10 Most Shocking Relationships In X-Men History
6. Mystique And Azazel
In 2002, Chuck Austen took charge of the Uncanny X-Men series. Sadly, Austen run's was heavily criticised for sexism, poor characterisation, ugly art, and convoluted plots. However, the storyline that drew the most criticism was The Draco.
Although it was common knowledge that Mystique was Nightcrawler's mother, the identity of his father remained a mystery for many years. In The Draco, it's revealed that Nightcrawler's father was Azazel - a demon-like creature that claimed to be Satan himself.
Azazel courted Mystique so she would conceive a child with mutant abilities that he could then use to escape from his hellish dimension. Even though Mystique has had many lovers, Azazel was one of the few she genuinely loved and was absolutely heartbroken when she learned he didn't feel the same about her.
Even though the story tried to be heartfelt, comic fans weren't having any of it. Having Nightcrawler's father as Lucifer wasn't just silly, it was contradictory. (Isn't Mephisto Marvel's equivalent of Satan?) The idea that Mystique hooked up with The Devil was detested by readers to the point where it was retconned so Azazel was simply a mutant who likes to pretend he's the ruler of Hell.