Early Life[]

Irene Adler hailed from a prosperous Austrian family, born near the close of the 19th century. Raised in Salzburg, Austria, her mutant gift of precognition emerged at the tender age of 13. Without guidance in harnessing her newfound powers, she faced a deluge of disconcerting, alien sights and sounds. Struggling to preserve her mental faculties, Adler embarked on a journey to record her visions in diaries. a lifeline amidst the chaos.^[11] The Shadow King took notice of Irene, subtly weaving his influence around the inexperienced girl. Amidst her unrefined abilities, he deliberately muddied Irene's visions, shrouding the future in cryptic ambiguity.^[12] She tirelessly for thirteen consecutive months, Irene meticulously compiled a comprehensive chronicle of forthcoming events. Her recordings spanned the destiny of the world, humanity, and mutantkind, expressed in an enigmatic procession of unknown tongues, cryptic codes, pictograms, and unvisited locales, alongside individuals yet to be born. she tried to determine which of her visions were of the true timeline and which showed her the most desirable realities. This pursuit exacted its toll: upon completing the 13th volume of what would later be dubbed the Books of Truth, Irene Adler found herself stricken with physical blindness.^[11]

Predicting the emergence of the Chaos King, Irene meticulously detailed a series of instructions within her diaries on thwarting his plans. Among these instructions was a cryptic depiction of Dr. Moira MacTaggert's Mutant Research Center on Muir Island, accompanied by guidance on manipulating the keys positioned around the converging ley lines of the island.^[13]

During this time Irene conceived a child who would later become the ancestor of Ruth Aldine, the future X-Man known as Blindfold, inheriting Adler's mutant precognitive powers.^[14]

Meeting Mystique[]

A few years later, Irene hired Raven Darkhölme, a consulting detective, to help her make sense of her diaries. They tried to use Irene's visions to change the future and fell in love in the process. But even though they could make money using Irene's abilities, they couldn't make big changes in society, which left them both frustrated.^[11]

Sherlock Holmes[]

In 1895 (or earlier), Raven took up the identity of consulting detective "Sherlock Holmes" operating out of 221B Baker Street in London working with Irene. The two were friends with author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by that time, who wrote down their adventures in his notes and later adapted them into his famous books.^[15] The two were hired to investigate a number of murders believing them to have been inspired by Jack the Ripper. They investigated Milbury House the home of Dr. Nathaniel Essex who was discovered at the scene naked and battered but with no memory of the attack. Raven went undercover as a prostitute hoping to lure out the attacker. On that night they found the true attacker "Mr. Sinister", who escaped across the rooftops. They followed him back to Dr. Essex's home they discovered him turning back into the frail Doctor. They arrested him and sent him away to Bedlam to be detained and treated. However overnight they learned that he was murdered. Unconvinced by Essex's sudden death, she returned to his home and discovered a voice recording of Essex along with four broken cloning tanks, each with a playing card suit. In the recording, Essex declared that going the way of survival of the fittest would allow him to become immortal.^[16]

Across the Decades[]

In 1919, Irene met Dr. Essex again in Paris. Adler whispered to him a message which caused Sinister to bleed and pass out,^[17] he had no recollection of the meeting afterwards.^[18]

In 1936, Irene was in Scotland with Mystique disguised as Mr. Raven and the Canadian mercenary Logan, where they met time traveling Kitty Pryde, who was stranded in the past. Kitty wanted to go to Germany to stop Adolf Hitler and the Nazis before they could start World War II and kill millions of Jews during the Holocaust. Irene warned Kitty about the consequences of altering history. Killing Hitler might create a chaotic situation that they couldn't predict.^[19]

She became an archivist for the Black Womb Project in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Here she worked with other visionary scientists including Kurt Marko, Brian Xavier, Nathan Milbury, and Amanda Müeller.^[20][21]

