Raven Darkholme (Earth-1010)

{{Character Template
 * Quote              = Who am I? That, my dear, is an excellent question. Though not one easily answered.
 * Speaker                = Mystique
 * QuoteSource            =

Christian Wagner (husband, deceased); Ralph Brickman (husband); Irene Adler (Destiny) (life partner); Graydon Creed (son, deceased); Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler) (son); Gloria Brickman(foster daughter); Anna Marie (Rogue) (unofficial foster daughter);
 * Image                  = Mystique.png
 * RealName               = Raven Darkholme
 * CurrentAlias           = Mystique
 * Aliases                = Many different aliases due to her shapeshifting
 * Identity               = Secret
 * Alignment              = Bad
 * Affiliation            = Hellfire Academy, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
 * Relatives              =
 * Universe               = Earth-1010
 * BaseOfOperations       = Mobile


 * Gender                 = Female
 * Height                 = 5'10"
 * Height2                = (Variable)
 * Weight                 = 120 lbs
 * Eyes                   = Yellow
 * Eyes2                  = (Variable)
 * Hair                   = Red
 * Hair2                  = (Variable)
 * UnusualSkinColour      = Blue
 * UnusualFeatures        = As Mystique is a shapeshifter she most often has no distinguishing features, although in her true form that of a young woman with red hair, yellow eyes, and dark blue skin.


 * Citizenship            = American
 * MaritalStatus          = Married; Widowed
 * Occupation             = Adventurer and special operative for Germany and the United States governments, terrorist
 * Education              =


 * Origin                 = Mutant
 * PlaceOfBirth           =
 * Creators               = Chris Claremont; Jim Mooney
 * First                  = Proud to Serve
 * Death                  =


 * HistoryText            =

Early Life
Little was known about Mystique's past due to the fact that she could eliminate the outward signs of aging with her shape-shifing; it was not known exactly how old she was. She apparently learned to use her powers at a very early age which made her family fear her, for there is no evidence known to the public or the government that Raven Darkholme ever looked like anything but a normal human being.

According to Mystique herself her powers manifested when she was twelve years old and she had to fight just to survive.

First Betrayals
In 1921, Raven found herself in the Mexican Sondran Desert about to be executed by a firing squad because of her blue skin, which led the locals to believe she was a witch. As she was blindfolded and tied to a post, she noticed a man tied up beside her. When she asked if he was a murderer. He answered: "... worse, a horse thief." Raven managed to untie herself, just before the firing squad shot, and watched as the man was riddled with bullets.

However, he managed to somehow survive and killed the guards. After they both escaped, Raven stood surprised that he was still alive and asked how he knew she would be able to free herself and escape. He responded: "I didn't", and, when she asked where he was going to next, he said the nearest bar. Raven introduced herself to the man who said his name was Logan, after which she told him that she had a group of friends in Kansas City, that he would probably like to meet.

Once in Kansas City, Raven told Logan about her group, who scammed people. After meeting Raven's crew, and saving one of them from an angry customer that was scammed, Raven informed Logan that she and her crew were planning a bank heist and she wanted him to take part in it. When Logan expressed his reluctance to get attached to people (likely due to the loss of his parents, Rose, Smitty, Silver Fox, Seraph and Janet), Raven told him that she knew it was hard to trust people, but that they could be a family and to trust her. They both kiss and Logan decided to help her. However, Raven betrays Logan and her friends by alerting the police; leaving her crew to take the fall for the heist while she escapes with the money. She encounter Logan in a train later who confront her about this, Raven tell Logan that each one of them should just start life and once Logan turn his back she kick him out of the train.

Raven and Destiny
Her earliest meeting with her friend Destiny (Irene Adler) occurred at "the dawn of the 20th century." Irene was an Austrian mutant with precognitive powers. She was most accurate in predicting near-future events concerning her present environment. But in a period of 12 months during her adolescence, Irene had produced 13 volumes of prophecies concerning the late 20th and early 21st centuries. When that period ended, Irene was left physically blind and haunted by disturbing images of uncertain meaning. She enlisted Raven's services in pursuit of two goals: the deciphering of her recorded prophecies and a mission to prevent the most terrifying of them from ever being fulfilled.

