MYSTIQ

Real Name: Raphael-Raven Darkholme

Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional (Earth-797) human mutant

Occupation: Adventurer,
                      formerly medical doctor

Group Membership: New Exiles (Gambit of Earth-6706, Psylocke of Earth-616/Betsy Braddock, Rogue of Earth-1009, Shadowcat/Catherine Pryde, Sabretooth of Earth-295/Victor Creed, Sage/Tessa of Earth-616)

Affiliations: Blink/Clarice Ferguson, Captain Britain (Brian Braddock), Daughters of the Dragon of Earth-81114, Dazzler (Alison Blaire), Force X of Earth-80827 (Aurion/Roberta Drake, Dame Emma Frost, Puma/Hank McCoy, Spider/Peter Parker, Starbolt/Summer Scott, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Sunspot/John Grey), prince Jeffrey of Earth-80827, Longshot, Morph (Kevin Sydney), Nocturne (Talia Wagner), Old Generation ('Dave & Paty Cockrum'), Sons of Iron of Earth-81114 (Colyn, unnamed others), Thunderbird (John Proudstar), Valeria Richards of Earth-1720, Pete Wisdom

Enemies: Albion, Bloodforce (Blackdog, Blac Panther Bloodwitch, Iron Maiden, Rough Justice, Sandstorm), Empress Lilandra of Earth-81114, Fury, Garotte of Earth-80827, Legion of Earth-80827, Mad Jim Jaspers, Madame Hydra of Earth-1720, Maker's Chosen (Black Baron Dormammu/Faltine, Blood Skull/Johann Shmidt, Doom/Victor von Doom, Gold Goblin/Norman Osborn, Mad Maker, Magneta/Erika Lensherr), Shi'ar Death Commandos of Earth-8114 (Black Cloak/Charles Xavier, Colony/Samantha Summers, Devo/Scott Summers, Hypernova/Moira Kinross, Krait/Warren Worthington, Shell, Warshot/Alex Summers)

Known Relatives: Irene Adler (wife, deceased), Anna Raven (daughter, deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Crystal Palace,
                                   formerly mobile on Earth-797

First Appearance: Exiles II#99 (November, 2007)

Powers/Abilities: Mystiq is a metamorph who can alter his form to mimic the appearance of others who are roughly identical in size to him. His shapeshifting goes beyond cosmetic: he can extend his hands into functional claws and is able to breathe underwater while posing as an Atlantean. Imitating a musclebound target also gives him increased (super)strength. Mystiq's mutation grants him retarded aging, accelerated healing and a measure of defense against psychic attacks. Mystiq is a master of unarmed combat and experienced in the use of handguns. Mystiq is a trained medical doctor and a gourmet chef.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'1", variable)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 170 lbs., variable)
Eyes: Brown (variable)
Hair: Red (variable)

History:

(Exiles II#99 (fb) - BTS) - The mutant known as Raphael-Raven Darkholme was born on Earth-797 where he trained as a medical doctor. Eventually he met the woman Irene Adler. They fell in love, married and had a daughter called Anna.

(New Exiles I#12 - BTS) - Mastering his mutant metamorphic abilities, Mystiq used his powers to give the appearance of being clothed.

(New Exiles I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Irene Adler didn't like to cook, forcing Mystiq to experiment in the kitchen. He found he had a talent for cooking and enjoyed playing with the tastes and textures of the raw materials.

(Exiles I#99 (fb) - BTS) - Under unrevealed circumstances, Mystiq's wife and child died. He also ran afoul of the local law enforcement agencies for unknown reasons.

(Exiles II#99) - Grieving the loss of his wife and daughter, Darkholme visited their gravesite. There he was attacked by approaching soldiers out for his arrest. He was saved by the reality hopping Exiles-member Sabretooth who intervened in the conflict. The two struck up a quick friendship and later, when the Exiles came to retrieve Sabretooth he decided to accompany them. As a result he visited Earth-1009 and Earth-6375 before returning to the Crystal Palace.

(X-Men: Die By The Sword I#2) - Mystiq was on hand when the Crystal Palace was visited by Psylocke, Pete Wisdom, Dazzler and Nocturne who had brought the critically injured Brian Braddock with him. Mystiq watched intrigued as Dazzler tried to reconnect with her former lover, his fellow Exile Longshot who had no idea who she was (due to Mojo mindwiping him). Mystiq comforted the upset Dazzler and later witnessed the coming confrontation between Mad Jim Jaspers, the Fury and the Captain Britain Corps.

(X-Men: Die By The Sword I#3) - Mystiq and the Panoptichron's holographic representation of Heather Hudson concluded that Brian Braddock's medical condition was so grave, they should consider putting him in stasis.

