Raven DarkhölmeMystique

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.

Serial Shape-Shifter

When Rogue’s absorption ability first manifested, Mystique encouraged her to join the Brotherhood. Around that time, in her Raven Darkhölme guise, Mystique worked as Assistant Secretary of DARPA in the U.S. Department of Defense, a position that gave her access to military secrets and advanced weaponry. After Destiny predicted the heroine Ms. Marvel (Danvers) would someday harm Rogue, Mystique kept a close eye on her and had her Brotherhood ambush Danvers, but the heroine prevailed. 

When Mystique’s Brotherhood tried to assassinate anti-mutant politician Senator Robert Kelly, the heroic mutant X-Men thwarted their efforts with the help of a time-traveling Kate “Kitty” Prdye. During the battle, Mystique encountered Kurt, now the X-Man Nightcrawler, who was astonished at her resemblance to him. Most of the Brotherhood was captured, but Mystique escaped. 

Rogue later attacked Danvers alone, trying to prove she didn’t need Mystique’s protection; however, Rogue inadvertently absorbed Danvers’ powers and memories permanently, lastingly traumatizing both women. Though Rogue and Mystique freed the Brotherhood, they were soon recaptured by Danvers’ Avengers teammates. After another attempted jailbreak, only Destiny was liberated, and the three women remained together as a “Sisterhood,” battling the alien Jimmy Marks, AKA Hybrid, Warren Worthington III, AKA Angel, and Alison Blaire, AKA Dazzler, until Rogue sought X-Men founder Professor X’s aid in controlling her powers which Mystique had great difficulty accepting, but ultimately realized Rogue’s choice was of her own volition.

Facing increasing anti-mutant sentiment, Mystique offered the Brotherhood’s services to the U.S. Government in exchange for a conditional pardon and was granted both the team and pardon with a handler, Valerie Cooper. Becoming Freedom Force, the team was sent to apprehend such perceived criminals as Max Eisenhardt, AKA Magneto, the Avengers and Rusty Collins. Freedom Force also rescued their old nemesis Senator Kelly from South American druglord Señor Muerte. When new Force recruit Louis Hamilton, AKA Stonewall, and Destiny both died battling the cyborg Reavers, Mystique took a leave of absence to grieve for Destiny, scattering her ashes at sea. During her leave, the Shadow King saw Mystique as a threat to his nefarious plans and pursued her using Cooper against her. Though Cooper broke free of his hold and shot herself, which left Raven able to morph into her handler and trick the Shadow King. Mystique as Val later prevented the Shadow King from killing Xavier.

Freedom Force ultimately broke up, and Mystique shared adventures with first Wolverine and then the mutant inventor Forge. Graydon Creed, having since learned of his true parentage, blackmailed Sabretooth into trying to kill Mystique. Sabretooth left after Mystique revealed the truth about their earlier encounter, and her vengeful attempt to kill Graydon was foiled by Nightcrawler and Rogue. Later captured by the government’s X-Factor team, Mystique was forced to serve as a member, battling the Adversary, the Hound, and Hank McCoy, AKA Dark Beast. She eventually assassinated Graydon during his presidential candidate speech. 

Escaping from X-Factor, Mystique hid under her cover identity of Mallory Brickman, wife of U.S. Senator Ralph Brickman. She later kidnapped Doctor Moira Mactaggert and with her notes created a variant strain of the Legacy Virus that would eliminate mankind from the planet. She also targeted Senator Kelly again, hoping to keep him from becoming President, but the X-Men defeated her newly re-formed Brotherhood, with help from her teammate Pyro, who betrayed the Brotherhood. With the defeat, Mystique blew up Moira’s lab and fatally wounded the doctor, resulting in her death. In her exit, Mystique shot Moira’s adopted daughter Rahne Sinclair, AKA Wolfsbane, with Forge’s neutralizing gun, depowering her. Stabbing Rogue to make her escape, she is foiled by her foster daughter and Rogue, having previously absorbed Wolverine’s claws, stabbed her mother. Mystique survived and revealed Destiny’s predictions for mutantkind justifying her actions. She escaped and later infiltrated the paramilitary X-Corps as “Surge” and nearly took over the organization. But the mutant Nils Styger, AKA Abyss, pulled Mystique into the dimensional portal within his body.