The two women would soon become life-long friends and lovers. But they both discovered that their set goals were difficult to achieve. Their abilities would easily allow them to achieve personal success but to shape the future was stated to be "next to impossible" as it would require "social engineering."

Their decades-long quest apparently required them to constantly travel. They encountered Shadowcat and Rachel Summers, who had time traveled from the future and sought 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 had conspired to question the rights of the British Monarch to the throne and then to replace him with Oswald Mosely of the British Fascist Party, a likely ally for Nazi Germany. Irene and Raven contacted their old acquaintance, 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."

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.

Marriage
Raven would meet Victor Creed, the man known as Sabretooth. At the time she used 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 completed the mission in place of Leni. Then she and Victor had to hide in a safe location for a while. They became lovers, but she soon faked her death in order to leave him.

The result of this short-lived affair was reportedly the birth of Graydon Creed, her earliest known child. A number of stories have reported that soon after his birth, Raven gave him up for adoption. Others depict Mystique making arrangements for him from a distance. Graydon reportedly spent most of his childhood in a boarding school. Raven kept track of his activities until he reached adolescence. Graydon was the son of two mutants and as a result likely to be a mutant himself. However, he eventually proved to be a Homo sapien instead of a Homo Superior or Mutant. Raven was disappointed and soon abandoned him. Graydon would grow to hate his parents and eventually extend his hatred towards all mutants. He later became leader to 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.

For several years Mystique was also reported being the mother of Nightcrawler but the exact events were uncertain. It was eventually ‘revealed’ that the father was Azazel, a demonic-looking mutant from biblical times claiming to be the inspiration for Satan.

At the time, Raven was married to Baron Christian Wagner; older sources give his name as Count Eric Wagner, an affluent member of German nobility. He would prove to be a loving husband, but rather disappointing as a lover. His infertility added to their marital problems. Raven started using her shape-shifting powers in order to secretly have sexual encounters with others. She particularly seemed to seek men who somewhat resembled Victor Creed. She was apparently both seeking sexual satisfaction and attempting to conceive another child. Another fellow mutant eventually seduced her.

He called himself Azazel and stated he was ruler of "an island nation of the coast of Bermuda: La Isla des Demonas," The Island of Demons. He was apparently a fellow shape-shifter and also had the powers of teleportation. He was 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 9000 BC. His natural form was 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 Azazel, Semihazah, Duma, Keriel, Mastema, Beliar, Gadreel and Beelzebub. And most commonly called Satan." Many of these aliases have also been claimed by several notable demons of the Marvel Universe.

A Mother
Raven soon became pregnant. Her husband became suspicious and his own father suggested a blood test to verify if the child was his. Mystique used a dagger to slay him and then buried him. She eventually gave birth to a young boy with black hair, yellow eyes, blue skin and a pointed tail. The locals considered both the mother and the child to be demons and attempted to slay them. Mystique managed to escape but abandoned her second known son. He was found and raised by Gypsy sorceress Margali Szardos and named Kurt Wagner.

Mystique would later become adoptive mother to the girl Rogue, who 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 foresaw that Rogue would be important to them and Mystique sought her out, gained her trust and took her in. She and Destiny would raise the girl over approximately a decade and Mystique would grow to be very protective of her. While Rogue was under her care, she maintained the false identity of Mallory Brickman, the wife of U.S. Senator Ralph Brickman and her adopted daughter, Gloria, was a result.

Mystique had concealed her superhuman powers and criminal intentions so well over the years that, as Darkholme, she was able to rise rapidly through the United States Civil Service to the trusted position of Deputy Director of the DARPA in the United States Department of Defense, giving her access to military secrets and advanced weaponry, both of which she used for her own criminal and subversive purposes.

The Brotherhood
Mystique joined the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, an organization founded by Magneto.

Rogue was trained by Mystique and eventually joined her Brotherhood team. Her mutant power was the ability to absorb the psyche, memories, personality, strengths and any skills or powers of whomever she touched. Rogue proved to be a powerful member of the team. She went on many missions with the Brotherhood and with her help; the team was almost able to defeat the Avengers.

