Jinkx Monsoon shares moving reason why she wants to play this fan-favourite Marvel character
Jinkx Monsoon is manifesting playing X-Men villain Mystique. (Getty/Marvel)
Jinkx Monsoon is manifesting playing X-Men villain Mystique. (Getty/Marvel)
Two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner and Broadway superstar Jinkx Monsoon has shared the moving reason why she wants to play Mystique in a new X-Men project.
Speaking on Vulture’s Good One podcast, Jinkx Monsoon revealed that she wants to play the flame-haired blue babe because of how much the character resonates with transgender people.
Last year, Jinkx, who is currently starring in Cole Escola’s Tony Award-winning Broadway smash Oh, Mary!, revealed that she identifies as trans-femme, had undergone facial feminisation surgery, and uses she/her pronouns.
The actress asked Good One host Jesse David Fox whether she could “manifest something” before declaring her hope to one day play Mystique.
“Marvel has now regained the rights to X-Men. I think it would be a really cool idea to have a trans woman be Mystique,” she shared.
Marvel regained ownership of the X-Men franchise back in 2019, after Disney, which owns Marvel, acquired 21st Century Fox, which had previously owned the X-Men brand.
“She is my favourite Marvel character of all time and I relate to her so much and I think a lot of trans people do,” Jinkx continued.
“We think about how nice it would be to be able to just blend in and not have everyone pay attention to us if we don’t want to.”
The performer, who quietened her voice as she got evidently emotional, then added: “We also relate to the fact that she’s not accepted in her original form so she has to transition to even walk around people.
“I just texted my agent that I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on there, but please stop dropping my name!”
Queer X-Men fans have routinely wondered whether Mystique is a trans or genderfluid character, and have identified with the fact that the antiheroine is a shapeshifter who can mimic the appearance of anyone she wishes.
The villainous mutant has previously been portrayed by Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, Ugly Betty star Rebecca Romijn and, in spoof film Epic Movie, by Carmen Electra.
Earlier this year, trans Euphoria star Hunter Schafer responded to fan rumours that she would be portraying Mystique in future X-Men projects.
“I did see [the rumours],” she told Entertainment Tonight reporters back in February.
“My dad texted me about that. Yeah, that would be cool! These fan-casts come around every once in a while and it’s very sweet, and always for a character that I really like.”
Earlier this week, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier revealed that he had started work on an X-Men reboot at Marvel Studios.
Elsewhere in her chat with Good One, Jinkx Monsoon shared a poignant analysis of why straight men might hold anti-LGBTQ+ views.
“I’ve been just studying straight men for a while now. It’s like their spectrum of expression is this big,” she said, holding her hands a few inches apart.
“They might have all the privileges but… just think of everything they don’t do because they’re afraid to be called gay. Like, this is their spectrum,” she continued.
“The people who have the most privilege and yet are so focussed on us, it’s because they can see this is our spectrum of expression and they are jealous as f**k,” she said, holding her hands wider.
“They are jealous that the underlings have found a way to be happy without many [privileges].”
Jinkx Monsoon is starring in Oh, Mary! until 27 September.
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