Little is known about Mystique's past due to the fact that she can eliminate the outward signs of aging with her shape-changing power, and it's not known exactly how old she is. She apparently learned to use her shape-changing power at a very early age, for there is no evidence known to the public or the government that Raven Darkholme ever looked like anything but a normal human being. Years ago Mystique had an affair with Victor Creed and they had a son, Graydon Creed, the recently-assassinated presidential candidate and hater of mutants. Mystique has also claimed to be the mother of Nightcrawler. At some point in recent years Mystique became the protector of the young mutant named Rogue, and looked upon Rogue as if she where her own daughter. While Rogue was under her care, she maintained the false identity of Mallory Brickman, the wife of US Senator Ralph Brickman and her adopted daughter, Gloria, was a result. Mystique had concealed her superhuman powers and criminal intentions so well over the years that, as Raven Darkholme, she was able to rise rapidly through the United States Civil Service to the trusted position of Deputy Director of the Defense Advanced Research Planning Agency (DARPA) in the United States Department of Defense, giving her access to military secrets and advanced weaponry, both of which she used for her own criminal and subversive purposes. Mystique organized the third incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, which originally consisted of ...