BIOGRAPHY - Page 2
Mystique continued her vendetta against Danvers by going after her psychiatrist and boyfriend, Michael Barnett. Mystique savagely beat him to death while mimicking Danvers. Ms. Marvel swore to find the unknown killer and Iron Man helped her with a heatwave projector to recreate the events in Barnett’s office. Carol was shocked to see herself entering the room and committing the crime, until the appearance blurred, changing into that of Mystique. Cruelly, she had arranged that the last thing Michael saw was his true love killing him.
Ms. Marvel’s efforts to track down the killer led her to Hong Kong, where she found the Brotherhood waiting for her. Mystique ordered Pyro and Avalanche to kill her, citing Destiny’s prediction that Danvers would one day harm Rogue. They failed in their mission and Ms. Marvel learned who was behind the attacks on her and her boyfriend. [Ms. Marvel (1st series) #22, Marvel Super-Heroes (2nd series) #11]
Mystique temporarily stopped her feud with Ms. Marvel, as another plan needed her full attention. She recruited the Blob from prison, and, in her human guise, arranged some quarters for the 
Brotherhood members within the Pentagon. Senator Robert Kelly wanted to make an anti-mutant speech in front of the United States Senate. Mystique decided that this event was the perfect opportunity for the public debut of her Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (without Rogue) – by killing the senator and thus proving the superiority of mutants. The team made a dramatic entrance and speech about mutant rights, only to find opposition in the X-Men, who gained the upper hand and were able to prevent Kelly’s death.
During the battle, Mystique met up with Nightcrawler, who was astonished at the resemblance between them. She told him to ask his “mother” Margali Szardos about it, before disappearing. This proved that Mystique knew her son had not died when she threw him over the waterfall and suggested that she had been following his development for some time. At the very least she knew that he was raised by Margali. Following their defeat by the X-Men, the authorities arrested the rest of the Brotherhood and Mystique swore to free them. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #140-142]
A short time before the Brotherhood’s battle with the X-Men, Rogue overheard Destiny and Mystique arguing over Raven’s obsession with Carol Danvers. Rogue learned that Destiny had predicted that Danvers posed some dire threat to Rogue. Eager to prove herself, she went after Danvers herself resulting in her life-changing battle with Ms. Marvel during which she permanently absorbed the heroine’s psyche and powers. Mystique hatched an elaborate plan to free their comrades from prison utilizing Rogue’s new powers. She now had the strength to battle the rest of the Avengers and temporarily absorbed powers from several other members of Earth’s 
Mightiest Heroes to use for their attempt to liberate the Brotherhood. Together, Rogue and Mystique managed to free their teammates from jail. To cover their escape, Mystique assumed the form of SHIELD Director Nick Fury. Due to the unexpected interference of Spider-Woman, the prisoners were re-captured during an ensuing fight with the Avengers. Mystique and Rogue fled in order to remain free to try again. [Avengers Annual #10]
Sometime later, Carol Danvers went with Storm and Wolverine to the Pentagon and inadvertently ran in to Rogue and Mystique. While Rogue battled the X-Men, Mystique followed Danvers and shot her. Though weakened, Danvers fought back and dearly wanted to kill Mystique for all she had done. Instead, she subdued Raven and had her arrested. Mystique swore revenge and apparently escaped soon after. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #158]
Mystique’s next plan to free the imprisoned Brotherhood members came as they were being transferred to another jail. Mystique and Rogue infiltrated the prison and set their comrades free. However, due to the interference of the Spaceknight Rom, only Destiny escaped with them. The men of the Brotherhood were too overconfident and failed to listen to Mystique’s orders, which led 
to their recapture. As “the Sisterhood” got away, they encountered Rom’s enemy, the Dire Wraith creature called Hybrid. Mystique agreed to join forces with him, despite Destiny’s misgivings. They eventually realized that Hybrid intended to subjugate humanity and turned against him. When Rom re-appeared, they were forced to work together to stop the Spaceknight. Mystique and Rogue tricked and ambushed Rom, but as he battled Hybrid, Rogue developed feelings of sympathy for him and Destiny’s visions revealed that Hybrid planned to enslave all mutant women as breeders. Rogue and Mystique then assisted Rom in defeating Hybrid, though Mystique asserted that it was only to protect the lives of the endangered Sisterhood. [Rom #31-32]
