Quote:Mystique (Raven Darkhölme)[3] is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms. Marvel #16.[4]
Throughout most of her history, Mystique has been a supervillain, founding her own Brotherhood of Mutants and assassinating several important people involved in mutant affairs. Mystique herself is a mutant, a shapeshifter whose natural appearance includes blue skin and yellow eyes. At one point, she mentions that she is over 100 years old.[5] Mystique is the mother of the villain Graydon Creed, the X-Men hero Nightcrawler,[6] and adoptive mother of the heroine Rogue.[3] She is forced to abandon Nightcrawler, but raises Rogue for a number of years, and the two women have mixed feelings towards one another.[3]
Despite Mystique's history of crime, she works with the X-Men's Professor X in a short-lived series.[7] She is later voted straight into the X-Men.[8]
Mystique appears in five of the X-Men films: she was portrayed by actress Rebecca Romijn in the first three installments, while Jennifer Lawrence portrayed a younger version of the character in X-Men: First Class (in which Romijin has a cameo) and X-Men: Days of Future Past.[9] In 2009, Mystique was ranked as IGN's 18th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.[10]
Destiny
Mystique's exact age remains unknown. Her earliest meeting with her lover Destiny occurred around "the dawn of the 20th century."[17]
Early espionage activities and contacts
The decades-long quest[clarification needed] of Mystique and Destiny apparently required them to travel constantly. They encountered Shadowcat and Rachel Summers, who had time traveled from the future to prevent a plot by Nazi agents Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and Geist, "Ghost", a member of Nazi intelligence, and their ally Amahl Farouk, Shadow King. The three conspired to question the rights of the British Monarch to the throne and then to replace him with Oswald Mosley of the British Fascist Party, a likely ally for Nazi Germany. Irene and Raven contacted an acquaintance of theirs, called Logan, to help the time travelers. Irene and Raven advised Shadowcat and Logan against proceeding in their contemplated assassination of Adolf Hitler and other prominent leaders and officials of the Nazi Party. Raven was laconic in only stating: "All of us have learned to kill, Logan. But more importantly, we have learned not to kill. And to know the difference."[volume & issue needed]
At some point, Raven reportedly lost contact with Irene. She managed to locate her working as an archivist in the Alamogordo nuclear research facilities in New Mexico. Raven was uncertain of Irene's motivation, but apparently trusted her enough not to press for answers.
Sabretooth
Raven meets Victor Creed, the man known as Sabretooth. At the time, she uses the identity of deceased German secret agent Leni Zauber. Both Leni and Victor had been assigned with the assassination of a scientist in East Berlin. Raven completes the mission in place of Leni, and then she and Victor have to hide in a safe location for a while. They became lovers, but she soon fakes her death in order to leave him.[18]
The result of this short-lived affair is reportedly the birth of Graydon Creed, her earliest known child. A number of stories report that soon after his birth, Raven gives him up for adoption. Others depict Mystique making arrangements for him from a distance. Graydon reportedly spends most of his childhood in a boarding school. Raven keeps track of his activities until he reaches adolescence. Being the child of two mutants, Graydon assumes he is a mutant himself. However, he eventually proves to be a Homo sapiens instead of a Homo superior. Raven is disappointed and soon abandons him. Graydon grows to hate his parents, and eventually extends his hatred to all mutants. He later becomes leader of the mutant-hating organization Friends of Humanity, and then a politician. Graydon, at the height of his political ascension, was assassinated by an unknown shooter.[19] The shooter was later revealed to be a time traveling version of Mystique, as part of a convoluted time paradox involving Jean Grey, Iceman, Toad, and Juggernaut.[20]
Nightcrawler
For several years Mystique was also reported to be the mother of Nightcrawler, but the exact events were uncertain. Much later another writer, Chuck Austen, eventually revealed that the father was a demonic-looking mutant from biblical times called Azazel.[volume & issue needed]
At that time, Raven is married to Baron Christian Wagner; older sources give his name as Count Eric Wagner, an affluent member of the German nobility. He proves to be a loving husband, but rather disappointing as a lover. His infertility adds to their marital problems. Raven starts using her shapeshifting powers in order to secretly have sexual encounters with others. She is apparently both seeking sexual satisfaction and attempting to conceive another child. She is eventually seduced by fellow mutant Azazel.
