound like almost any humanoid creature imaginable, wearing virtually any kind of apparel. Her control is so exact that she can precisely duplicate another being’s retinal pattern, vocal cords, finger, palm and skin-pore patterns. Mystique can also shift her internal organs without injury to herself to allow her to take on inhuman forms, as well as camouflage into her surroundings and render herself paper-thin.
Mystique has occasionally created specialized body parts, including wings capable of flight, claws on her fingers, a stomach pouch for concealing weapons and a prehensile tail. Mystique can also grow two extra arms and a second face on the back of her head; she can only maintain this form for two minutes. Mystique’s shape-changing ability is limited by her inability to diminish or increase her own mass at will. As a result, while she can make herself look exactly like a being physically bigger than herself, she will not weigh as much as the real being does. If she maintains the form of a physically larger being for too long, Mystique will collapse from exertion and automatically revert to her true form.
Mystique also cannot duplicate any powers possessed by a being she imitates. Her power affords her a degree of slowed aging, as well as revitalizing her body’s cells and DNA memory, giving her a youthful appearance. She is also granted immunity to most drugs and poisons, and can heal minor wounds.
Mystique is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and marksman, a cunning strategist, and a talented actress. She is usually armed with firearms and knives. She is also multilingual, demonstrating fluency in her native tongues German and English, and in Czech, Farsi, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.
After being resurrected by the Red Right Hand, her powers increased to a certain degree, such as she is able to fool Wolverine’s sense of smell, generating tentacles, shifting into animals and partially liquifying herself.
Arch-Nemeses
As the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Mystique often finds herself up against the heroic X-Men, though she eventually works alongside them for a time. She often sides with Super Villains and Super Heroes alike as long as it serves her needs at the time.
When her lover Irene shares a prophecy that Carol Danvers, AKA Ms. Marvel (later Captain Marvel) would threaten their adopted daughter Rogue, Mystique keeps a close watch over the Super Hero and even has her Brotherhood attack Danvers. Mystique later poses as Carol when she discovers that the alien Skrulls recreate the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell. Mystique uses this replica against Carol simply for fun.
Norman Osborn, AKA Green Goblin, implants nanotechnology into Mystique, and with it threatens to turn her into a bomb. As such, must comply with his orders as a member of his “X-Men.” His team is eventually disbanded along with his power and operations dismantled.
Familial Ties and Close Allies
Mystique has three children. The first with Sabretooth, Graydon Creed, who turns out to be human and she abandons him. He grows up to head an anti-mutant group and Mystique apparently kills him. She then apparently has Nightcrawler with Azazel, who spurns her after discovering her pregnancy, however, that lie covered for the real father, Mystique herself who had shapeshifted into a man to make family with her long-time lover Destiny. Mystique abandons Kurt as well when her true form is revealed during birth and the townspeople turn on her. Later, she raises Rogue as her foster daughter with her longtime partner and lover, Destiny. Though Rogue goes on to join the X-Men to learn how to control her powers, causing friction between her and her adoptive mother, Mystique.
In her early years, she also has a brief intimate relationship and criminal career with Wolverine. She also has a short-lived relationship with Forge as well as a tense relationship with X-Men member Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman, though she shows her affections by repeatedly attacking him.
Forming her own incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Mystique leads the group against those with anti-mutant sentiments. The team includes Destiny, Frederick Dukes, AKA Blob, Dominikos Petrakis, AKA Avalanche, and St. John Allerdyce, AKA Pyro.
Mystique works with the United States government’s Valerie Cooper to create Freedom Force, a group made up of former members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and pardoned for helping the government. The team includes Blob, Frank Bohannan, AKA Crimson Commando, Avalanche, and Pyro.
Other groups that Mystique joins include the Defense Advanced Research Planning Agency (DARPA) as Darkhölme, and later the Marauders, X-Men, X-Factor, the Xavier Institute Student Body posing as Foxx, X-Corps as Surge, and a later incarnation of the Brotherhood of Mutants.