After departing from the Black Womb, Adler reunited with Mystique. They embarked on a mission to Israel, where Adler awaited Mystique disguised as Mossad agent Amichai Benvenisti at an abandoned mosque near Jerusalem. However she was attacked by Hydra operative Catalyst, who viciously attacked her, leaving her bound and gagged. Mystique and Victor Creed arrived at the mosque finding Irene, tied up and suspended from the ceiling. Mystique disregarded Creed's warnings about potential traps. When Mystique touched Adler, the traps were triggered, rendering both Creed and Mystique unconscious.^[22] Catalyst tortured them and the locked the trio in a prison cell. Irene filled Raven in on Catalyst an, reassuring her that Mystique's shape-shifting powers were their secret weapon. When Catalyst returned Creed to the cell, battered and broken, and planned to take Irene for more interrogation, Raven tried to attack him. But Catalyst used his mutant power over chemical reactions to stop her. As Catalyst stood over Mystique, Adler tried to distract him, refusing to be intimidated. Catalyst slapped Irene before dragging her to the interrogation room, where she warned him that she'd be the last thing he'd see before his death. With the distraction Destiny provided, Mystique and Sabretooth managed to escape their cell.^[23] In his interrogation chamber, chained against the wall amidst a grisly scene of corpses, Adler faced imminent torture by Catalyst. However, Mystique disguised as Amichai Benvenisti stormed in to save her. Adler seized the opportunity to catch Catalyst off guard, swiftly kicking him into the vat of molten lava he intended to use for torture. As he seemingly perished, Destiny's prophecy was fulfilled: Irene's was the final face he beheld.^[23] Following their mission, Adler confided in Mystique about a vision she had. She discovered that the coordinates to Catalyst's hidden fortress would be located within James Hendrickson's body. Adler made Mystique promise that, in the event of her death, she would locate Hendrickson's body, uncover the fortress, and eliminate the notes detailing Catalyst's dangerous Access computer program.^[22]

Destiny and Mystique joined the traveling Tiboldt Carnival of Wonder, journeying through the American Midwest. Irene assumed the guise of Madame Destiny, a fortune teller, to contribute to the their livelihood. During this time, Destiny had an unsettling encounter with young James Proudstar, foreseeing the tragic demise of his elder brother Thunderbird during the X-Men's confrontation with Count Nefaria. Troubled by the vision, she chose not to divulge the truth to the boy, instead fabricating that she lacked genuine psychic powers. Realizing they needed more from life, Irene and Raven decided to bid farewell to the carnival, setting their sights on more significant pursuits.^[24]

Motherhood[]

Going off on her own again, Irene had a fling with a man and ended up pregnant with a daughter named Justine Chase. While raising Justine, she got back in touch with Mystique who became close to the family over the years. Irene made sure Justine knew she could always rely on Raven, thinking she was the best friend Justine could have. When Justine grew up, she married Cole Chase and had a son named Trevor Chase.^[25]

Eventually, Destiny and Mystique reunited and together adopted a daughter named Rogue moving to a small home in Caldecott County, Mississippi.^[26] During this time Irene foresaw her own death and that Mystique would begin traveling back into the past, inhabiting her own past selves randomly. Predicting this, Irene made sure to prepare a floppy disc containing crucial data that would aid Mystique in her mission. Mystique spoke with Irene, much to Rogue's annoyance. Mystique intended to share everything she knew with Irene but was surprised to find that her precognitive partner was already aware. She then passed Raven the disc containing data about her involvement in Project Black Womb.^[27] Also during this time Irene, foreseeing the necessity, concealed one of her diaries containing clues about the XII's identity and Apocalypse's schemes for the world within a painting in the Manhattan apartment. Predicting that Kitty Pryde would stumble upon the painting, Irene ensured she would find it by inscribing "Cat Shadow X, reach in D" on the back of the artwork.^[28]

Brotherhood of Mutants[]

Together Mystique and Destiny formed their own Brotherhood of Mutants. This group of ideologically-motivated terrorists worked for a pro mutant agenda.^[29]