(X-Men: Die By The Sword I#4 - BTS) - Mystiq, unaware he was being helped by the Old Generation, managed to get Brian Braddock fighting fit so he could help the others defend the Starlight Citadel against Merlyn and the Fury-infested Jim Jaspers.

(Exiles II#100) - Using raw materials provided by the Crystal Palace computers, Mystiq made lunch for the Exiles while the individual members contemplated their next move. Their musings were cut short when Cat and Rogue almost died trying to bungee jump in the Crystal Palace's depths and a little later Sage (struggling with Roma's memories) tried to kill the team. Mystiq used his medical expertise to treat the injuries, but couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by the fact these strangers were all genetic twins of people he knew. In the aftermath, Mystiq watched as Blink, Nocturne and Thunderbird all decided to leave the Crystal Palace and take a sabbatical on Earth-3470, the reality of their fellow Exiles member Heather Hudson.

(New Exiles I#1 - BTS) - The Exiles' new leader Sabretooth mused over the recent additions to the team, including Mystiq who he liked, but he also feared was too much like him. Especially when it came to women.

(New Exiles I#1) - Eager for some alone time with his fellow Exile Psylocke, Mystiq surprised her with a picknick lunch and a game of chess in the Crystal Palace's beach area. Psylocke felt he was flirting with her, but Mystiq refused to confirm or deny her suspicions.

(New Exiles I#1 - BTS) - After observing Mystiq and Psylocke, Sabretooth felt the time was right to launch the team's first mission. He decided on Earth-6706 in which humanity had survived a meteor shower only to face a fate even more dire.

(New Exiles I#1) - Mystiq and the others were presented with uniforms by Sabretooth, but he instead opted to wear his 'own attire' on their first mission that started with the team getting attacked by the Bloodforce.

(New Exiles I#2-4) - Mystiq and the others were jumped by their assailants, with Mystiq struggling against the super strong Blackdog. Their attack was cut short by Earth-6706's Storm who caused a downpour that ended the fight and separated the Exiles from their opponents. Mystiq had used the confusion to mimic Black Dog's form and returning with the Blood Force to undermine their plans to detonate a massive nuclear device from within. In the end, Mystiq and the Exiles completed their mission and returned to the Crystal Palace with their new team member, Gambit of Earth-6706.

(New Exiles I#12 - BTS) - After his experiences on Earth-6706, Mystiq had trouble wrapping his head around the fact an Earth so similar to what he knew had been decimated by asteroids.

(New Exiles I#6) - Mystiq, Psylocke, Rogue and Sabretooth welcomed their fellow teammates Morph, Sage and Cat back to the Crystal Palace after their own mission. Much to everyone's surprise, Cat already knew their newest member Gambit because the Panoptichron's computers already had detailed files on him well before he even joined. Mystiq found this disconcerting, to say the least.

(New Exiles I#7 (fb) ) - Cat alerted the Exiles to a crisis on Earth-80827 that could potentially destabilize the structure of a whole section of the omniverse. The Exiles were tasked to prevent a world war between imperial France and the British empire. In order to do so, they had to stop the assassination of the British queen and the royal prince Jeffrey who were residing in New York.

(New Exiles I#7 - BTS) - Mystiq and Rogue were sent to retrieve Jeffrey. Mystiq assumed the form of the prince's royal guard captain Rogers while Rogue laid in wait for the attack.

(New Exiles I#7) - Using RAF helicopters, French forces targeted Jeffrey who was led away by 'Captain Rogers' and his aide Darkstar. Rogers kept the forces at bay, but was then stabbed in the back by Darkstar who revealed herself to be a French double agent. Before she could get Jeffrey aboard one of the helicopters, Rogue destroyed the craft. By then 'Captain Rogers' had sufficiently recovered, taking her down and revealing he was Mystiq all along. Rogue then flew Mystiq and Jeffrey to safety.

(New Exiles I#7 - BTS) - Mystiq's fellow Exiles, led by Psylocke, tried to keep the queen safe. However, Psylocke was quickly lured away mentally by that reality's Slaymaster, leaving Sage and the others to keep the queen safe from Havok who was working for the French. After Havok was defeated, Morph asked Sage to telepathically reach out to Rogue and Mystiq.

(New Exiles I#8) - With Manhattan all but taken over by the French navy, no sign of the Exiles or mother, prince Jeffrey had Mystiq and Rogue take him to Westchester where they met Dame Emma Frost, headmistress of the Frost School for Gifted Youngsters.

(New Exiles I#9) - Dame Emma introduced Mystiq and Rogue to Force-X, a squad of young mutants who served the British Empire. Rogue was not that impressed with the youths, leading to an impromptu sparring session that was cut short by the arrival of Force-X member Storm who had encountered the Exile Gambit. Together, they traveled to New York to help out in the coming, final confrontation against the French.

