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In 2001 an estimated 5.7 Million comics were sold, Image was the 3rd highest selling behind Marvel and DC, selling over 396 Thousand copies. The top 5 titles for the year were DC’s Dark Knight Strikes Again, followed by Marvel’s Wolverine: The Origin, New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men & Ultimate X-Men. The top 5 selling comics were Dark Knight Strikes Again #1, Wolverine: The Origin #5, New X-Men #121, Uncanny X-Men #401 & Ultimate X-Men #13. For Image themselves, the top 5 sellers for the year were Spawn #117, Rising Stars #17, Tomb Raider Journeys #1, Midnight Nation #9 & Powers #17. No G.I. Joe titles made the list.

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Who is Raven Darkhölme? Who are you, really? Is it the face you show the world? Is it the collection of your past actions, your sins, your triumphs? Or is it something deeper—the one, constant, immovable thing you would burn the world down to protect? For most, identity is a search. For Raven Darkhölme, it’s a weapon. Here at Marvel Echoes, we believe origin stories are never just a beginning. They are an engine, a pivotal moment that sends ripples and echoes through a character's entire life. For some, it's a spider-bite. For others, it's a promise in a dark alley. But for Mystique, the origin spark isn’t her power; it’s her purpose. Her ability to be anyone, to change her very cells, is the ultimate paradox. Because for over a century, Raven Darkhölme has been defined not by her infinite change, but by one singular, unchanging, and all-consuming loyalty. Marvel Echoes Resonance: Episode 35 Origin Spark: A Prophecy and a Promise When Mystique first slithered into the Marvel Universe, she was a puzzle. She made her debut as a shadowy cameo in Ms. Marvel #16 (1978), with her full, true appearance revealed in Ms. Marvel #18. Crafted by the legendary duo of writer Chris Claremont and artist David Cockrum, she was introduced as a new, high-level threat—a master spy and terrorist plotting the demise of Carol Danvers. But this was never a simple "villain of the week" plot. We were just walking into a story already in progress. As continuity would later reveal, Mystique's attack on Carol Danvers was not for power, territory, or chaos. It was an act of desperate, misguided protection. Her lover and companion, the precognitive mutant Irene Adler (Destiny), had foreseen that Ms. Marvel would one day bring grave harm to their adopted daughter, Rogue. Mystique's very first action in Marvel lore—the one that would brand her a villain for decades—was an attempt to save her child, dictated by the woman she loved. To find her true origin spark, we must look back, way back. Raven Darkhölme is ancient. Born in the 19th or early 20th century, her mutant powers manifested at age twelve, granting her slowed aging and the ability to perfectly mimic any person. But her life didn't find its meaning until she met Irene Adler. Operating as a male detective around the turn of the century, Raven met Irene, a blind mutant haunted by terrifying, cryptic visions of the future. They became inseparable partners and, as history would finally, textually confirm, lovers. This is the event that truly forged Mystique. Irene's visions, which she recorded in a series of diaries, gave them a map. Raven's powers gave them the means to act. Mystique dedicated her entire life to helping Destiny prevent the apocalyptic predictions of her diaries. Her shapeshifting—a power of infinite change—became anchored to an immutable purpose: serving the visions of a woman who saw a future that could not be changed. This single devotion is the engine of her entire history, and its echoes are devastating. Resonant Arc: The Sins and Sorrows of Motherhood Nowhere does the ripple of Mystique's devotion to Destiny echo more tragically than through her relationships with her three children. Each child is a reflection of her core motivation, and each relationship is a tragedy, warped by the gravity of Irene’s prophecies. Rogue and the Poisoned Kiss For a time, Raven and Irene found genuine happiness. They adopted a young, runaway Anna Marie, the mutant who would become Rogue. They were a family. But that familial peace was shattered by the very prophecy that introduced Mystique to our world. The resonant arc ignites in Avengers Annual #10 (1981). Acting on Destiny's warning that Carol Danvers would harm Rogue, Mystique sends her adopted daughter to eliminate the threat. The plan goes horribly wrong. Rogue permanently absorbs Carol's powers and psyche, a violent act that leaves her mind shattered and haunted by a second personality. This is the tragic loop. Mystique's attempt to prevent Destiny's vision is the very act that fulfills it. The trauma proves too much for Rogue. Desperate for help, she flees her mothers and seeks out the one man who might be able to heal her: Professor Charles Xavier. Mystique, in turn, sees this not as a defection, but a kidnapping. Her hatred for Xavier and the X-Men is now cemented. The echo of her devotion to Destiny's vision cost her the very daughter she was trying to protect. The Warning of Graydon Creed If Rogue was the price of her fear, Graydon Creed was the echo of her fanaticism. First appearing in The Uncanny X-Men #299 (1993), Graydon is Mystique's son with Victor Creed, the mutant monster Sabretooth. Their child, however, was born a baseline human. To Mystique, whose entire life was dedicated to the mutant-centric mission she shared with Irene, a human son was an inconvenience, a failure. She was disappointed and abandoned him. That single act of rejection is Graydon Creed's origin spark. It fueled his resentment, twisting him into one of the mutant race's most dangerous human enemies: the founder of the anti-mutant terrorist group, the Friends of Humanity. In a horrifying twist of irony, Mystique, a woman whose life was devoted to protecting mutants, personally created one of their most vicious persecutors. The loop closes, as it always does, with Destiny. Years later, a time-traveling Mystique assassinates Graydon while he's running