Destiny had a vision that Ms Marvel would endanger Rogue's soul and life. While meditating in her Hong Kong villa, Irene sensed the arrival of Ms Marvel and warned Mystique about it. She advised Mystique not to mess with Ms Marvel because any action against her would worsen the situation. This made Mystique angry as she felt helpless against Destiny's vision. Despite Destiny's objections, Mystique sent Pyro and Avalanche to kill Ms Marvel when she landed in Hong Kong. However, Danvers survived their attack. Weeks later, Destiny noticed that Ms Marvel had vanished from her visions. Mystique remained determined, vowing to protect Rogue even at the cost of her own life. Overhearing this, Rogue moved to San Francisco to confront Ms Marvel. When Mystique learned of Rogue's plan, she rushed to her but was too late as Rogue had already absorbed Ms Marvel's powers and memories permanently.^[1]

On October 31st, Destiny and the Brotherhood of Mutants led by Mystique found themselves in Washington, D.C. for their inaugural public mission. Their objective was to confront Senator Robert Kelly on Capitol Hill over his anti-mutant stance. However, their plans were thwarted when they encountered the X-Men, who vowed to protect Kelly at any cost. Kitty Pryde, aiming to avert a bleak future known as Days of Future Past travelled back in time to the present, inhabiting her younger self's body. This temporal interference disrupted Destiny's precognitive abilities, limiting her foresight.^[29] Destiny helped her teammates Avalanche and Pyro in their assault on X-Men members Colossus and Nightcrawler. She then assisted Mystique in incapacitating Professor X and Moira MacTaggert, depriving the mutants of telepathic guidance. Destiny warned of the temporal anomaly she sensed, but Mystique remained confident in their victory. While Mystique led the Brotherhood against the X-Men, Destiny slipped away to confront Senator Kelly. Cornering him, Irene aimed her crossbow, but Kelly defiantly refused to yield, believing his death would only incite further resistance. Undeterred, Destiny prepared to eliminate him, convinced of the Brotherhood's imminent defeat. However, Kitty intervened, phasing through Destiny and causing her to lose consciousness, thwarting her shot. With only Mystique remaining free, she vowed to rescue her unconscious partner.^[30]

After being arrested, Irene and the rest of the Brotherhood were transported to Ryker's Island. Mystique orchestrated their liberation, aided by Rogue, who had recently honed her newfound abilities. Destiny, foreseeing the events, alerted her fellow Brotherhood members of the impending jailbreak. Using Rogue to disrupt the power supply by dropping a disabled Iron Man onto the generator, Destiny guided Avalanche and Pyro to neutralize the Blob, who was held in a specially designed cell. With the team reunited, they had only moments before facing off against the Avengers and Spider-Woman, who had arrived as unexpected guests. Despite Destiny's foresight guiding them, the Brotherhood found themselves outmatched by the Avengers' strength. Irene was incapacitated by a gas explosion triggered by the Scarlet Witch's unpredictable hex powers. Eventually, Mystique and Rogue opted for a strategic retreat, realizing they couldn't overpower the assembled forces of their adversaries.^[31]

Freedom Force[]

Eventually, this Brotherhood became U.S. sanctioned Freedom Force. In exchange for pardons, they agreed to protect mutants from anti-mutant sentiment. While on a mission with Freedom Force to Muir Island, Destiny was killed by Legion, who was being influenced at the time by the Shadow King.^[6] Destiny's consciousness survived within Legion's mind, and after Legion was also slain, both his and Destiny's spirits ended up assisting Margali in Limbo for a time.

Influence Beyond the Grave[]

Shortly before her death, she predicted that Mystique would become romantically involved with Forge. Although the pair loathed each other at the time, they did develop a brief relationship while both were members of X-Factor.

