It's Been Years, But I'm Still Angry X-Men Flubbed Its Best Villain Reveal of All Time

X-Men has had no shortage of chances to introduce interesting villains throughout its extensive Marvel Comics history, but the series has only had a few chances to reintroduce villains in interesting ways. X-Men has only seen a few total reboots in Marvel Comics, with one of them being 2001’s Ultimate X-Men, where it had the chance to get as creative as possible with how it reintroduced characters fans were already familiar with - and it totally flubbed one of those chances.

In Ultimate X-Men #32 by Mark Millar and Adam Kubert, it’s revealed that Charles Xavier’s tabby cat, a cat that he’s had since the very first issue of this revamped X-Men series, is actually named Mystique. At the time, it was unclear how the cat got that name. Did Charles Xavier name the cat Mystique himself? Or did Charles adopt a cat named Mystique and decide to keep the name? Well, when this issue first came out, many fans believed the most likely explanation regarding the cat’s name was the latter option, especially since Mystique the mutant hadn’t been introduced yet.

Skip ahead to Ultimate X-Men Annual #2 by Robert Kirkman and Salvador Larroca, and it’s revealed exactly how Mystique the cat got her name. When this issue came out, Mystique the mutant had been introduced (in Ultimate X-Men #62), and it was revealed that Charles Xavier had a relationship with Raven Darkhölme - and it ended badly. So, one day, when Xavier and Emma Frost walked into his office at the X-Mansion, they found a random tabby cat in there that had destroyed most of the decor, and they thought it was fitting to name the cat Mystique.

Mystique the Cat Should Have Been Mystique the Villain in Disguise

Ultimate X-Men Set Up an Awesome Villain Reveal, & Totally Flubbed It

When Professor X uttered the name ‘Mystique’ when referring to a cat that fans have seen hanging around the X-Mansion for the last thirty issues, I along with a ton of fans absolutely lost it. Was this cat really Mystique in disguise, spying on the X-Men without them having any idea?! That was what was going through my head after reading Ultimate X-Men #32 - and it was perfect. Ultimate Mystique hadn’t been introduced yet, and it was definitely possible that Xavier simply adopted a cat named Mystique and just kept the name.

Mystique could have transformed herself into a cat, set up a scenario where one of her villainous mutant allies gave her up for adoption to Xavier, and kept her real name because: a) it wouldn’t have meant anything to Xavier at the time, and b) it would have given Ultimate Mystique a sadistic edge, as if she enjoyed the X-Men using her real name while they didn’t know she was spying on them. Plus, there would have been an element of fan participation with this particular twist.

The name ‘Mystique’ may not have meant anything to Xavier, but it certainly meant a great deal to fans like me, who immediately thought that this cat was the real Mystique in disguise, and were anxiously awaiting the big reveal. I felt like I knew something Xavier didn’t, and wanted to scream through the comic panels at the X-Men leader to get rid of that impostor cat. This whole thing could have been a slow-burn mystery for the X-Men, all while the fans knew who the proverbial ‘killer’ was all along, making the ultimate reveal that much more exciting.

Ultimate X-Men Traded Mystery for Lore with Mystique

Mystique’s Backstory in Ultimate X-Men was Very Different from Her Earth-616 Counterpart

While I’m disappointed that Mystique the cat ended up being a dud setup, I can at least find some solace in the fact that the name was still explained in a passably satisfying way, as it added a great deal of new lore to Mystique’s personal story in X-Men canon. The only reason Xavier named the cat Mystique is that he and Raven used to date, and their relationship ended on perhaps the worst terms one could imagine. Indeed, Mystique’s entire motivation for working with Magneto as a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants was to get back at Xavier.

Mystique made it her life’s mission to ruin Xavier’s, just like how Charles’ tabby cat wrecked his entire office the day he met her. These new additions to Mystique’s lore reveal not only that she used to be in a relationship with Professor X, but they also explain why she’s a villain in Ultimate X-Men continuity - and it’s all tied to the name of Professor X’s cat.

So, yeah, that’s cool I guess. Still, though, I really would have rather seen Professor X’s cat actually be the real Mystique in disguise, spying on the X-Men until it was time to strike - a strike that the X-Men would never see coming, while also being one that fans had been expecting all along. But, X-Men flubbed it.

X-Men

Movie(s)

X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

First Film

X-Men (2000)

TV Show(s)

X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)

Video Game(s)

X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)

Character(s)

Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23

Comic Release Date

213035,212968

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