The leader of terrorist organisations and government-sponsored heroes, one of the X-men's longest-running foes, and their most valued allies. A fan of revealing clothing, skull motifs, and big guns. Thanks to her unusual appearance, Mystique is one of the most instantly recognizable, even iconic, characters in the Marvel universe. In the past, Mystique has played a spy, a villain, and even occasionally a hero, and remains one of the X-men's most popular and enduring enemies. She is also one of the few characters to retain a level of mystery even after several decades of appearances. Despite the fact that she has an intimate, and in some cases biological, connection to many other key players in the X-men universe, very little is known about Mystique's background and origins to this day. Her shape-shifting powers allow her to look like anyone she meets down to the tiniest detail, and comes with a load of added secondary abilities including a resistance to toxins, a healing factor, and slowed aging. Being able to look like anyone obviously has its benefits, and Mystique has clearly used her abilities to live a long and colourful life. Of course, the lack of firm details about the character's past means that the character is often treated as a blank slate, and some portrayals of Mystique are downright weird when placed in the context of her character as a whole. Like many on-off villains, her personality and motives seem to flip with almost every subsequent appearance, although more often than not she won't be doing anything unless it's in her own interests. While the blue-skinned mutant may remain a mystery for many years to come, we've decided to shed some light on her past. Here are ten facts about the alluring shape-shifter that you may not know.
With a (nearly) useless degree in English literature and a personal trainer qualification he's never used, Freddie spends his times writing things that he hopes will somehow pay the rent. He's also a former professional singer, and plays the saxophone and ukulele. He's not really used to talking about himself in the third person, and would like to stop now, thanks.