Sometime before her death, Irene also predicted that she would make Raven laugh if it was the last thing she ever did. She also gave Mystique very specific instructions for the dispersal of her ashes. After her death, Mystique carried out the instructions, throwing the ashes out to sea at a specific place and time, and then a sudden gust of wind blew the ashes back in her face. Realizing that Irene had planned the instructions specifically to reach this outcome, Mystique actually did laugh and received some measure of comfort.^[32]

After Destiny's death, Mystique protected a young mutant named Trevor Chase who addressed her as "Auntie Raven," strongly implying that Chase was Destiny's grandson.^[25]

Chases for the Diaries[]

The X-Treme X-Men spent some time searching for Destiny's diaries with her predictions of the future.

After M-Day, Sinister, the Marauders, and the Acolytes began searching for the diaries hoping to gain information about the rebirth of the mutant species, clashing with the X-Men, assaulting the Mansion, and killing everybody who could be aware of the information contained in it.

Necrosha[]

Destiny was resurrected by Selene with the help of Eli Bard's Techno-Organic Virus. She was kept in a prison cell on Genosha and used by Selene as a personal seer.^[2] However, after persuading Leon Matheson, a guard, she escaped to Muir Island. She next attempted to contact Rogue on Utopia via astral projection, but instead accidentally contacted Blindfold.^[33] Blindfold and a small group of X-Men travelled to Muir Island and, after defeating Proteus, freed Destiny.^[34] She briefly shared a moment with both her adopted daughter, Rogue, and her alleged great-granddaughter, Blindfold.^[14]

Chaos War[]

Destiny's soul was not allowed to rest for long; when the Chaos King put the living to sleep and opened the underworld, several X-Men were among those resurrected at the ruins of the Xavier Institute. There, Moira MacTaggert, who was seemingly one of the returning characters from the Underworld, discovered one of Destiny's Diaries with a passage on the Chaos War. Reading the passage caused the body thought to be Moira to become possessed by Destiny's soul and join the small group to defeat Carrion Crow.^[35]

Inferno[]

At some point in her current lifetime, Destiny foresaw that Moira X would help create Krakoa as a paradise for mutants, at a time when Destiny would be dead, and told Mystique about it. She warned her that the rulers of Krakoa would seek to delay her resurrection, as they did not want any precogs present. She told Mystique to ensure that she was brought back, and that if she were unable to, she would have to destroy Krakoa.^[3]

Just as Destiny predicted, Krakoa came into existence, and despite their promises to Mystique, Destiny was not resurrected. Moira went so far as to convince Professor X and Magneto to ensure Destiny could never be resurrected by destroying her DNA sample and erasing the back-up of her consciousness. Before they could do this, Mystique impersonated them and secured Moira's back-up and DNA, and had the Five resurrect her, with her body the age it had been when she and Mystique first met.^[36]

Destiny was overwhelmed by her visions, but Mystique nursed her back to health. She acquired enough support among the Quiet Council to ensure that Destiny would be elected to one of the vacant seats. Despite her powers, Destiny found herself unable to see the future, finding a hole there. She and Mystique set about finding out what Xavier and Magneto were hiding.^[36]

