Superiority. Intelligence. Deception. Action. Adaptation. Anger. These are some of the key facets that define Mystique, a woman as enigmatic as her name suggests. Over her long life she has seen more than most of the world and how it works. She can be whoever she wants, whenever she wants, however she wants, and has spent most of her life pretending to be something that she isn’t. As a result she has pared down what she is to essentials, a solid sense of self hidden beneath the many masks she wears, and which she lets few people see.

Mystique believes herself to be superior, to all humans in general and to many of her fellow mutants as well. She believes herself to be smarter and more capable than almost anyone else, with perhaps the exception of Magneto. She takes some pride in training others up to her standards, but she never truly believes that anyone else is going to meet them completely. There is always some failing - a failure to succeed, a failure to understand, a failure to think, a failure to act. It is her long experience and meticulous attention to detail that lifts her above her fellow mutants and far above humanity.

In her mind humanity is a species that is doomed by its own faults; a species that kills millions of itself and repeats its own mistakes isn’t fit to rule the planet. Humanity are like sheep, weak willed and with weak bodies, they do not deserve the position they have and are a danger to all mutants that needs to be neutralised. She doesn’t hate humans individually, but collectively, and sometimes she can find individuals suited to her purposes, but she’s unlikely to ever befriend someone fully human unless it suits a goal of hers.

Her intelligence is what has kept Mystique alive for so long. It isn’t enough to just look like someone, to actually fool others you have to act like a person and that requires an immense amount of work, observation and an almost encyclopaedic attention to detail. Over her long life she has trained herself in a wide variety of disciplines. She has trained in combat. She has trained to fly, drive, and guide just about any type of vehicle, to analyze and act in a situation, to speak several different languages, and to observe and report. She has a sharp mind and a knack for diligence and hard work that allows her to pick up new skills very quickly. She also has a vast range of experience to draw from. She's seen many cultures, many people, many attitudes, and while she may not understand them all, she can typically call upon them when needed.

This is part of why she's such a successful doppelganger. She's seen bias. She's seen hate, love, lust, anger, power, charity, friendship, greed, control, loyalty, manipulation, betrayal. She's seen it in her own life, and in the lives of those she's watched and imitated. She's observant and careful, and she knows how to act the part. When she slips into a role, she flips a switch: she is the role, or she is Mystique, with very little in between. It's a coping mechanism, a part of keeping her sense of self firm and separate in a world where she is rarely herself on the outside. A method actor you could say. She immerses herself in her work and leaves only a tiny part of her brain to note and record, and then when needed, flips back effortlessly. It keeps herself from getting lost.

Deception is as much a part of Mystique as anything. A mother, a father, a sister, a banker, a politician, a plumber…you name it Mystique has lived that life, sometimes only for a few minutes, sometimes for months on end and often without detection.

She has therefore spent most of her life being other people, therefore living a lie. Lying comes entirely naturally to her and she is able to craft stories and manipulate situations to meet her need. On meeting another she will learn as much about them as possible, mannerisms, body language, etc, seeking to learn their weaknesses and exploit them. She has grown so skilled at dissembling that she is rarely caught and can usually tell when she herself is being lied to.

Mystique is action-oriented. She's not one to make much conversation. She won't sit around and talk to you about your love life, or hers, although she may occasionally listen (gathering intelligence). She prefers to speak with actions. She prefers to wait until something needs to be done, and then do it, always thinking and planning ahead. She hates dithering about, hates indecisiveness, and hates stupidity. If you can't get the job done, if you're not capable, then you have no place in sensitive positions until you can become so. She's willing to teach - enjoys, actually, seeing a student improve to useable standards. But she has no use for those who aren't dedicated to improvement, or who have a falsely positive image of themselves and their skills. She's unlikely to say so, but as in all things, her actions speak louder than her words.

Mystique is also a very physical person. She wields her body as her weapon, both physically and psychologically. She has no compunction about mimicking someone else in order to get what she wants or needs. She has no problem with using seduction or violence to make her point. In general, she will see a route to what she wants, consider the options, and if it makes the most amount of sense, use it. She very much believes that the end justifies the means. And she has little patience for those who argue otherwise. Mystique is extraordinarily adaptable. She has kept herself alive for well over a century by adapting to changing society and customs, all the while positioning herself to survive. In recent years she has taken to shaping events rather than reacting to them, a more proactive approach which suits her temperament better (and her agenda.)

Lastly Anger. Mystique has never forgiven her human parents for attempting to kill her (something she repaid in kind). Not being able to walk down a street in her natural form makes her angry, and she channels that anger into her work. She isn’t one for emotional outbursts or for letting it rule her, instead her anger burns coldly, driving her overall motives and not her individual actions.