(New Exiles I#9 - BTS) - The Exiles in New York were forced to surrender to the French who also took the queen captive.

(New Exiles I#10) - Mystiq stood by and watched as Storm and Aurion used their weather and ice powers to disorient the French troops, freezing up their ships in the harbor while Starbolt's optic blasts destroyed their hulls. When Mystiq and the others moved to the French flagship to rescue the queen. The French then sent in their super powered operatives, with Mystiq noticing the assassin Garotte trying to strangle Spider. After Starbolt took down the mast Garotte had climbed in, Mystiq took him out with a mean right hook. The French admiral then sent in Salvo and Legion a mutant who threatened to overwhelm the heroes with copies of himself. Mystiq took a step backed, mimicked the form of a French soldier and quietly approached the actual Legion. By taking him out, the copies then blinked out.

(New Exiles I#10 - BTS) - Now in control of herself again, Psylocke sought out the French emperor and forced him to end the conflict.

(New Exiles I#10) - In the aftermath of their fight, Morph wondered how Mystiq even knew which one was the actual Legion. Mystiq didn't answer, but only gave a knowing smile.

(New Exiles I#13) - Mystiq surprised Gambit when he shifted into Atlantean form and comfortably breathed underwater when the two of them went to explore the Crystal Palace's seemingly endless oceans. They were stunned to find the usually barren seas were now teeming with ocean life, making them believe the Palace could grant wishes. Moments later they were even more surprised when an Atlantean version of their teammate Cat swam by. Upon seeing her teammates, 'Cat' disappeared, instantly taking both flora and fauna with her. Hoping to confront Cat with the incident, Mystiq and Gambit learned she had gone missing in the Crystal Palace. Sabretooth vowed to look for her, while he also put Morph in charge of the Exiles, ordering them to save Earth-812145, a prime dimension at a major crisis point.

(New Exiles Annual I#1 - BTS) Earth-812145, a world torn apart by the Maker's Chosen, five crazed, strong supervillains assembled by the Maker of Worlds to indulge his appetite for chaos and destruction. Earth-1720's Valeria Richards found herself stranded on this reality where she encountered her dimensional counterpart, who worked as local heroine Rosetta Stone.

(New Exiles Annual I#1) - Mystiq and the others arrived on Earth-812145 and quickly ran into Valeria and Rosetta who was already mortally wounded. Mystiq tended to her injuries, but could do nothing to save her. Vowing to avenge Rosetta, Valeria and the Exiles planned to confront and defeat the Maker's Chosen. During their initial encounter, Mystiq faced Blood Skull and Doom before shifting his attention t Gold Goblin. Thanks to a timely assist from Rogue, they knocked out Black Baron Dormammu with the Skull and Goblin. Their fight was cut short by the Maker who abducted them all to an arena on the Moon where he planned to continue his games. However, his meddling awakened the long dormant Proteus in Morph's body. The Maker proved no match for the merciless reality manipulator who eventually merged with Morph himself to combine into a new being that ended the fight. In the aftermath, Mystiq and the others said goodbye to Earth-1720's Valeria, asking her to stay put until the threat of her mother, the reality hopping Madame Hydra, was dealt with.

(New Exiles I#14) - Mystiq and the Exiles were sent to Earth-81114 on a mission to keep the fugitive Shi'ar princess Neramani out of the hands of her tyrant sister Lilandra. They were aided by local heroes the Daughters of the Dragon and the Sons of Iron in holding off their reality's Shi'ar Death Commandos. Mystiq was seen fighting Shell.

(New Exiles I#15) - The Shi'ar Death Commandos attacked the headquarters of the Daughters of the Dragon and the Sons of Iron. Mystiq and Cat were caught in the rubble of the destroyed building, but Cat phased them both to safety. Mystiq assisted with the injured and later rejoined the others in fighting the Commandos only to be briefly taken out when he was shot in the back by Warshot. Quickly recovering, he assumed the form of Krait to approach Hyperstorm. After knocking her out, he used her unconscious form to take down the team's telepath Black Cloak who was telepathically torturing Cat. Their victory was shortlived when empress Lilandra arrived with her new ally, Earth-1720's Madame Hydra who took down Mystiq with her forcefield.

(New Exiles I#16) - Cat phased herself with Mystiq, drawing from his strength to get both of them to safety. Raphael allowed the young teen to proceed, granting her control over their shared body. As a result, the combined form of Mystiq and Cat, looking exactly like Kitty Pryde, took the fight to Madame Hydra and eventually killed her by shifting through her and yanking out the villain's aortic artery.

(New Exiles I#17 - BTS) Cat separated herself from Mystiq.

(New Exiles I#17)  - Mystiq tried to treat his young teammate's still critical injuries, but found himself unable to do anything for her with just a medical kit. He watched Cat perish and then joined his teammates and the remaining Daughters of the Dragon and Sons of Iron in forcing Empress Lilandra to surrender.

