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History

Early Years[]

Raven Darkholme (Earth-10005) (young) from X-Men First Class

Mystique in her youth

Abandoned by her parents, Raven Darkhölme met a young Charles Xavier when she broke into his family's Westchester mansion to steal food. She took the form of his mother to try and fool the boy, but he saw past the ruse. Thrilled at the fact that he wasn't the only one who was "different" in the world, he offered to let Raven stay and live with him and his family, which she accepted.

Years later, Raven followed Charles to England (posing as his sister) and worked as a waitress while he studied genetics at Oxford. She constantly had to hide her true appearance, which began to put a strain on their relationship.

X-Men[]

When Charles was approached by Moira MacTaggert to assist in apprehending mutant terrorist Sebastian Shaw, Raven accompanied him to CIA headquarters where they displayed their abilities to a group of government agents, among them the Man in Black. Gathering a group of other mutants, including Erik Lensherr, Sean Cassidy, Alex Summers, Armando Muñoz, and Henry McCoy, they formed the early version of the team that would become the X-Men.

Raven Darkhölme (Earth-10005) from X-Men First Class (film) 002

Mystique as Charles's sister

Raven Darkhölme (Earth-10005) from X-Men First Class (film) 005

Raven as an X-Man

Henry McCoy became instantly smitten with her, and a budding attraction was evident between them. Hank revealed that he had been working on a serum to cure his physical mutation but leave his abilities intact. He believed that Raven's ability to alter her appearance would hold the key to perfecting it. He requested a sample of her blood,during which they shared each others' wish to appear "normal", as well as a kiss. However, Erik's constant validation of her true beauty and self overturned her opinion, and when Hank finished the serum she refused to take it. Hank injected himself and underwent a radical transformation, which resulted in him taking on a more bestial appearance. The serum had the opposite effect he'd intended: it enhanced his mutation instead of dampening it.

The team was instrumental in stopping the Cuban Missile Crisis and foiling the Hellfire Club's bid for world domination. However, it was eventually split when Lensherr began to believe that humans would never accept mutants and opted to assert rule over them instead of waiting to be interred and executed. Raven, who had become something of a protégé to Lensherr, opted to join him and helped form the Brotherhood of Mutants.[2]

Murder of Bolivar Trask[]

Raven Darkhölme (Earth-10005) from X-Men Days of Future Past (film) 001

Mystique murdering Trask

In 1973, Mystique assassinated Dr. Bolivar Trask, whom she had discovered had performed experiments on mutants, causing the deaths of several of her friends. And that he was building giant robots, called Sentinels, designed to target mutants. However, her murder of Trask convinced the government to continue funding research into building Sentinels.

Mystique was herself captured, tortured and had samples of her DNA taken (which would allow for the creation of more advanced Sentinels, that could adapt to mutant powers), before finally managing to escape.[3]

Brotherhood of Mutants[]

Raven Darkhölme (Earth-10005) from X-Men (film) 002

Mystique at Liberty Island

Mystique impersonated Henry Gyrich, the aide to Senator Kelly, as part of a plan to kidnap Kelly and turn him into a mutant, thereby ending his support of the Mutant Registration Act. Mystique revealed herself while the helicopter she and Kelly were in floated above a lake, Kelly, horrified, tried to escape and call the pilot, though Mystique pushed him back into his seat and wrapped her feet around him, blaming him for her fear of entering a public school in her youth before slapping him until he was knocked out and moving to the pilot area with her accomplice Toad, who was delighted to see her.

Back at Magneto's lair, Mystique was present as Kelly awoke, hugging Erik and leaving past Kelly after he had awoken. After Magneto used his machine on Kelly and was weakened, Mystique helped Magneto get up before stopping by Kelly for Magneto to welcome him. At Liberty Island, Mystique got into a fight with Wolverine before crawling away. She later returned, impersonating Wolverine's teammate, Storm, before she was stabbed by Wolverine with his claws, permanently scarring her. However, she survived and morphed into the form of a fallen police officer, thereby allowing her to slip past the police that descended on the building.[4]

Magneto's mutation machine caused Senator Kelly to die, so she replaced Kelly and withdrew his support of the bill.[1]

Stryker[]

Disguised once more as Senator Kelly, she learned from William Stryker that Magneto was in a federal prison. Mystique gained entry into Stryker's office by impersonating his aide, Lady Deathstrike, and gained details about Magneto's plastic prison (including the names of the guards), as well as to several more of Stryker's plans, which included a copied version of Cerebro, which worried Mystique. Mystique copied the files before Lady Deathstrike came in to obtain personal items, with Mystique managing to bypass her in the disguise of a Mexican garbage men. Walking out and passing the real garbage man himself, confusing him.

