Codename: Mystique
Real Name: Raven Darkhölme

Age: Unknown
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 120 lb.
Eyes: Yellow with no discernable pupils
Hair: Red
Distinguishing Features: Indigo blue skin tone
Known Relatives: Kurt Wagner (aka Nightcrawler, son)

Powers: Mystique is a mutant metamorph. She can shift the atoms and molecules of her body so as to change her appearance. As a result, she can exactly duplicate 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 person's retina pattern in her own eyes, finger and palm print, skin-pore patterns, and vocal cords to match to the point of fooling voiceprints. Mystique, however, is limited by her inability to diminish or increase her own mass at will. While she can make herself appear exactly as person who is quite physically larger than her real self, she will not weigh as much as the real thing. And the same is true in vice versa for smaller individuals. Although she can maintain the form of a person of roughly her own height, weight, and build indefinitely, the longer that she maintains the form of a person physically larger or smaller than herself, the greater the strain she feels. If she maintains the form for too long (the length of which is directly proportional to the difference in size between that form and her normal one), she will collapse and automatically revert to her original template form. Mystique cannot duplicate the powers of the person she imitates.

Skills/Talents: From her training as a CIA operative and subsequent later adventures in life, Mystique is an expert marksman. She is well versed in almost all categories firearms including: pistols, assault rifles, sub-machine guns, sniper rifles, shotguns, tasers, and even assault cannon class arms. Handguns are her favored weapon of choice due to their concealability. Mystique is also an excellent hand to hand combatant who is able to use a blend of traditional martial art styles in conjunction with her shapeshifting to sow confusion in her opponent. To aid her on covert and intelligence gathering missions, she is an expert in espionage, security measures, security countermeasures, and surveillance. This includes a great deal of training in computer and electronic device tampering. Mystique also fancies herself a history whiz which belies her age.

 

History: Little is known of Mystique's past. Indeed, since she can eliminate the outward signs of aging with her shape-changing power, her exact age is undetermined. She apparently learned to utilize her powers at a very early age, for there is no evidence known to the public or the United States government that Raven Darkholme ever looked like anything but a normal human being.
The current records on file begin with one of Darkhölme's assignments as an operative of the United State's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 1961, she worked uncover in East Berlin with another agent named Victor Creed in order to assassinate a scientist named Leni Zauber. After the target was disposed, Darkhölme assumed her identity and masqueraded as Zauber to steal Soviet military secrets. During her time in Berlin, Mystique had an affair with her partner Creed which produced a child named Graydon Creed. After she determined that the child was merely human, she abandoned him. Sometime after her stint in Berlin, Darkhölme disappeared from the CIA and was declared a rogue agent. But due to records tampering by her own hand, she has slipped beneath the agency's radar.
The next recorded sighting of Mystique occurs in 1969, back in East Germany again. This time she had been masquerading as the wife of a wealthy German Baron and Soviet sympathizer. Her identity was compromised when she gave birth to a clearly mutant child later named Kurt Wagner. The Baron attempted to have the woman arrested, but Darkhölme fled into the nearby woodlands with the child. Weakened by the very recent birthing process and hunted by a contingent of Soviet police complete with dogs, Darkhölme was on the verge of being captured. The child was slowing her down enormously and so she tossed him off a waterfall to save her own life. Darkhölme eventually escaped and disappears into hiding once more.
Mystique emerges again in Salzburg, Austria, where she meets a mutant woman named Irene Adler who sees through her shape-changing disguise. But instead of killing the woman, Darkhölme finds Adler intriguing, and the two quickly strike up a relationship together. Darkhölme is fascinated by the woman's mutant ability to see the future. While she initially sees Adler as a tool to conquer her own fate, Darkhölme also falls deeply in love with the woman who seems to know her so well. The two remain together for seven years until their relationship hits a rocky point. Adler begins to have horrific visions of future wrought with war, disease, famine, and alarming death tolls. Deeply troubled by these predictions, Darkhölme argues with Adler that they should attempt to subvert this dark future from ever occurring. But Adler disagrees saying that what is to come will come. Frustrated by Irene Adler's apathy, Mystique takes matters into her own hands and assumes a pro-active attitude despite Adler's words of wisdom. Darkhölme steals one of Adler's diaries hoping to decipher the visions on her own and do something about it. The diary features startling images of a grown mutant who bears a striking resemblance to the baby she had just previously abandoned. Mystique determines that Kurt Wager has an extremely vital role to play in this dark future, and so she takes off to track Wagner down and safe-guard him.
Mystique soon locates Wagner, now age 10, working with a traveling circus in West Germany. Disguised as a mere local, she attends the circus performance in an attempt to spot him. Wager makes his debut center stage during the acrobatic show and there is certainly no mistaking his blue demonic features. As she watches, a swell of pride overcomes Mystique as she watches her son give the performance of a life time, but at the same time, a seething anger takes root at the sight of her own flesh and blood put on display as some circus freak for the mere entertainment of these humans. Sometime later after that evening's show, she finds Wagner alone and strikes. Masquerading as Margali Szardos, Wagner's adoptive mother, Mystique enters his tent and proceeds to scold the poor child viciously taking her anger out on the poor child. She then smacks the already crying and bewildered Wagner several times producing a bloody nose. Distraught, Wagner teleports away where Mystique, in her template form, finds the child again, but this time comforts Wagner. Intrigued by the woman's uncanny resemblance, Wagner is easily persuaded to leave with her. And so with great haste, Mystique abducts the child and makes their escape.
Returning to Austria with Wagner, she attempts to meet up with Irene Adler but finds the woman has vanished. Fearing the wrath of Mragali's reputed magic, Mystique goes into deep cover hiding with Wagner. She decides not to inform the child that she is indeed his real mother and avoids the issue at every turn. She then spends several years pouring over the single diary she managed to keep of Adler's as well as a few attempts to track the woman down. The diary foretells Mystique of a school being founded by a man named Erik Lensherr who will also play an important role in the future. With Kurt in tow, she sets off to find Lensherr at Mount Wundagore. Mystique then offers Kurt over to Lensherr for enrollment into his upcoming school. Here he will be most safe and gain further training in his abilities. Darkhölme also decides it is best to align herself with Lensherr for the upcoming foreboding future. Using her unique talents and Adler's diary, she offers valuable intel and guidance to Erik Lensherr.

Personality: A strong confidence in her own abilities remains Mystique's greatest advantage and disadvantage. She prefers to rely only on her own self and oversees matters personally whenever she can. Her self-assurance borders precariously on complete arrogance. Trust is touchy issue for Mystique because she is so reluctant to give it out. The only one she truly trusts in the world is her soul mate, Irene Adler. In all her years of living other people's lives through her shape-shifting, she finally seemed to find one of her own with Adler. She loves the woman more than she knows herself, and finding her again remains one of Mystique's top priorities. In the past, Mystique has had a number of affairs but none of these relationships took to her heart and only served to sate physical lust. Some of these affairs produced children, all of which were unwanted. Mystique holds no desire for motherhood and views it only as an annoyance. While she did end up keeping one child in the long run, Kurt Wagner, she has no intentions of being a mother to him. She is careful to avoid any outward affections to the boy and will lie or outright avoid the issue of his parentage. Deep down into the depths of her cold heart sits a small shred of pride for Kurt and the strong mutant he has become. And beneath that pride might just be a very tiny ounce of hidden love.