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Raven Darkhölme
Raven Darkhölme

Raven Darkhölme

481 appearances · Bronze Age · 1978–2026 · 14 key issues
Who is Raven Darkhölme?

Raven Darkhölme, better known as Mystique, is a mutant born with the power of total cellular metamorphosis — allowing her to flawlessly replicate the appearance and voice of virtually any humanoid. Centuries of shapeshifting and espionage honed her into one of Marvel's most dangerous and elusive operatives.

Few Marvel characters have proven as enduringly fascinating as Raven Darkhölme, who slipped onto the scene in the Bronze Age pages of Ms. Marvel #16 in 1978 — a Chris Claremont and Jim Mooney creation who has never stopped commanding attention. Nearly five decades and 441 catalog appearances later, she remains a fixture of the X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe, racking up 14 collector-significant key issues and headlining some of the most celebrated runs in Uncanny X-Men history alongside luminaries like Wolverine, Storm, and Cyclops. Her longevity is genuinely remarkable — from Bronze Age intrigue through to Immortal X-Men in the current era, she has outlasted trends, reboots, and generations of readers. If you're serious about Marvel's mutant mythology, Raven Darkhölme is essential reading.

Identity

Real name. Raven Darkhölme

Powers. Shapeshifting (cellular metamorphosis) to impersonate any humanoid's appearance and voice; greatly slowed aging; skilled martial artist, marksman, and spy.

Teams & affiliations
X-MenFreedom ForceBrotherhood of Evil MutantsX-Factor
★ First appearance
Ms. Marvel #16
Apr 1978

Trivia

  • Marvel history was quietly made when Mystique became one of the earliest major characters in the publisher's canon to be openly portrayed as queer, with later continuity cementing a long-term relationship and eventual marriage to Destiny.marvel.fandom.com
  • Few Marvel characters have so thoroughly eclipsed their own birth name the way Mystique has — Raven Darkhölme functions more as an alias in the minds of casual readers than as the name they actually remember.marvel.fandom.com
  • Chris Claremont has written more of Raven Darkhölme's comics than any other writer in our catalog — 46 issues.

Top series

Covers through the years — 1978–2023

Ms. Marvel #16 1978
Ms. Marvel #16
The Uncanny X-Men #183 1984
The Uncanny X-Men #183
The Uncanny X-Men #199 1985
The Uncanny X-Men #199
The Uncanny X-Men #255 1989
The Uncanny X-Men #255
Marvel Super-Heroes #11 1992
Marvel Super-Heroes #11
Magneto #1 1996
Magneto #1
X-Men #94 1999
X-Men #94
The Uncanny X-Men #404 2002
The Uncanny X-Men #404
X-Men #179 2006
X-Men #179
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man Fallout #[nn] 2011
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man Fallout #[nn]
Astonishing X-Men #63 2013
Astonishing X-Men #63
Wolverines #7 2016
Wolverines #7
X-Force #4 2020
X-Force #4
Immortal X-Men #8 2023
Immortal X-Men #8

Appearances (301–450 of 481, oldest first)

Avengers Epic Collection (2013)
Silver Surfer Epic Collection (2014)
#6
Weapon X (2017)
X-Men : Grand Design (2018)
#2
Ms. Marvel Epic Collection (2019)
#2
Uncanny X-Men (2019)
House of X / Powers of X Free Previews (2019)
#1
House of X (2019)
#1
Marvel Comics (2019)
Age of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler (2019)
Uncanny X-Men #266 Facsimile Edition (2020)
X-Force (2020)
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men (2003)
Marvel Comics 1000 (2020)
Nous sommes les Nouveaux Mutants (2020)
X-Men by Jonathan Hickman (2020)
Hellions by Zeb Wells (2020)
Fantastic Four (2018)
Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus (2019)
#2
X-Men by Gerry Duggan (2021)
Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler (2020)
#3
Reign of X (2021)
Ororo: Before the Storm (2021)
X of Swords (2021)
X-Men: The Trial of Magneto (2021)
Women of Marvel (2021)
X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2021)
X-Men by Peter Milligan: Blood of Apocalypse (2021)
Marauders (2019)
Captain Marvel vs. Rogue (2021)
X-Factor by Peter David Omnibus (2021)
#1
Venom (2018)
Wolverine: Black, White & Blood Treasury Edition (2021)
Excalibur by Tini Howard (2020)
#3
Captain Marvel (2019)
Inferno (2021)
Dark Ages (2021)
#2
Avengers Forever (2022)
X-Force by Benjamin Percy (2020)
A.X.E.: Judgment Day (2022)
Hellions (2020)
#18
Immortal X-Men (2022)
Free Comic Book Day 2022: Avengers / X-Men (2022)
#1
Legion of X (2022)
#1
Marvel's Voices: Pride (2022)
Avengers by Jason Aaron (2018)
#10
Trials of X (2022)
Sabretooth: The Adversary (2022)
Fortnite X Marvel : la guerre zéro (2022)
Legion of X by Si Spurrier (2022)
#1
Immortal X-Men by Kieron Gillen (2022)
Avengers Assemble Alpha (2023)
#1
Sins of Sinister (2023)
Wolverine (2020)
Free Comic Book Day 2023: Avengers / X-Men (2023)
#1
Avengers Assemble Omega (2023)
#1
The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus (2006)
#5
Wolverine by Benjamin Percy (2020)
Deadpool and Wolverine (2023)
#6
X-Men No. 1 Facsimile Edition (2023)
Uncanny Spider-Man (2023)
#1
Storm: Blowback (2023)
X-Men Blue: Origins (2024)
#1
X-Factor Epic Collection (2017)
#10
Magneto: Magneto Was Right (2023)
Rise of the Powers of X (2024)
Wolverine Epic Collection (2014)
#14
Marvel Comics (II) (2024)
#4
X-Men: Forever (2024)
Avengers Annual #10 Facsimile Edition (2024)
Rom: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus (2023)
#2
X-Men: Reign of X by Jonathan Hickman (2024)
#1
X-Men: The Wedding Special (2024)
#1
Fall of the House of X / Rise of the Powers of X (2024)
Dazzler Omnibus (2024)
Exceptional X-Men (2024)
#1
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider (2024)
Ultimate X-Men (2024)
#7
Mystique (2024)
#1
Mystique: Most Wanted (2025)
What If...? Galactus: Galactus Transformed Rogue? (2025)
#1
Ultimate Wolverine (2025)
#1
Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone (2025)
#1