Mystique and Destiny were summoned by Emma Frost to the White Palace to discuss their ongoing conflict with Xavier and Magneto. While there Destiny demonstrated on the Stepford Cuckoos that her powers were returning. Emma revealed to them that the person really controlling everything was Moira MacTaggert, who was still alive and a mutant with the power of resurrection in a way that destroyed the timeline and created a new one.^[37] They at first didn't believe her but she showed them a memory from Moira's past life, in which her counterpart found out Moira had developed a cure for the X-Gene, prompting Destiny and the Brotherhood of Mutants to destroy her research facility. Destiny warned her that if she ever acted against mutantkind in any of her future lives, she would see it coming and would kill her, and would also do the same if Moira made any attempt at preemptively killing Destiny. Instead, Destiny prompted her to use her brilliant mind for the benefit of mutantkind, warning her that she would only live at most 11 lives depending on the choices she made. She then ordered Pyro to slowly burn her to death.^[7] Now realizing Moira's the real problem Mystique and Destiny had her kidnapped from her safe house in France and staged it to look like Orchis got her to lure Xavier and Magneto into a trap.^[37] While Xavier and Magneto were distracted they took Moira back to her secret base in Krakoa and used a gun designed by Forge to de-power her. No longer needing to worry about the timeline resetting, the two prepared to kill her, but Cypher, Warlock, Bei the Blood Moon, and Krakoa itself showed up to stop her, threatening to expose them to the council and have them either killed and denied resurrection or put in the Pit of Exile. They were forced to give Moira a head start but promise that they and many others would hunt them down. At this time Xavier and Magneto were killed by Nimrod, and she, Mystique, Emma, Doug, and Krakoa delayed their resurrection so they could bring the rest of the council up to speed on all their secrets.^[38]

Destiny is a mutant with the following abilities:

• Precognition: Destiny possesses the psionic power of precognition: the ability to perceive in her mind's eye the events of possible futures. Although she was blind, Destiny could mentally scan the probability spectrum of alternate futures and mentally perceive the sounds and sights of events that distinguished them. By concentrating she could focus on only the most probable alternate futures. The accuracy of Destiny’s ability to foresee future events decreased in direct proportion to the number of alternate futures to scan. She could comfortably scan the alternate futures that existed from one second away up until those that existed fifteen minutes away. Hence, she could be 97% accurate in her predictions of the future ten seconds away or less. Despite the limited extent to her certainty, her long-range scanning could be of great use in the early detection of possible random factors that could disrupt her to her partners’ plans. The more likely that a particular alternate future would manifest itself in her reality, the clearer and more distinct her mental impression of it would be. Less likely alternate futures would appear hazy and indistinct. For example, when she, Mystique and the Brotherhood tried to assassinate Robert Kelly, she saw a future where mutants were feared and respected, but apparently ignored the vision where murder would result in a future with mutants being hunted down and exterminated by the Sentinels. If she left her precognitive perceptions fully open, she would "see" an overlapping succession of images drift in and out of focus as probabilities shifted and further elements transpired. By active participation in the events around her, she could help shift the probabilities toward desired ends. Her personal phenomenal field, that area with which she could not scan the future for events that might take place on the other side of the world or even a mile away.
• Astral Projection: After her death and brief resurrection, Destiny projected her astral spirit to Blindfold's room. It is unclear if this is a power she always had or a side effect of her resurrection.^[33]
• Advanced Longevity: Although never explicitly stated, Destiny being born in the mid-1800s and still being alive and well in the modern era suggests she possesses some form of advanced longevity or decelerated ageing.

• Destiny is legally blind.

• Destiny's Diaries - A twelve volume record of Destiny's visions and predictions for the next hundred years or so. The full content has never been revealed.

• Hand crossbow

• Freedom Force Helicopter

• Destiny's name, "Irene Adler", is shared by another fictional character from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1888 short story Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia. In Chaos War: X-Men #1, Destiny implies that the Sherlock Holmes character is based on her.
• In Destiny's earliest named appearances, including Uncanny X-Men #170, her given name is Irené (with an accent on the final e).
• Creator Chris Claremont has stated that he originally intended Mystique and Destiny to be Nightcrawler's biological parents (with Mystique having morphed into a man for the act of conception),^[39] but Marvel didn't agree because at that time the Comics Code Authority and Marvel policy prohibited the explicit portrayal of gay or bisexual characters.^[40][41] Much later,^[42] the two were confirmed to have been a couple.
• Destiny has been confirmed to have predicted such events as the Apocalypse: The Twelve, Fall of the Mutants, M-Day,^[43] the Messiah Complex,^[43] the Chaos War,^[35] Fatal Attractions, Schism, the Death of Wolverine,^[44] the final Incursion,^[45] and Dawn of X.^[3]