Destiny (Irene Adler)
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Destiny (Irene Adler) was a Marvel Comics character, known as an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, she first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141 (January 1981).
Although blind, Destiny was a mutant precognitive able to accurately predict future events. She filled several diaries with the future history of mankind, the search for which was a main storyline in the 2000s series X-Treme X-Men, years after Destiny died.
Claremont originally intended Destiny to be the lover of Brotherhood of Mutants teammate Mystique but Marvel editors did not allow gay or bisexual characters at that time. Currently, it has been confirmed that the two were lovers.
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[edit] Character history
Destiny was the lesbian lover of Mystique. According to X-Treme X-Men #1, Mystique was working as a consulting detective when Destiny sought her help in understanding the precognitive visions recorded in her diaries. Background details suggest that this meeting took place around 1900. Together, the two raised adopted daughter Rogue in their home in fictional Caldecott County, Mississippi. They remained together until Destiny's death.
Mystique and Destiny formed the second Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, a group of ideologically-motivated terrorists, and eventually went to work for the United States government as Freedom Force in exchange for a pardon and protection from anti-mutant sentiment.
While on a mission with Freedom Force, Destiny was killed by Legion, who was being influenced at the time by the Shadow King. Shortly before her death, she predicted that Mystique would become romantically involved with Forge, and although the pair loathed each other at the time, they did develop a brief relationship while both were members of X-Factor. Most recently, the team of X-Treme X-Men spent some time searching for her diaries of future predictions, but these became useless when a prediction in them was prevented from taking place.
In a plotline in X-Factor, taking place after Destiny's death, Mystique protected a young mutant named Trevor Chase who addressed her as "Auntie Raven." X-Factor #135 strongly implied that Chase was Destiny's grandson. It is not certain whether Chase's mother was born before Mystique and Destiny became lovers or whether, like Mystique, Destiny had a child during the course of their relationship.
[edit] Power and abilities
Destiny had the ability to see future probabilities and interpret them to best select or manipulate what was likely to happen. And even though she was blind, she carried a small crossbow with her that she used offensively, and had pretty good aim because she saw where it would land in her precognitive visions.
[edit] Appearances in other media
Destiny appeared in the X-Men Evolution animated series. In the series she is not part of the Brotherhood and never wore a costume, but is Mystique's best friend and took care of Rogue before she joined the X-Men.
More recently, Destiny appeared as an NPC in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. She is depicted as a former Brotherhood member who quit and relocated to Avalon in the Savage Land after having a vision Apocalypse would attack, Beast will die, and Angel would betray the X-Men.
[edit] Alternate versions
Destiny appeared in the Apocalypse ruled reality, the Age of Apocalypse. She had retired in the paradise of Avalon and was convinced by the X-Men that Bishop's claims were true. She appeared in X-Calibre #1-4 and X-Men:Omega.
[edit] Notes
- Longtime X-Men writer Chris Claremont had originally intended for Destiny and Mystique to be Nightcrawler's biological parents, with Mystique taking the form of a man for the conception. [1]
- Destiny's name comes from Irene Adler, a Sherlock Holmes character and the only woman to ever get the better of the detective. The character appears in the short story "A Scandal in Bohemia", where it is hinted that she is the only woman to whom Holmes was ever attracted.
- Paul Destine, the first Marvel character called Destiny, first appeared in the Sub-Mariner story in Tales to Astonish Vol. 1, #101 (March 1968).
- The energy harnessed for vast power by Rick Jones was known as both Destiny and Destiny Force. She/It first appeared in The Avengers Vol. 1, #97 (March 1972).
[edit] Bibliography
- Avengers Annual 10, 15
- Avengers West Coast #84
- Captain America vol. 1 #333-334, 346
- Dazzler #22-23, 28
- Marvel Fanfare vol. 1 #40
- Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 3 #10
- New Mutants vol. 1 #66, 78
- Rogue vol. 2 #10-11
- Rom #31-32
- Sabretooth & Mystique #1-3
- Uncanny X-Men #141-142, 170, 177-178, 185, 199, 223-227, 254-255
- West Coast Avengers Annual #1
- X-Factor vol. 1 #9, 30-31, 83
- X-Factor Annual #6
- X-Force vol. 1 -1
- X-Men Forever #2-4
- X-Treme X-Men #1