(New Exiles I#18) - Mystiq and Psylocke mourned the death of Cat on Earth-81114 even as the world rebuilt after the Shi'ar invasion. Mystiq later attended the trial of Lilandra held in the planetary capital of London. A little later still, as Sabretooth was getting ready to return the team to the Crystal Palace, Mystiq was present when Morph and Rogue announced they were remaining on Earth-81114. Morph had taken up with Neramani and was going back to the Shi'ar with her while Rogue had fallen in love with the Son of Iron Colyn. Upon returning to the Crystal Palace, the team learned Sage had now merged herself with the Panoptichron, essentially serving as its living computer interface.

(New Exiles I#18 - The Exiles took some time to get used to the new situation, with Psylocke taking Sage's fate the hardest and Gambit being surprised when Valeria of Earth-1720 showed up in the Panoptichron.

(New Exiles I#18) - Mystiq was in the team's remembrance room mourning the loss of Cat and musing about the high cost of being an Exile. He helped welcome Val Richards to the team. In the months that followed, Mystiq joined the Exiles on missions to Earth-991 where Vikings settled North America, he went to Earth-1137 where sentient insects were the dominant species and was also there when Morph returned to the fold. Over time, Mystiq struck up a deep friendship with Valeria and comforted her when Gambit left the team to ascend to the throne of Atlantis following his father's death. Relaxing after a tumultuous period in their lives, Mystiq and the Exiles enjoyed each other's company as they prepared to continue their mission to keep the omniverse safe.

(Exiles III#6 (fb) - BTS) - Unbeknownst to the Exiles, the Panoptichron was actually a construct made by an alternate,female Kang the Conqueror in an attempt to fix mistakes. When this Kang realized the Exiles' approach was a failure, he froze Mystiq and his teammates in the palace's crystal walls. Only Morph was able to remain free, due to his merger with Proteus. However, when he failed to free his fellow Exiles he decided to recruit others.

(Exiles III#6) - Mystiq's inert form was briefly seen in the Crystal Palace wall while Morph and his new Exiles had a final showdown with the female Kang.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Clayton Henry, Norman Lee

A Mystique analog in name only, Raphael-Raven Darkholme was one of the few bright spots of New Exiles, a book plagued with repetitive storylines focusing on well known Claremont tropes like body possession and mind control. We were only offered a few hints and clues about Mystiq's origins and abilities, but he showed so much promise. Pity he's presumably still frozen in that Crystal Palace wall.

Mystiq was included in the Exiles entry in X-Men: Messiah Complex Mutant Files I#1.

This profile was completed 4/12/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20^th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Norvo

CLARIFICATIONS:
Mystiq should not be confused with has no known connections to

•  Any other "Mystiq(ue)" characters

images: (without ads)
Exiles II#99, p5, pan2 (visiting grave)
Exiles I#100, p12, pan3 (makes lunch)
New Exiles I#4, p19, pans2&3 (revealed as Black Dog)
New Exiles I#10, p11, pan4 (takes out Garotte)
New Exiles I#13, p3, pan1 (can breathe underwater)
New Exiles Annual I#1 p25, pan2 (fighting Gold Goblin)
New Exiles I#17, p18, pan2 (growing claws)
Exiles III#6 p25, pan1(in the crystal palace wall)

Appearances:
Exiles II#99 (November, 2007) - Chris Claremont (writer), Clayton Henry (pencils), Norman Lee (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
X-Men: Die By The Sword I#2 (December, 2007) - Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Santacruz (pencils), Raul Fernandez (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
X-Men: Die By The Sword I#3 (January, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Santacruz (pencils), Raul Fernandez (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
X-Men: Die By The Sword I#4 (February, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), CAFU (pencils),Norberto Fernandez (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Exiles II#100 (February, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#1 (March, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#2 (April, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#3 (May, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#4 (June, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#6 (July, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Roberto Castro (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#7 (August, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#8 (September, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#9 (October, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#10 (October, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#12 (December, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Paco Diaz Luqe (pencils), Norberto Fernandez (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#13 (December, 2008) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Vicente Cifuentes (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#14 (January, 2009) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tim Seeley (pencils & inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#15 (February, 2009) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tim Seeley (pencils & inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#16 (February, 2009) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tim Seeley (pencils & inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles Annual I#1 (February, 2009) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Vicente Cifuentes (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#17, March, 2009) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tim Seeley (pencils & inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
New Exiles I#18 (April, 2009) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tim Seeley (pencils & inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Exiles III#6 (November, 2009) - Jeff Parker (writer), Salva Espin (pencils & inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)

First Posted: 09/11/2021
Last Updated: 09/09/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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