Destiny (Irene Adler)
Destiny is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141, published on October 21, 1980.
This article is about the Marvel Comics character. For the Sherlock Holmes character, see Irene Adler.
Irene Adler
Destiny
Uncanny X-Men #141
(October 21, 1980)
- Chris Claremont (writer)
- John Byrne (artist)
Irene Adler
- Brotherhood of Mutants
- Freedom Force
- HYDRA
- Project: Black Womb
- Quiet Council of Krakoa
Precognition
Destiny's civilian identity is Irene Adler, a blind mutant with precognitive abilities that allow her to accurately predict future events. Initially, Destiny was depicted as an adversary of the X-Men and member of the Brotherhood of Mutants, led by her wife Mystique, the two having raised Rogue together. Although originally portrayed as one of the X-Men's enemies, in other storylines Destiny has functioned as an ally.
Decades after her death, Destiny was resurrected by Mystique during the Krakoa Age of X-Men in 2021. In this era, it was revealed that Destiny was the Irene Adler featured in Sherlock Holmes stories, her rivalry with Moira MacTaggert was established, and the pivotal role she plays in the history and future of mutantkind. A 2023 storyline revealed it was actually Destiny who gave birth to the X-Men superhero Nightcrawler, rather than Mystique; the two conceived him after Mystique used her abilities to take on a male form. In 2024, Destiny and Mystique will renew their vows, marking the first depiction of a female-female wedding in Marvel Comics.
Destiny has received significant attention, particularly for her relationship with Mystique, being one of Marvel's earliest queer characters; their relationship has often received praise. Destiny also received attention for the revelation of her status as Nightcrawler's mother, which was praised for adhering to Claremont's original design for the characters.
Publication history[edit]
Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, the character first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #141 (Jan. 1981).[1]
As far back as 1981, Claremont had intended Destiny to be the lover of Brotherhood of Mutants teammate Mystique, and for them to be Nightcrawler's biological parents, with Mystique taking the form of a man for the conception.[2][3] However, at that time, the Comics Code Authority and Marvel policy prohibited the explicit portrayal of gay or bisexual characters.[4][5] Destiny was simply referred to as the only member of the new Brotherhood that Mystique saw as a friend; all the other members being male and prone to arguing amongst each other.
Destiny died at the hands of Legion in a 1989 storyline in The Uncanny X-Men #255. In the 2000s (decade) series X-Treme X-Men, years after Destiny died it was revealed that she filled several diaries with the future history of mutantkind, and the search for these diaries was a main storyline in the series. She was resurrected with a techno-organic virus during the 2009 "Necrosha" storyline.
In November 2021, Marvel announced a new storyline titled "Destiny of X", which began in 2022 and features Destiny as one of its central characters.[6] The Immortal X-Men by Kieron Gillen in November 2022 also explicitly established her as Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes stories for the first time, with Holmes being an identity used by Mystique.[7]
In November 2023, Claremont's intended storyline of Mystique and Destiny being Nightcrawler's parents, with Mystique having morphed into a male body for the act of conception, was made canon.[8][9][10]
Powers and abilities[edit]
Destiny was a mutant that had the ability of psionic precognition, to see future probabilities and interpret them to best select or manipulate what was likely to happen. This allowed her to compensate for her blindness by seeing where objects in her path would be. The accuracy of Destiny's ability to foresee the future decreases in direct proportion to the distance ahead in time.[68]
She carried a small crossbow with her that she used offensively, and had good aim because she "saw" where it would land in her precognitive visions.
In Necrosha, Destiny was shown to utilize telepathic abilities as she mentally searched for Rogue (instead finding Blindfold) and then projecting her image into Blindfold's mind. This was explained later that she had fragments of the mutant Proteus inside her. After making physical contact with Blindfold, Proteus appeared to take full possession of Blindfold and vacate Destiny's body. As such, she may or may not still have telepathy.
Reception[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
Alex Schlesinger of Screen Rant described Destiny and Mystique as "one of X-Men's most iconic couples of all time," writing, "What makes Irene and Raven's relationship so perfect for Pride Month is because it is so representational of how media has treated queer relationships for decades, constantly pushing them into the shadows and making them subtextual - a fate which Mystique and Destiny's relationship has survived and overcome."[69] Samantha Puc of Newsarama called Destiny and Mystique's relationship one of the "most iconic LGBTQIA+ comics romances," writing, "Though it remains to be seen whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, longtime villains-turned-Krakoan politicians Mystique and Destiny are mutantkind's current power couple, following Destiny's resurrection and their upending of the Quiet Council's status quo in the recent Inferno limited series. And they've certainly earned their place as mutant matriarchs."[70] Beat Staff of ComicsBeat wrote, "Mystique and Destiny have been written as lovers from the beginning. From their first appearances, the love and loyalty they felt for each other was so palpable that it has to date inspired fanfiction and critical commentary that takes their status as one of comics' most epic love stories as text. Wherever their story might go, Mystique and Destiny have always had the kind of love that transcends the thoughts, desires, and expectations of the outside world."[71] Peter Eckhardt of CBR.com stated, "While the Marvel Universe has often changed around them, Destiny and Mystique's relationship has been a staple of comics. Together, the two have survived Sentinels, the X-Men, and alternate timelines. When she was killed, Mystique worked tirelessly to return her lover to life. Despite their apparent amorality, Destiny and Mystique's relationship is an inspiring part of Marvel Comics."[72]
The storyline involving the revelation of Destiny as Nightcrawler's mother was positively received. George Marston of Newsarama was pleased that Marvel finally established Claremont's original backstory for the characters as canon.[73] James Whitbrook of Gizmodo also praised the storyline for making "one of the greatest, often unspoken queer loves of X-Men comics [...] to be woven back through history as it [was] always intended to be".[74]
Other versions[edit]
Age of Apocalypse[edit]
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.[78] She was one of the three (along with Bishop and Magik) who entered the M'Kraan Crystal as they "no longer" had counterparts.[79]
Millennial Visions[edit]
Destiny appears as a member of the Brotherhood on Earth-1043.[80] In another snippet, Rogue (now a private detective) states that Destiny's diaries were a forgery by Mystique, who emulated Irene's handwriting.[81]
X-Men: The End[edit]
Destiny's diaries and its prophecies reappear as a minor plot point in the 2004–06 miniseries trilogy X-Men: The End.[82][83][h]