“It’s Like You’re Rewiring My Mind”: Sorry Mystique – Marvel Just Introduced Its Most Powerful Shapeshifter Yet

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Wolverine #41Like many of the most famous X-Men characters, Mystique is supposedly the best there is at what she does. As one of comics’ preeminent shapeshifters, she’s arguably the gold standard for biological camouflage with even Omega-level potential. But it turns out, there’s one shocking mutant who has her beat – and it’s probably the last person she or anyone else would expect.

Wolverine #41 by Benjamin Percy, Victor LaValle, Geoff Shaw, Cory Smith, Oren Junior, and more launches Victor Creed’s new war on Logan as Sabretooth employs an army of his multiversal variants against his old foe. Demonstrating his superiority to his cannibalistic cohort, Creed seemingly makes short work of an ambushing Wolverine – only for the so-called Best There Is to reveal himself as Camo, a shapeshifting Sabretooth from Earth-33441.

Designated as “The Killer You Won’t See Coming,” Camo boasts impressive skills, as Creed Prime himself notes that he is able to replicate Logan down to the scent. Sabretooth guesses that the transformation is so foolproof that Camo’s thoughts even sound like his chosen guise, and that he essentially rewires the mind of his target to believe the disguise in the process.

Mystique’s Powers Get A Psychic Upgrade

Only recently, the incredible power levels and potential for Mystique to become an Omega-level mutant were solidified, but it seems the mechanics of Camo’s own stealth abilities blow her talents out of the water. While Raven’s shapeshifting is nearly undetectable down to the genetic level, this version of Sabretooth clearly has a psychic component to his abilities that Mystique does not. Unfortunately, in this instance, Camo chooses to impersonate Wolverine – someone that Sabretooth arguably knows better than anybody and the man he’s dedicated his life to ruining – so there’s likely no level of psychic interference that can keep Creed away from the one true Wolverine.

Clearly, Camo’s shapeshifting isn’t totally perfect if Sabretooth can spot him, but it’s still an impressive feat nonetheless that Creed is able to recognize Wolverine’s scent on his variant. Even so, Mystique’s own shapeshifting abilities have been enough to fool Sabretooth before. During her time posing as a German spy named Leni Zauber, she even managed to seduce the feral mutant menace, with the fruit of their union, Grayson Creed, going on to become one of the X-Men’s most insidious foes. If Raven’s morphing is that impressive, even without the psychic component, then she’s still in the running for Marvel’s greatest camo expert.

Marvel’s Best New Shapeshifter Almost Gets Past Sabretooths’ Senses

As stealthy and cunning as his Earth-616 counterpart is vicious, the Sabretooth variant known as Camo could be the most foolproof shapeshifter Marvel has ever introduced. After all, if not for Creed’s obsessive and almost spiritual connection to his most hated foe, Wolverine, it’s possible Camo could have fooled even Sabretooth Prime. In a normal situation, the odds are Camo would be totally undetectable to most of his other targets. And if that’s really the case, then, unfortunately for Mystique, she may have to up her game if she truly wants to be the best there is among the X-Men’s shapeshifters.