for president on an anti-mutant platform. But the reason is the most chilling part. She doesn't kill him for his bigotry. She kills him because he was responsible for an attack on Trevor Chase, Destiny's grandson. Once again, her ultimate loyalty was not to her own blood. It was to the legacy of Irene Adler. Nightcrawler's Fall and Redemption This brings us to Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), the emotional core of Mystique's tragedy. For decades, his origin was one of Marvel's most convoluted messes. Writer Chris Claremont always intended for Mystique and Destiny to be Kurt's biological parents, with Mystique shapeshifting into a male form for the conception. This was shot down by the Comics Code Authority, which prohibited openly gay or bisexual characters. This led to a series of retcons, from an unnamed German Baron to the infamous "Draco" storyline, which made his father the demon-mutant Azazel. For years, Mystique's "greatest sin" was abandoning Kurt, with stories claiming she callously threw her demonic-looking baby over a waterfall to save herself. Then, X-Men Blue: Origins #1 (2023) changed everything. It wasn't a retcon; it was a restoration. The new, and now-canon, truth is this: Destiny, longing for "a child conceived in love" with Raven, was his biological mother. Mystique, in an act that suggests she may be an Omega-level mutant, used her powers to fundamentally alter her own genetics, becoming Kurt's biological father and impregnating Destiny. Kurt was not conceived in sin or infidelity. He was conceived in love. And the abandonment? It was a sacrifice. Attacked by furious villagers, Destiny's visions showed that giving Kurt up was a terrible necessity. The trauma of this sacrifice was so profound, so unbearable, that both women consensually asked Professor X to alter their memories. Destiny chose to forget completely. But Mystique "refused to forget that he was her son," forcing Xavier to leave a fractured, broken narrative in her mind—the "false memories" of a cruel mother who abandoned her child. Her perceived cruelty was a psychic scar, papering over an act of love so painful she had to break her own mind to survive it. Legacy and Echoes: Burn It All Down Mystique's legacy is twofold. In our world, she is a trailblazing icon of queer representation. In her world, she is an agent of vengeance, fulfilling one final, burning prophecy. The Shape of Identity Mystique's real-world echo is profound. Her romance with Destiny, written from their first appearances in 1981, was suppressed for decades by the Comics Code and editorial mandate. This forced their love into "code." They were "inseparable". They lived together as Rogue's "foster parents". Writers used archaic terms like "leman" (a forgotten word for "lover") to slip their bond past the censors. The most powerful and heartbreaking example came in Marvel Fanfare #40 (1988). In this story, Mystique shapeshifts into a man (Eric Raven) simply so she and Irene can dance together in public without drawing attack. It is a literal, soul-crushing metaphor for "passing"—having to wear a socially acceptable mask to express a forbidden love. That subtext finally became text. A long-overdue on-panel kiss in History of the Marvel Universe #2 (2019) made their love explicit. Their relationship became a central, celebrated plot point, culminating in their marriage in the X-Men: The Wedding Special (2024). Mystique's journey from coded subtext to canonical text is a powerful echo of the real world's long, slow bend toward inclusion. The Krakoan Fulcrum But Mystique's greatest in-universe echo was her last. The Krakoan Age began with a promise: resurrection for all mutants. But it was built on a lie. Moira MacTaggert, Professor X, and Magneto held a secret: no precognitive mutants could be resurrected. This was to protect Moira's secret timeline, but it meant one thing to Raven: Destiny must stay dead. Mystique was given a seat on the new Quiet Council. But she was only there for one reason: to bring back her wife. Destiny, as always, saw it coming. The pivotal X-Men (2019) #6 revealed Destiny's final prophecy and command to her wife: they will lie to you, they will use you, and "...if they will not... then burn that place to the ground." This is exactly what happened. Xavier and Magneto "coldly refused" to resurrect Destiny, even as they dangled the promise in front of Mystique to force her on suicide missions against Nimrod. This is the moment that "fixed" her character. Her decades of "treachery" were re-contextualized. Her motivation was now singular, profound, and justified. She was no longer a simple traitor; she was an agent of vengeance who had been betrayed by the very leaders of the mutant nation. Her devotion and rage culminated in the Inferno (2021) event. She single-handedly forced Destiny's resurrection, exposed the foundational lies of Krakoa, and shattered the Quiet Council. The entire mutant paradise was torn down by the echo of a promise made over a century ago. Mystique is the woman of a thousand faces, but she is, and has always been, a woman of one heart. And for that heart, she will watch the world burn. Mystique Reading Guide: Essential Issues Ready to trace the echoes for yourself? Here’s where to start. Essential Reading List * Ms. Marvel #16-18 (1978) – The shadowy debut of a master manipulator, already at war for her family. * Uncanny X-Men #141-142 (1981) – "Days of Future Past." Mystique's Brotherhood attempts to assassinate Senator Kelly, sparking a dark, resonant future. * Uncanny X-Men #255 (1989) – The tragic death of Destiny, an event that shatters Mystique and defines her motivations for decades. * X-Men Unlimited #4 (1994) – The first major reveal, where Mystique is forced to confront Nightcrawler about his birth. * Inferno #1-4 (2021) – Mystique's devotion and rage culminate as she burns Krakoa's foundations to make good on her promise and resurrect Destiny. * X-Men Blue: Origins #1 (2023) – The landmark story that finally, and beautifully, canonizes Mystique and Destiny as the biological parents of Nightcrawler, recontextualizing her entire history.