Azazel states that he is ruler of "an island nation off the coast of Bermuda: La Isla des Demonas," The Island of Demons. He is apparently able to disguise his appearance (although is not a shapeshifter like Mystique), and also has the power of teleportation. He is later revealed to also have the power of immortality and to be the father of an ancient race of mutants known as the Neyaphem, active since at least 2000 BC. His natural form is that of a young man with black hair, yellow eyes, red skin, and a pointed tail. He later claimed to have been posing as a demon and to have used many aliases: "Because I am Semihazah, Duma, Keriel, Mastema, Beliar, Gadreel, and Beelzebub. And most commonly called Satan." Many of these aliases have also been claimed by several notable true demons of the Marvel Universe.
Raven soon becomes pregnant. Her husband becomes suspicious and his own father suggests a blood test to verify whether the child is his. Mystique uses a dagger to murder him and then buries him. She eventually gives birth to a young boy with black hair, yellow eyes, blue skin, and a pointed tail. The locals consider the mother and child to be demons, and attempt to kill them. Mystique manages to escape but abandons her second known son. He is found and raised by Gypsy sorceress Margali Szardos and named Kurt Wagner.
Rogue
Mystique later becomes the adoptive mother of the girl Rogue, when she was just four years old. Rogue had run away from her home in rural Caldecott County, Mississippi. The girl was living alone in a wooded area, brandishing a shotgun and trusting no one, when Mystique found her. Destiny foresees that Rogue will be important to them and Mystique seeks her out, gains her trust, and takes her in. She and Destiny raise the girl over approximately a decade, and Mystique grows to be very protective of her.
Mystique had concealed her superhuman powers and criminal intentions so well over the years that, as Raven Darkhölme, she is able to rise rapidly through the United States Civil Service to the trusted position of Deputy Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the United States Department of Defense. This position gives her access to military secrets and to advanced weaponry, both of which she uses for her own criminal and subversive purposes.
In this position, she attempts the theft of the Centurion weaponry from S.H.I.E.L.D.[21] She also beat Ms. Marvel's lover Michael Barnett to death, and sought to kill Ms. Marvel.[22]
To help her in her criminal activities, Mystique organizes her own incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, which originally consisted of herself, Avalanche, the Blob, Destiny, and Pyro. This incarnation of the Brotherhood first gains notoriety when it attempts to assassinate Senator Robert Kelly, a notoriously anti-mutant politician. The X-Men battle the Brotherhood and thus thwart the assassination attempt, thereby averting a series of events which would have resulted in the death of most super-powered humans, and the subjugation of North America by the mutant-hunting robots, the Sentinels (as chronicled in the "Days of Future Past" storyline).[23] The Brotherhood later clashed with the X-Men on other occasions.
Rogue is trained by Mystique and eventually joins the Brotherhood. Her mutant power is the ability to absorb the psyche, memories, personality, strengths, and any skills or powers of whomever she touches. Rogue proves to be a powerful member of the team. She goes on many missions with the Brotherhood and, with her help, the team is almost able to defeat the Avengers.[24]
On a mission with the Avengers, Rogue fights Carol Danvers, Ms. Marvel. Rogue tries stealing Carol's powers, but Carol fights too hard and Rogue ends up absorbing Carol's memories and powers permanently, while Carol is left an empty shell. Professor Xavier later restores Carol's memories, but not the emotions that went with them. Rogue, meanwhile, feels like she is losing her mind, grappling with Danvers' psyche and at times not knowing which memories are really hers. Feeling like she is in danger of losing control of herself, Rogue runs away from home and seeks help from the X-Men, hoping that Professor X will be able to treat her. While the other X-Men are initially hesitant in accepting their former enemy, Xavier welcomes her and gives her a spot on the team.