Mystique was freed during a clash between the X-Men and Azazel, but was captured soon after by Homeland Security. Set to be executed for her crimes, Xavier intervened and offered Mystique a deal. If she operated as a field agent for missions too sensitive for the X-Men to handle, he would protect her from the government. Reluctantly, Mystique agreed, and was paired up with the diminutive telepath Shortpack, who acted as her field handler. Their first mission was to destroy a Sentinel manufacturing plant in Cuba, a mission that Xavier’s former agent Prudence had undertaken, but Prudence had been killed by the mutant arms dealer Steinbeck. Mystique was then approached by the mutant spy Shepard to become a double agent in exchange for freedom from Xavier’s blackmail. Mystique took the offer, unaware that Shepard worked for the Quiet Man, who was Prudence’s mind within Steinbeck’s body. Mystique was eventually asked by Shepard to kill Xavier for his employer. She agreed, but, soon after, Shortpack was captured while attempting to kill Steinbeck. Mystique failed in her attempt on Xavier’s life and was once more rendered a fugitive; however, she retained her loyalty to Shortpack and helped rescue him, destroying the Quiet Man in the process.

Seeking to help her daughter once more, Mystique became a Xavier Institute student as the attractive “Foxx” and tried to seduce Rogue’s lover Remy LeBeau, AKA Gambit, in the hopes of somehow improving their relationship. After Gambit resisted Foxx’s charms, Mystique revealed her true identity, then asked to join the X-Men. She was allowed to join under Rogue’s watchful eye, during which time she feigned an attraction to Iceman and saw Rogue infected by the Strain 88 virus, which turned her power into a death touch, then driven mad by the absorption of the billions of minds comprising the Hecatomb creature. Mystique formed an alliance with Nathaniel Essex, AKA Mister Sinister’s Marauders to assist Rogue, betraying the X-Men as they hunted for a newly-born mutant. When Sinister finally obtained the child, Mystique seemingly killed Sinister by forcing him to touch Rogue. Mystique then used the baby’s powers to cure Rogue of Strain 88 and the Hecatomb’s psyches, but Rogue was disgusted with Mystique for putting a baby at risk. Ordered by X-Men leader Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops, to kill Mystique, Wolverine ultimately left her alive after a long, fierce battle. Though he spared her life, he left her badly wounded in the desert, telling her she was going to die alone because the life she led had left her friendless and unloved. Mystique survived, but Wolverine’s parting words disturbed her. 

Mystique soon acted out on her apparent feelings for the X-Man Iceman by repeatedly attacking him, unable to express herself in a healthy manner. Now in charge of internal U.S. security, insane and corrupt businessman Norman Osborn implanted nanotechnology into Mystique, forcing her to obey his orders as a member of his “X-Men,” lest he detonate her as a human bomb. When Osborn and his “X-Men” moved against the true X-Men, Mystique impersonated X-Men founder Charles Xavier before the media, to discredit the X-Men. After this, Mystique took field leader status of the “X-Men,” despite concerns her teammates Calvin Rankin, AKA Mimic, Michael Pointer, AKA Omega, and Dark Beast from Earth-295 were insane; she also frequently took the form of deceased X-Man Jean Grey, AKA Phoenix, in public during this time.

An early, disastrous California mission to investigate strange occurrences involving mutant energy resulted in the reconstitution of omega-level psionic Nate Grey, AKA X-Man, who possessed Osborn. Mystique sensed this, and alongside the “X-Men,” she confronted X-Man within Osborn’s mind, personally battling Osborn’s repressed Green Goblin persona; Osborn ultimately defeated Grey. Osborn was eventually removed from power, his operations shut down and his “X-Men” disbanded; however, the status of the nanotech within Mystique’s system remains unrevealed.

Later, on behalf of the Red Right Hand, a group of unidentified people that loathe Wolverine for unrevealed reasons, Mystique disguised herself as Wolverine’s girlfriend Melita Garner and lured him into an occult trap that sent his soul to a Hell realm. Mystique was disturbed when Akihiro, AKA Daken, told her of the group’s ultimate plans, despite being hired to kill her; Mystique then fought Wolverine’s demonically possessed body. Out of feelings for her now-deceased son and Wolverine’s best friend, Nightcrawler, and not wanting to be a part of what the Red Right Hand had planned, Mystique betrayed the group and worked with Garner and exorcist Daimon Hellstrom, AKA Hellstorm, in restoring Wolverine’s soul; subsequently, a recovering Wolverine apparently vengefully killed Mystique. The Red Right Hand resurrected her and Sabretooth and they worked for their Japanese branch under Azuma Goda, but they betrayed Goda.

Mystique later joined the next incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. By using Betsy Braddock, AKA Psylocke’s form, she poisoned Charlie-Cluster 7, AKA Fantomex, and watched when Ultimaton exploded to kill X-Force. She also planned to usurp the Shadow King’s rule of the Brotherhood to take over leadership using Evan but the X-Force team survived and tricked her into leaving the Brotherhood’s base.