Raven Darkhölme (Earth-10005) from X2 (film) Promo 002

Mystique's human form

Mystique eventually shapeshifted into her human appearance and waited at a bar before meeting one of Magneto's prison guards, Mitchell Laurio, after his anger caught her attention. Mystique introduced herself to him as Grace before grabbing two other bears, one being spiked, and walked to Laurio's table, sitting down while crossing her legs and gently rubbing her foot on Laurio's leg. Mystique then offered Laurio another beer, though she decided to just slide it towards him, thinking he really did want another.

Ravrn Darkholme (Earth-10005) (2) from X2

Mystique in Stryker's base

After consuming their beverages, the two became drunk and aggressively made out into the restroom where Laurio acknowledged he'd never met a woman like Mystique and that she was really aggressive, something that Mystique agreed on while drunkenly entering a stall with Laurio as they made out. Mystique removed her black jacket and seduced Mitchell Laurio in a stall, laying him down on a toilet while opening his pants, when she discovered he had Velcro, she appreciated it. Laurio took a last sip of his beverage, something that Mystique hoped for, and he then blacked out. Thereafter, Mystique violently flipped Laurio over, banging his head on the toilet, and pulled down Laurio's pants, placing her purse on Laurio's back. Mystique pulled out a needle from the bag and shapeshifted from her human form back into her mutant form, saying "Bottoms up", before injecting the passed out Laurio with metal, being visibly pleased by it. The metal injected into Laurio managed to help Magneto escape from prison, she joined Magneto's brief alliance with the X-Men.

While camped in an unknown forest area, Mystique attempted to seduce Wolverine in the guise of Jean Grey. When he discovered the marks of his claws, she shifted back to her original form, telling him no one had left a scar quite like him. When asked by Logan what she wanted, she preceded to attempt to lick Logan's side before he pushed her away, Mystique then shapeshifting into Storm, Rogue, and to Jean again. After being pushed away by Logan, Mystique asked Logan what he really wanted as she turned into William Stryker, Logan said he wanted her to get out and she reverting back to her original appearance and left the tent.

She later impersonated Wolverine in order to gain entry to Stryker's base at Alkali Lake. When brought to Stryker, Stryker recognized Mystique, his soldiers then shot at her, though she managed to avoid the shots and defeat the soldiers. She shapeshifted into Stryker in order to get into the dam security and shapeshifted into him once more in order to convince Stryker's son, Jason, to kill all humans before leaving with Magneto. Mystique and Magneto later met Stryker upon leaving the base before escaping with Pyro in a helicopter.[1]

The Cure[]

Raven Darkholme (Earth-10005) from X-Men- The Last Stand (2)

Mystique losing her powers

Mystique was apprehended by the government after trying breaking into the FDA to get files about the cure for mutation developed at Worthington Labs. She was interrogated, though she refused to unveil any information on where Magneto was. She choked her interrogator with he handcuffs before being imprisoned on a truck containing other mutants.

While locked up, Mystique taunted a guard by persuading him to release in him in the form of the appearance of the president before switching into a young girl, presumably a younger version of her human form, and pleading to be freed. The guard she constantly taunted threatened to spray Mystique with pepper spray, Mystique said she would kill the guard herself after this, though the guard walked off, not believing Mystique as she reverted back into her mutant form.

