X-Men ’97 Season 2’s post-credits scene is the perfect setup. It teases a coming war between mutants and the US government, after Graydon Creed – the son of Mystique and Sabertooth – becomes president of the United States. Exodus already tried to put Graydon on trial for his crimes against mutantkind, but Nightcrawler objected, insisting on the possibility of redemption. Tragically, it seems his half-brother is a bitter part of Kurt Wagner’s legacy.
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But Nightcrawler’s mother, Mystique, has infiltrated X-Factor. The post-credits scene shows Mystique looking at her own security dossier, before she’s interrupted by Valerie Cooper – who she impersonates and then kills. It’s clear setup for X-Men ’97 Season 3, which will presumably adapt an unforgettable arc in which Mystique assassinated her own son. But, easy to miss in all the setup, Mystique’s dossier drops some delightful X-Men Easter eggs.
Mystique’s Security File Reveals So Many of Her Secrets
The security dossier is absolutely packed with Easter eggs. For one thing, it essentially confirms who’s served in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in this X-Men timeline – and that includes Scarlet Witch. X-Men ’97 Season 1 confirmed all the ’90s Marvel animated shows exist in the same timeline, which means the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and more are part of it. Scarlet Witch was seen in the Iron Man series, part of Tony Stark’s “Force Works” team, and it seems her origin story – as a member of the Brotherhood – mirrors that of the comics.
There’s a list of Mystique’s relatives, too, and they include one noteworthy surprise: Anna-Marie Darkholme. Since the ’90s, X-Men comics have revealed Rogue’s real name is “Anna-Marie,” so that’s a clear nod to Mystique’s relationship with Rogue. Most interesting, though, is the fact the US government believe “Darkholme” to be Rogue’s surname. That suggests Mystique formally adopted Rogue, adding so much depth to the family history (and subtly reinforcing Nightcrawler’s sacrifice, given he is literally Rogue’s sibling).
In one final touch, the dossier gives three aliases for Mystique: Randall C, Rebecca R, and Jennifer L. Two of these will be obvious to most viewers; Rebecca Romijn and Jennifer Lawrence both played Mystique in Fox’s X-Men movies. Randall Carpenter was the original voice actor for Mystique in X-Men: The Animated Series, making this another wonderful nod as well. Season 1 did the same with Magneto’s security file, so this is clearly becoming a favorite trick for the X-Men ’97 team.
X-Men ’97 Season 3 is presumably all (or mostly) about Mystique’s assassination attempt on Graydon Creed. At SDCC, Marvel showed footage of the classic Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in battle against Sentinels painted in the stars and stripes, but Mystique was notably absent. Now we know why; she has a plan in the works, the Brotherhood presumably serving as a cover for it as she prepares to kill her son.