Soon after, the “Sisterhood” attacked Angel for his role in helping to thwart the Brotherhood’s attack on Senator Kelly, as he was the only X-Man whose real identity was known to the public. Mystique used her Pentagon connections to gain technology for a sneak attack against Angel. When that failed, the three female mutants followed and confronted him and his girlfriend Alison 
Blaire, the Dazzler. He refused to tell them the whereabouts of the X-Men, so they attacked the pair, defeating the Angel and kidnapping him for later use. However, they did not know that Alison was also a mutant and were surprised when she fought back. Dazzler freed Warren and the two escaped. This enraged the Sisterhood, particularly the troubled Rogue, who admired Dazzler as a singer but envied her for her control over her mutant power and her relationship with the handsome Angel. Mystique decreed that Dazzler be left alone for the time being---and though Rogue acquiesced, she went after Dazzler anyway and battled her. Dazzler came out victorious and handed Rogue over to the authorities. It’s not known when or how Rogue escaped, though it’s likely that Mystique had a hand in this. [Dazzler #22-23, #28]
At some point, Mystique found herself targeted by Mastermind, who was on a quest to enact his revenge against everyone he held accountable for his past failures. In Mystique’s case, the story behind his hatred was never fully revealed, though it seems to have to do with a spoiled weapons deal between the Hellfire Club and the Brotherhood. Whatever the cause, Mystique found herself trapped in an illusion of a formal hunt in the 18th century with her as the chased animal. In time, she was caught and killed – which caused her to wake up from her nightmare. Mystique’s lover, Destiny, sensed her trouble and together they tried to figure out the meaning of the illusion.
Around this time, Destiny apparently tried to persuade Mystique that only Charles Xavier could help Rogue with her powers and the torment of Carol Danvers’ persona inside her mind. Mystique disagreed. The two women were soon dismayed to learn that Rogue had run away and gone to Xavier for help on her own. She ultimately joined the X-Men. [X-Treme X-Men #1, Uncanny X-Men #170-171]
When Mystique trained in Arcade’s Murderworld, she successfully defeated and ‘killed’ most of the X-Men robots - including Rogue. However, she discovered that she couldn’t kill the Nightcrawler robot, to both her detriment and annoyance. Destiny warned her that her plans against the X-Men were a mistake, especially since she could not bring herself to kill Nightcrawler, but Mystique silenced her and declared that she wanted to get Rogue back. She believed that Charles Xavier was controlling her daughter’s mind and refused to believe that Rogue would abandon her. She then sent Pyro, Avalanche, and Blob - who had escaped jail by unknown means- to draw the X-Men away from the mansion so she could infiltrate it. Mystique failed to kill Xavier with her first shot and Rogue stopped her before she could finish the job, 
insisting that she came there of her own volition. Mystique was doubtful and hurt, but Rogue ultimately convinced her that Xavier was likely the only person who could help with her powers and give her a chance at a normal life. Rogue feared that the absorbed personality of Carol Danvers would otherwise drive her insane. Though Mystique wondered which side Rogue would choose if there was a fight between the Brotherhood and the X-Men, she grudgingly relented and left her adoptive daughter with Xavier. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #177-178]
Not long after, Mystique (in her human guise of DARPA’s Raven Darkholme) traveled with government official Valerie Cooper to meet the U.S. government’s new inventor, Forge. He gave them the prototype of his new weapon against the Dire Wraiths, a power Neutralizer based on Rom the Spaceknight’s. He warned them that it was untested and did not want it to be used until it was ready. Raven soon learned that Cooper and Henry Peter Gyrich planned to use this neutralizer on the “mutant terrorist” Rogue. Raven objected, echoing Forge’s warning that it was untested, but they did not heed her protests. She quickly discussed the matter with Destiny and suggested that it might not be so bad for Rogue to lose her powers, as she could then have the normal life she desired. Destiny reminded Mystique it should still be their daughter’s choice. As 
Raven, Mystique informed Forge of Gyrich’s plan to use his invention. Mystique then met with Storm to discuss the government’s plans and provided her with some information about the missing Rogue’s whereabouts. Though Mystique claimed she was doing it for Rogue, Destiny had predicted that whoever went to Rogue’s assistance would suffer the fate meant for her and Mystique deliberately set Storm up in this role. The X-Men’s leader went to talk to Rogue and, when the government arrived to shoot the girl with the Neutralizer, it hit Storm instead and removed her powers. Rogue was unharmed. Mystique later attempted once more to get Rogue to come home with her, but her daughter once more refused. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #183-185, Marvel Fanfare (1st series) #40]