Worried that Rogue has left because Xavier has brainwashed her, Mystique goes to rescue her, leading an attack on the X-Men. Rogue stops her, saying that she has left of her own free will. Mystique is doubtful and hurt, but Rogue ultimately convinces her by saying that Xavier was probably the only person who could help with her powers and give her a chance at a normal life, as she feared the absorbed personality of Carol Danvers would otherwise drive her insane. Mystique grudgingly agrees and lets Rogue stay with the X-Men. Though she remains close to Rogue, coming to help her at times, Mystique comes to resent Xavier.
Mystique is captured by Carol Danvers at the Pentagon at one point.[25] She leads the Brotherhood in clashes with Dazzler,[26] and leads the Brotherhood in battle with the X-Men as well.[27] Mystique later visits Forge, and protests Henry Peter Gyrich's use of Forge's neutralizer.[28]
Freedom Force
Later, anti-mutant sentiment among normal humans rises and the federal government launches its own covert anti-mutant program, Project Wideawake. Believing that the times have become too dangerous for the Brotherhood to continue its criminal activities, Mystique goes to Doctor Valerie Cooper, special assistant to the head of the National Security Council, and offers the Brotherhood's services to the government. Cooper agrees to convey the offer to the President on the condition that the Brotherhood passes a test she imposes: the capture of Magneto. The Brotherhood, now renamed Freedom Force, succeeds in bringing Magneto to the authorities, though only because he voluntarily surrenders to them so he can go on trial for his crimes and soon afterward officially enter the government's employ.[29]
In return for entering government service as Freedom Force's leader, Mystique and her team receive a presidential pardon for all criminal charges against them, but the pardon would be revoked if any member of Freedom Force were found committing a crime.
Mystique leads Freedom Force in capturing the Avengers on behalf of the federal government.[30] She clashes with X-Factor in seeking to arrest Rusty Collins.[31] With Freedom Force, she fights the X-Men in Dallas, and is present at the X-Men's apparent demise.[32] With Freedom Force, she battles Cyclops and Marvel Girl.[33] With Freedom Force she seeks to arrest Rusty Collins again, and battles the New Mutants.[34] She finally succeeds in capturing Collins as well as Skids.[35] She leads Freedom Force against the Reavers on Muir Island. On this particularly disastrous mission, Freedom Force loses two of its members, Stonewall and Mystique's lover Destiny.[36] The death of her lover leaves Mystique psychologically scarred, and she never truly recovers.
Mystique is later nearly killed by Dr. Valerie Cooper, who is under the Shadow King's mental control.[37] She then impersonates Dr. Valerie Cooper.[38] Mystique is eventually discovered impersonating Dr. Cooper, and saves Xavier's life by killing the Shadow King's human host, Jacob Reisz.[39] She finally reconciles with Rogue.[40] In time, she comes to terms with Destiny's death.[41] She teams with Spiral and Wolverine in thwarting Mojo's near-destruction of the universe.[42] Mystique later briefly stays as a guest at Xavier's mansion. She begins going insane, and leaves the mansion under the care of Forge.[43]
X-Factor
Mystique resurfaces several months later, in a failed attempt to kill Legion for his murdering of Destiny. Mystique has an implant put in her skull by Forge in order for the government to be able to keep track of her. She is then forced to become a member of the government-sponsored team X-Factor after being arrested for trying to blow up a dam. In truth, Mystique had been trying to save the dam, which the U.S. Government wanted to destroy it so that they could blame it on mutants. She joins coincidentally to the departure of X-Factor member Wolfsbane. Her membership leads to tension with her teammates when Sabretooth is added to the team months later as a sleeper agent, for the main purpose of killing Mystique before she could uncover the truth about the conspiracy she had discovered. She slowly develops a romantic relationship with team-leader Forge (though he later thought that she was just using him).[volume & issue needed]
Part of the conspiracy involves Mystique's son Graydon Creed running for President, under an anti-mutant platform.[volume & issue needed]
If you don't care about the Panzers, then at least follow this thread for the disaster that is me talking while trying to think at the same time. I kept pointing at the computer screen to describe shit and then realized that ya'll can't see my hands. Hmmmmm.