Marketing for Avengers: Doomsday is in full swing, and a wave of merchandise has revealed the full look at the costume of a returning mutant in the MCU: Rebecca Romijn's Mystique. One of Doomsday's main selling points is the crossover between the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the returning X-Men, played by Fox's X-Men actors, as their three distinct universes are bound on a collision course that would push the Multiverse to the brink. Avengers: Doomsday's X-Men lineup is notably thin, which only includes the likes of James Marsden's Cyclops, Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen's Magneto, Channing Tatum's Gambit, Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler, Kelsey Grammer's Beast, and a surprise inclusion: Rebecca Romijn's Mystique.
The official trailer for Avengers: Doomsday revealed the first look at Mystique, showcasing her initial encounter with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova. However, the footage, which was scrutinized by fans primarily because of Romijn's not-so-realistic red wig, provided only a brief glimpse of the upper torso of Mystique's new MCU costume. A brand-new wave of Avengers: Doomsday promotional merchandise now showed that look more clearly. Avengers: Doomsday is set for release on December 18.
Iron Studios and MiniCo (via Entertainment Earth) revealed Mystique's MCU redesign, unleashing her comic-accurate white uniform with long sleeves, a high collar, white pants, blue accents, and a small skull-style tiara.
The figure provided a detailed look at Rebecca Romijn's return to the role, in which she completely abandoned the bare blue body paint she had worn in Fox's X-Men films. This could serve as a reminder that this version of Mystique is entirely different from the previous iteration she portrayed, giving her a new backstory since she is now aligned with the X-Men rather than a villain.
The skull headpiece and white regalia echoed the classic John Byrne and Dave Cockrum design from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Meanwhile, the covered neck and torso positioned a more uniform take on Mystique's newfound alliance with the X-Men.
The official cover art for Mystique's MiniCo figure can be seen below:
Official Avengers: Doomsday promotional art also showed another look at the major characters featured in the MCU crossover, including Rebecca Romijn's Mystique.
Mystique's costume is prominently featured in the promotional art, revealing her shorter red hair and redesigned white uniform, which clearly marked the shift from her bare blue Fox-era look. The promo art positioned her alongside Mister Fantastic, Nightcrawler, and the wider lineup headlined by Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
The fact that Mystique is part of the X-Men offers plenty of unique storytelling opportunities in Avengers: Doomsday, and her comic-accurate costume can give her the chance to shine in one of the sequences featured in the crossover.
Upon closer inspection, Mystique has an X buckle (which appears to be the MCU's X-Men logo for this crossover). The X buckle replaced the skull belt of her classic comics counterpart, further solidifying her alliance with the X-Men.
Aside from the skull belt buckle, Mystique's hair is shorter in Doomsday, while the classic comics design gives her longer red hair past the shoulders. Mystique's comic book design also shows more of her skin, while Doomsday's MCU redesign takes a more conventional approach.
X-Men: The Last Stand's version of Mystique is defined by her bare blue skin and scales, and she has no uniform, maximizing her shapeshifting skills. In the original Fox X-Men movies, Mystique served as Magneto's enforcer, but she was depowered after taking a cure meant for him.
Jennifer Lawrence's version of Mystique in the X-Men prequels also embraced the character's bare blue skin aesthetic, while Doomsday's abandonment of that design suggests a new era for the X-Men hero in the fight against Doctor Doom.
While Mystique is shown fighting against Yelena Belova in the trailer, that beef is set to be temporary because the heroes will eventually work together to save the Multiverse from Doctor Doom's evil plans.
How Mystique Fits In Avengers: Doomsday's Complex Multiverse Plot
Avengers: Doomsday's promotional wave made it clear that Rebecca Romijn's new version of Mystique is a hero, aligning herself with a battle-torn X-Men who appeared to have faced multiple incursions. While she is a villain and a complex character in previous movies, seeing a heroic Mystique offers a correction of the character's unfinished exit from her past arc.
Marketing has not shown she stayed loyal to the X-Men throughout the film, and it's quite intriguing that she hasn't been prominently featured in the trailer footage. It's possible that there is something sinister tied to Mystique's role in Doomsday, where Doom could use her as a Trojan horse to divide the teams further.
As a mutant who can become anyone, Mystique is a natural fault line in a story about three universes that do not trust one another. A character built on impersonation does not need a long setup if the turn is the point.
Although it's uncertain that Doctor Doom can manipulate or mind-trick heroes into doing his bidding, Mystique could end up being forced to work for him, potentially as a way to further threaten the strong bond or alliance that has already been established between them.
Whatever the case, there is still a chance that Mystique could still stay on the heroes' side, potentially dying by sacrificing herself to save the others, which could prove her turn to the side of good.