On a mission with the Avengers, Rogue fought Carol Danvers, better known as the superheroine named Ms. Marvel at that time. Rogue tried stealing Carol's powers, but Carol fought too hard and Rogue ended up absorbing Carol's memories and powers, while Carol was left an empty shell. Professor Xavier later restored Carol's memories, but not the emotions that went with them. Rogue, meanwhile, felt like she was losing her mind, grappling with Danvers' psyche and at times not knowing which memories were really hers.

Metamorph: Can psionically alter the formation of her biological cells at will. As a result she can cause herself to look and sound like an exact duplicate of any human, humanoid, or semi-humanoid being of either sex, wearing virtually any kind of clothing. Her control is so exact that she can precisely duplicate another persons retina pattern in her own eyes, finger, palm and skin-pore patterns on her own hands and skin, and vocal cords to match voices to the point of corresponding voiceprints. While she can make herself look exactly like a person who is physically bigger than herself, she will not weigh as much as the real person does. Although she can maintain the form of a person of her height, weight, and build indefinitely, the longer that she maintains the form of a person physically bigger than herself, the greater the strain she feels.
 * Powers                 =


 * Metamorphic Adaptation: After her enhancement Mystique showed the ability to adapt her body depending on her situation at the time. She was able to adapt her body in order to camouflage according to her surroundings, shift her organs into her lower extremities, heal from numerous bullet wounds in at least a few minutes, and mimic the textures of metals (when she took on the form of Magneto and his helmet). She also clearly stated that she was always naked and she merely made her skin look and feel like other materials to fool others.
 * Enhance Physical Attributes: Able to enhance her strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and senses.
 * Accelerated Healing: Mystique's nature allows her to repair and regenerate herself from minor to near death injuries in a short span of time, much faster than an ordinary human.
 * Toxin & Disease Resistance: She is also able to develop resistance and immunities to toxins and diseases.
 * Retarded Aging: Her metamorphic powers have retarded the degenerative effects of her aging process. She has always had this ability even before her enhancement; she is either close to or over one hundred years old.
 * Psychic Defense: Mystique's nature also provides her with a natural defense against telepathic intrusion.

Expert Combatant: Mystique is a highly skilled combatant.
 * Abilities              =

Trained Actress

Expert Marksman

Polyglot: Mystique has stated that she knows at least eleven languages; besides her presumably native German and English, she has demonstrated fluency in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Farsi and Czech.

Covert Operative: Strategist in terrorist and commando operations.

Skilled Hypnotiser: Mystique is a skilled hypnotist. She is so skilled in the area that she was able to hypnotise herself so well that even the Shadow King, whose telepathic powers are said to be comparable to that of Professor X, was unable to find out the truth. Mystique possesses the normal human strength of a woman of her physical age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. She can enhance her strength using her powers, yet this was never explained. Appearance Limitation: Originally, it was clearly stated that Mystique's powers were limited to appearances only; as she could not assume the powers of the people she morphed into or alter her body to adapt to different situations. Although Mystique’s powers were enhanced, Mystique could never duplicate the powers of other superhumans. She still cannot duplicate the powers of the person she imitates: for example, when she turned herself into a duplicate of Nightcrawler, she did not gain the ability to teleport. However, she can use her powers to mimic the powers of others; such as assuming the form of Sabretooth, and then using her powers to enhance her senses, strength, speed, agility, and of course naturally heal at an accelerated rate.
 * Strength               =
 * Weaknesses             =


 * Equipment              = She has used experimental weaponry and devices, including a power-drainer.
 * Transportation         =
 * Weapons                = Conventional firearms and an energy beam pistol. Various skull-shaped explosives usually carried on her belt.

}}
 * Notes                  =
 * Mystique is hinted at being one of the oldest mutants. She has stated that she wasn't born in the last century and that she is "over 100 years old". Her earliest meeting with her friend Destiny was stated to have occurred at "the dawn of the 20th century". In 1921 she met Logan in Kansas City, and they all later worked together in Scotland, shortly before the World War II.
 * Despite the fact that it is unknown when she was born, it can be assumed that she was born in the month of September - she was once given a sapphire necklace, because apparently it was her birthstone (traditionally associated with being born in September), to which she replied 'How did you know when I was born?'
 * Her powers manifested when she was twelve years old.
 * Mystique cannot stand her own appearance, and therefore never wants to look at her reflection in a mirror.
 * Trivia                 =
 * Links                  =