Mystique was eventually freed from custody after Magneto flipped over the truck she was in, allowing he to snap the guards neck with her feet and steel the keys that would unlock her cuffs while reminding him she was right. While Magneto was freeing other mutants to join his cause, a police officer aimed a cure gun at him. Mystique stepped in front of Magneto and was shot with the cure dart. Mystique aggressively shook as she lost her powers. Magneto was shocked at the self-sacrifice, and stared at the newly human and naked Mystique laying on the ground. Instead of her normal blue skin and red hair, she had normal skin and short black hair. Magneto subsequently abandoned her, stating that she was no longer one of them.

Mystique retaliated by informing the government of Magneto's base of operations and plans. The cure to her powers may not have been permanent at all, as Magneto, who in the end of the conflict was also injected with the cure, has been seen to get his powers back slowly.[5]

Dystopian Future[]

Years later, Sentinels Mk X, Sentinels with adaptive and mimicry powers resulting from mixing the DNA of Mystique and Rogue, were launched. The Sentinels began to hunt Mutants from all over the world until they were almost extinguished and then began to detect the mutant genome in humans who were also hunted.

Charles and Erik planned to send Wolverine to 1973 using Kitty Pryde's powers to prevent Raven from killing Bolivar Trask and being captured. In the past, Wolverine gathered Charles, Beast and Erik from the past to convince Raven not to kill Trask. After many complications, Charles manages to convince Raven which caused the original timeline to be erased preventing the dystopian future.

Attributes

Powers

Shapeshifting: Raven Darkhölme a.k.a. Mystique could manipulate her biological makeup and skin cells to change her appearance to mimic other humans or human-like appearances (she once disguised herself as a replica of the Statue of Liberty).[4]

Abilities

She is an expert in espionage and fighting. She is also extremely flexible, able to move her hand cuffed arms from behind her to her front, and unlock clamps on her hands with her feet.

Weaknesses

Mystique seemed to have the most trouble keeping her eyes in an altered state -- they frequently flash yellow whenever she was distracted or startled while "in morph". She did not copy any abilities or skills from the person. For example, when she fought Wolverine, she assumed his form and fought him claw to claw, only to have her claws hacked off (they were made of flesh).

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Raven Darkholme (Earth-10005) in X2(2)
Needle: While disguised in her human form, Mystique carried a needle containing liquid iron in her black purse. She pulled the needle after seducing Mitchell Laurio and injected this needle into his ass in order for Magneto to escape his plastic prison.

Weapons

Pistol (When murdering Bolivar Trask)

Transportation

Helicopter: Mystique often drove a helicopter, usually as a way of transportation for the Brotherhood.[4][1]

Notes

Trivia

  • Raven Darkhölme (Earth-10005) from X-Men 2 Movie Vol 1 1 001

    Mystique in the comic adaptation of X2

    Mystique was the one who originally came up with Lehnsherr's codenames, Magneto.[2]
  • While in her human form, when seducing Mitchell Laurio, during X2, Mystique wears a blue dress with a scale pattern design on it, a reference to Mystique's scaly skin.
    • The comic adaptation of X2 has Mystique's human form with a different wardrobe. Rather than a blue lace-up dress, Mystique wears a black top with blue jeans
  • After losing her powers and reverting back to her human form in X-Men: The Last Stand, Mystique appears to have black hair and later wears a black dress when giving info about Magneto to the government. Of course a reference to the colours that Raven birds are.
  • Raven seems to display an attraction to Wolverine, despite the fact that he stabbed her,[4] and later rejected her.[1]
  • Wolverine and William Stryker are the only people in the movies to have seen through Mystique's disguise without the tell-tale yellow eyes, the former using his sense of smell,[4] and the latter when she imitated Wolverine, stating that he knows his own creations and that Mystique wasn't one of them.[1]
  • Romijn also portrayed Joan in The Punisher.
  • When asked if she would return as Mystique, Mystique's original actor during the original X-Men Trilogy, Rebecca Romijn, said she'd love to return.[6]

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 X2
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 X-Men: First Class
  3. 3.0 3.1 X-Men: Days of Future Past
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 X-Men
  5. X-Men: The Last Stand
  6. https://comicbook.com/startrek/news/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-rebecca-romijn-xmen-mystique/ Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Rebecca Romijn on Giving Number One a Name and Possibility of Returning as X-Men's Mystique
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