ClanDestine

Superhero comic book series

The ClanDestine (also known simply as ClanDestine) is an appellation used to refer to the Destines, a fictional secret family of long lived superhuman beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They were created in 1994 by British writer/artist Alan Davis, and appear in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. They first appeared in Marvel Comics Presents #158 (July 1994) before going on to appear in their own self titled monthly series, The ClanDestine, which lasted twelve issues before it was cancelled. The characters subsequently appeared in a number of miniseries and one shots, all written and drawn by Davis. The name ClanDestine, which is a play on the word clandestine, is used primarily as the title of the series in which the family stars, and is not generally used by the characters within the stories. A version of the ClanDestine, known as Clandestines, appeared as antagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series Ms. Marvel (2022).

Creator Alan Davis explained that he likes the superhero genre in general, and the group book dynamic in particular, and was drawn to the opportunity to create a group of new characters unencumbered by a long and complex continuity, though he set it in the Marvel Universe in order to use characters like the Silver Surfer and MODOK in cameo roles. Davis chose to make the group a family because the familial bond is not one of choice. Davis was also interested in superhumans who used their powers to enhance their lives, but did not necessarily feel either any heroic obligations or megalomaniacal greed. Although he made the Destines an extended family in order to make up new family members as he went along, the core of the group would be Rory, Pandora, Samantha, Walter, Kay and Dominic. Although the family's full membership remains unrevealed for this reason, Walter has stated that there are "many" that eleven year old twins Rory and Pandora have not met. After the end of the original series, Davis wrote and drew the 1996 miniseries X Men and the ClanDestine, during which the events of the last four issues of the ongoing series (the only stories he had not written and drawn) were retconned by Davis as a dream. In 2008, he returned to the characters in a five issue limited series. In 2012, he wrote and drew three linked annuals: Fantastic Four Annual #33, Daredevil Annual #1, and Wolverine Annual #1, each of which centered upon a different member of the Destine family interacting with the other heroes of the Marvel Universe.

Adam of Ravenscroft was born in the village of Ravenscroft in the heart of England in the summer of 1168 A. D., when Saxon England was ruled by Norman conquerors. Adam's youth was unremarkable, and he grew content without ambition. When he was sixteen, however, he was accidentally impaled on a scythe, but he miraculously recovered after a dream about a strange, inhuman woman. He was renamed Adam of Destine by the town, who felt the young man was destined for greatness. In 1189, Adam joined the Third Crusade. During the battles, Adam was never once injured and he believed that the "angel" he dreamt about protected him. By 1191 he was a seasoned veteran of battles at Acre, Arsuf and Jaffa. He became overconfident and reckless, and was captured by a warlord called Al Kadhdhaab. Kadhdhaab claimed that he needed Adam's help to defeat the wizard Sujanaa Min Raghbah. Centuries prior, Sujanaa captured a large gem with mystical powers that fulfilled his wishes. In a vision Sujanaa had seen that Adam was destined to kill him, and Kadhdhaab also knows this through a written prophecy. Adam traveled to Sujanaa's palace, but was captured by him. The wizard ranted that his gem loved Adam, and would not allow Sujanaa to hurt him. Adam managed to distract the wizard by telling him that Sujanaa had wasted his life, using all his power merely to protect his power. The wizard realized that he had become trapped by his own desire for power and during a moment of doubt, Adam was freed and killed the wizard. Adam then felt that there was something alive within the gem and tried to destroy its prison, but Kadhdhaab appeared and shot him in the back with a crossbow. Kadhdhaab tried to take the power of the gem for himself, but Adam managed to destroy the gem with his last strength. Elalyth, the female being within, called a Djinn, appeared and destroyed Kadhdhaab. She then restored Adam, making him immortal and invulnerable, and the two became lovers. The protocol would create new identities for the long lived family members whenever they required it and would protect the family should one of them be uncovered. In the late 20th century, after Adam's son Vincent destroyed the family manor, because Adam felt he had become "evil". The family fell apart after that. Dominic, who saw Adam's actions as unforgivable, became a hermit, living in solitude on a small island. but Spider Man convinces them to return home. Dominic and Adam convinced Walter to allow the twins to go out at night on "crime patrol" confronting only petty crime, with the adults taking turns chaperoning them.

