One of the greatest Mutant femme fatales to ever grace Marvel Comics, Mystique has been portrayed by two famous actors in X-Men movies. Who did Mystique better though – Jennifer Lawrence or Rebecca Romijn?
Rebecca Romijn: Had An Air Of Mystery Around The Character
It is right there in the title. Mystique is a sultry and enigmatic seductress that does as she pleases. As far as femme fatales go, no one comes close to the way Marvel‘s Mystique has owned that title. Mystique regularly infiltrates the highest echelons of security and comes out unscathed. And the best part – she looks good while doing it. No one knows who is she disguised as and no one ever will. the original X-Men movies managed to get that right with Rebecca Romijn. The new age X-Men movies after first class could not give Mystique her signature mysterious aura.
Jennifer Lawrence: A Better, More Complex Character Development
Fans of the X-men comics would know that Mystique is much more than a spy. She is a mother, a daughter, a friend or foe (depending on the situation), and even a guardian angel at times. In the X-Men prequel film trilogy, Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique was shown since she was a kid and befriended Charles Xavier. Together they have been through thic and thin. She evolved from being just Xavier’s lackey and right hand woman to a leader who the other mutant heroes respected.
Rebecca Romijn: More Interesting As A Villain
With such a complex character arc that was with Jennifer Lawrence’s X-men character, it was easy for fans to get confused. In the comics, Mystique is more or less a very calculating and cunning supervillain. In the X-Men prequel movies, Mystique is one of the good guys. While it makes sense from a movie continuity perspective, from a comic book point of view – it doesn’t. It goes against everything Marvel has done with Mystique. This is where Romijn‘s mystique shines. her cunning in the heat of battle and her ability to snap peoples’ necks at a moments notice gives her an edge Lawrence’s character sore lacks.
Jennifer Lawrence: Her Mystique Emotes Better
Both the actors had enough body paint that could do the job for at least a dozen cosplayers at Comic-Con. But Jennifer Lawrence managed to do what Romijn couldn’t. Despite wearing so much latex and body paint, she did manage to wow us all with her facial expressions. The writers also gave her a very well-written character arc and that obviously helped. But Lawrence being an award winning actor proved why she’s worth the role. Every emotion ranging from anger to fear, sadness and confusion was expressed near perfectly.
Rebecca Romijn: Expressed Mystique Better With Her Body
We all know that Mystique uses her powers of seduction to get what she wants. It is a well-known ability of Mystique’s in comic book fan circles. the woman has the ability to transform herself into any person her target has a thing for. Rebecca Romijn obviously does not have the same acting chops as Lawrence. But she id a commendable job doing what film enthusiasts call “acting from the waist down”. And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. Lawrence’s Mystique never managed to nail that aspect of the character.
Jennifer Lawrence: Gave The Character Bragging Rights
And by that, we mean the character had some semblance of a voice that the readers listened to in the movie. Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique was written in such a manner that she was crucial to the plot. So the character actually had significance in the overall scheme of things in the X-Men prequel movies starting from First Class. Rebecca Romijn’s character could not boast of this feat.