After the Avengers and X-Men had a major conflict, Mystique tried to reform the Brotherhood with Sabretooth and Regan Wyngarde, AKA Lady Mastermind. With them, she attempted to implicate the original five X-Men, who were brought into the present timeline by Beast, and tried to sow discord amongst the X-Men but both attempts were stopped. She then stole Dazzler’s identity and used it to form a mutant sanctuary on Madripoor, which she acquired through heists. Drawing Magneto into the fold, he saw her as a species traitor as she used the Mutant Growth Hormone to fund her and the Brotherhood’s operations, but Magneto injured her and collapsed their base. Shortly thereafter, Xavier died and his last will and testament revealed that he and Raven Darkhölme had been married, though this timeline was reversed.

Despite Magneto’s last encounter with Mystique, he later recruited her to defeat Red Onslaught in Genosha. While Victor Von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom, and Wanda Maximoff, AKA Scarlet Witch, cast an inversion spell to defeat Red Onslaught, it switched everyone’s moral axis on the island. Mystique became a hero and battled the conquer-minded X-Men. Her efforts failed but she was then recruited by Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, to be a part of the Astonishing Avengers. Though another spell was cast to undo the damage the first one caused, and reverted her back to her typical mercurial self.

After the death of Wolverine, Mystique attended an auction selling his remains. His son Daken killed everyone in attendance except her and a few others. Daken along with Sabretooth, Yuriko Oyama, AKA Lady Deathstrike, and Laura Kinney, AKA X-23, captured her and made her a part of their group called the Wolverines. They went up against the Wrecking Crew and Mister Sinister who promptly stole Wovlerine’s remains along with Daken’s eye and arm. Mystique, seeing the mission as a failure, declared herself as the leader of the Wolverines and aimed to bring Destiny back to life. She followed Destiny’s leftover prophetic instructions and made it to the Nexus of All Realities where Mystique received a letter from Destiny. The letter detailed her plan, not to bring herself back but to bring back Wolverine as everything, including Mystique, will end without him. Upset at Destiny’s betrayal, Mystique leaves and cares little for what the world needs.

Mystique later helped Charles Xavier and Magneto with the first stage of creating a sovereign nation-state for mutantkind in exchange for Destiny’s resurrection. She helped establish the interconnected consciousness of Krakoa by planting a Krakoan flower on the Blue Area of the Moon. Once Krakoa was founded, Xavier, Magneto and Moira MacTaggert invited all mutants to live in this safe haven for mutants. 

Xavier and Magneto then tasked Mystique to steal information about Mother Mold and Nimrod to help prevent Nimrod’s creation. During an assault at the Orchis Forge space station, Mystique was slain by Dr. Alia Gregor alongside several X-Men, but they succeeded at destroying the Mother Mold. She and the X-Men were soon resurrected by The Five, but into cloned bodies. She joined the Quiet Council of Krakoa and represented the criminal elements of mutant society and was a part of the vote to cast Sabretooth out of Krakoa. 

She was soon sent back to the Orchis Forge station to ensure that her and the X-Men’s mission was truly successful and discovered that it was not. She bargained with Xavier and Magneto to resurrect her wife Destiny as soon as she destroyed the Orchis Forge. In her next mission, she arrived at Orchis Forge equipped with a singularity bomb, but she was defeated by a new Nimrod, failing her mission again, with no hope of bringing Destiny back. 

She recalled one of Destiny’s prophecies about an island of hope for mankind and the urgency to bring Destiny back at this time, and if not, Mystique should burn the place to the ground. Mystique decided to bring Destiny back herself by impersonating Xavier and attempting to steal Destiny’s genetic material from Cerebro’s memory banks. She was successful in resurrecting Destiny, and while placing her in hiding, Destiny suffered from overwhelming visions. Once Destiny was recovered, Mystique schemed with others on the Council, including Emma Frost, to vote for Destiny and take the open seat left by Apocalypse. Destiny was voted in to Xavier and Magneto’s surprise.

Mystique and Destiny soon found out through Emma that Moira MacTaggert was alive, a mutant with the power of resurrection, and had been resetting her timeline each time she died. She had apparently guided events to lead to the creation of Krakoa. To prevent her from resetting the timeline again, Mystique used a Forge-designed weapon against her, de-powering her and making her human. But before Mystique could kill her, Douglas Ramsey, AKA Cypher, intervened, reminding Mystique that they had laws against killing humans. Cypher’s backup arrived and helped Moira gain her freedom, leaving Mystique and Destiny disappointed but leaving Cypher with a warning that they’d go after them.