X-Men Stole One of Their Most Iconic Villains from Captain Marvel

Today, Mystique may be most affiliated with the Uncanny X-Men and Marvel Comics’ extended library of mutants, but the villainous shapeshifter originally had a grudge match tied to the world of current Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers.

Before becoming the latest leader of X-Men’s rival group the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the infamous mutant radical Raven Darkholme a.k.a. Mystique was simply an exotic drawing conceived by Uncanny X-Men artist Dave Cockrum. When he wasn’t dreaming up the next monumental X-Men saga, Cockrum had a knack for drawing “cheesecake” comic book figures, which typically involved scantily dressed women. As Dave’s latest “pretty lady” began to spread like wildfire around the Marvel offices, Cockrum’s preliminary Mystique concept art with coloring done by Dave’s wife Paty and colorist Andy Yanchus quickly caught the attention of his longtime X-Men collaborator, writer Chris Claremont. Claremont was immediately drawn to the strange yet distinctive design associated with Dave Cockrum’s mysterious blue woman, which is what likely led him to devise the name Mystique for Dave’s potential character. Though Raven used her mutant abilities to impersonate S.H.I.E.L.D. staples Nick Fury and trusted agent Valentina Allegra De Fontaine issues earlier, her blue-and-white form entered the comics in Ms. Marvel#18.

The story is related in Comic Book Fever: A Celebration of Comics: 1976-1986 (from George Khoury), as told by Paty Cockrum, who recalls Claremont asking, “Who is she? What’s her name? What does she do?” and Dave replying, “She’s a pretty lady.” These questions would be answered in time, as Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum’s Ms. Marvel #18 introduced Mystique, whose nefarious plans were constantly thwarted by the titular superheroine. Following Claremont and artist Mike Vosburg (with cover art by Dave Cockrum) Ms. Marvel #23, Marvel canceled the superhero’s comic title for an indefinite period. The immediate cancellation of Ms. Marvel‘s own comic title brought Mystique and her established rivalry with Ms. Marvel over to the best-selling Uncanny X-Men book beginning with issue #141. After quarreling with Carol, Mystique had now taken control of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, in the absence of their original leader Magneto.

It was in Uncanny X-Men where Mystique’s background as a mutant was officially confirmed. As Claremont could finally utilize Ms. Daarkholme, many of the villain’s trademark qualities began to become into focus; including her animosity toward the X-Men, relationship with precog mutant Irene Adler a.k.a. Destiny, and even a parental status with both Nightcrawler and Rogue. Once nurturing her stepdaughter Rogue to be a prized member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Mystique used the young mutant’s powerful absorption abilities to retaliate against Carol Danvers and her powerful allies, The Avengers. Following her mother’s orders without question, Rogue absorbed a massive amount of Ms. Marvel’s powers, which temporarily left the superhero a powerless amnesiac and provided Mystique the win against her ultimate rival.

Though Ms. Marvel would become a prominent supporting character in future X-Men issues, her adventures began to progress into the cosmos following an encounter with the lethal race of parasitic aliens known as The Brood. Carol’s transformation into the infinitely powered Binary set her adventures from an Earthbound realm of superheroes and mutants to a cosmic playing field alongside space pirates the Starjammers led by Cyclops father Christopher Summers a.k.a. Corsair.

By the time Carol had returned to Earth, Mystique had developed an unceasing feud with the X-Men and had begun to leave her days with Ms. Marvel behind her. While Captain Marvel and the X-Men‘s Mystique do tend to reconnect every once in a while in Marvel Comics, they have long diverged on separate paths of storytelling.

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