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Who:
Mystique
Nicknames/Aliases:
Raven Darkhölme, Foxx, Raven Wagner, and everyone she has shapeshifted into.
Skills:
Shapeshifting, Super Healing, Agelessness, speaks over fourteen languages, and can fight, like, really well.
Origin Story:
This is probably the trickiest “Origin Story” section I have had to write. The thing about Mystique, one of the most infamous mutants in Marvel’s X-Men history, she is Mystique. That wasn’t a typo, either. The Oxford English Dictionary (yeah, I went there) defines “mystique” as, “A fascinating aura of mystery, awe, and power surrounding someone or something.” So that being said, her origins are a little… mysterious. It is unknown exactly when she was born, but we do know she is well over 100 years old. Mystique, or Raven Darkhölme, ran around with (ok, they had a full blown lesbian relationship) fellow mutant Destiny aka Irene Adler, a precognitive from Austria. Destiny sought out Mystique’s help around 1900 after witnessing many horrific events yet to pass and going blind in the process. Their goal was to change the future together. However, both women found that trying to change events was near impossible, and instead decided to achieve individual success. Together, they formed the second Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. It is Mystique’s Brotherhood that Kitty Pryde stops in the comic version of “Days of Future Past.” Contrary to popular belief (which is no doubt because of all the other media versions of Mystique), she is not a disciple of Magneto. Mystique is a super villain in and of herself. Notably, Mystique is the mother of many pivotal characters in X-Men. With Sabretooth, while posing as German spy Leni Zauber, she birthed a boy named Graydon Creed. When she found out he was not a mutant, she abondoned him. He grew up to be a politician, one who ran on an anti-mutant campaign. Before his election, Mystique killed him. Mystique also gave birth to Nightcrawler with Azazel. Nightcrawler is an important member of the X-Men. After giving birth to him, Mystique and Nightcrawler were ran out of town because of his demon-like appearance. She abandoned him, too. Later, Mystique and Destiny found a young girl who was scared and alone in the woods. This girl was a mutant named Rogue. Mystique and Destiny raised her for years. Rogue was a member of the Brotherhood before switching allegiances to Professor X. Eventually, Mystique joined the Freedom Force and worked with the government to detain mutants. She then became an X-Man, promising to help Charles Xavier in exchange for protection. However, she reneged on the deal, posing as Foxx to seduce Gambit, her daughter Rogue’s boyfriend. It all goes to prove that no matter what group Mystique is with, she will always be on her own, working on her next conniving plot.
Why is she important?:
Mystique is pretty much THE female villain in the X-Men universe and beyond. Mystique is the reason the newest X-Men: Days of Future Past plot even happened. While often using her powers for evil rather than good, she has always believed in her fellow mutants. She has taken many in and showed them how to deal with their abilities, particularly her lover, Destiny, and her adopted daughter, Rogue. Her mission to assassinate Senator Robert Kelly, a popular anti-mutant politician, proves her loyalty to those who share her likeness. While Mystique acts on her own safety much of the time, she is still one of the fore figures fighting for the rights of all mutant-kind.
all photos belong to Marvel.
written by Adrian Puryear
Hush Comics 