Series creator Alan Davis left the series after issue #8. The series continued for four more issues under the creative team of writer Glenn Dakin and artists Pino Rinaldi and Bryan Hitch. In these four issues, Adam tries to return the Gryphon to Griffen, and Lenz, now allied with MODAM, tries to steal it again. MODAM is more interested in the Destine family, however, and kidnaps Cuckoo, leaving a girl named Myror in her place. Myror has the ability to reflect to people what they wanted to see. Wanting Cuckoo to return home with them, the Clan saw Myror as Cuckoo. Myror eventually tells the Destines that she wanted to help them defeat MODAM, who had used her as a slave for years. Back in the A. I. M. base, MODAM tries to switch minds with Cuckoo in order to acquire a beautiful, human body for herself. Meanwhile, Rory is manipulated by the spirit of Vincent into resurrecting him. While Vincent's only appearance to date was in a 1963 photo of him seen in issue #2 that showed him as a man with a normal build and brown hair in a style common to the 1960s, in this incarnation he appeared as a heavily muscled man with long blonde hair. Vincent joins Rory and Pandora into saving the Clan from MODAM, and A. I. M. Vincent uses his powers to torment all non Destine family members with personal demons, including William and Myrror. Vincent then tells the others that with Adam's absence, he now has to take over the leadership of the family.

This two part series featured the first appearance of family member Gracie, who had been mentioned before. Years previously, Gracie and Cuckoo had banished a demon called Synraith from Earth many years ago with the help of a younger and less experienced Charles Xavier. In the miniseries, the Synraith returns and tries eliminate the three who stopped him. The X Men and the Destines team up to stop the demon and save their family members.

A five issue ClanDestine miniseries debuted on February 5, 2008, written and illustrated by Alan Davis. In this series, Dr. Griffin and the Omegans again attack the Destines. In the course of the story, what happened to Thaddeus in 1374 is revealed. Newton builds a device to help Dominic ameliorate the effects of his powerful senses. Dominic also travels through time and space, and encounters the superhero group Excalibur, in the middle of the "Cross Time Caper" storyline that ran in their self titled series in 1989–1990. The story also guest stars the Inhumans. Walter struggles with his fears of becoming like Vincent. By the end of the story, Adam reduces Griffin to an infant, and tells the Omegans never to threaten his family again, before being reunited with Elalyth, the mother of his children, with whom he goes to live in Yden. Dominic decides to relocate to the idyllic Etherea. In the closing panels of the story, a pool of energy emerges from the grounds of the Ravenscroft, and flies into Vincent's grave, causing the gravestone to crack.

In mid 2012 Alan Davis wrote and illustrated a trio of annuals under the brand "Marvel Tales by Alan Davis", which featured the ClanDestine as guest stars, including Vincent, in his first canonical appearances: Fantastic Four Annual #33, Daredevil Annual #1 and Wolverine Annual (vol 2) #1. In Fantastic Four Annual #33, which reveals the circumstances under which Adam killed Vincent, the American superhero adventurers Thing, Human Torch and Doctor Strange encounter an interdimensional rift whose energy hurls them on a journey through time and space, during which they come into contact with the Destine family at various points in history. Thing in particular encounters Vincent as a young boy, then as a young man, and is present at his death. Vincent is tortured by his inability to use his powers to stop the pain and suffering in the world, and is revealed to have been possessed by demons who are trying to delay Doctor Strange in healing the dimensional rift. Fearing the destruction Vincent's powers are unleashing and for his son's soul, Adam fatally snaps Vincent's neck. The dimensional energy is driven away, and the Americans are returned home. In Daredevil Annual #1, the Destines travel to New York tracking a robot called the Plastoid. Cuckoo believes that it is inhabited by a parasitic elemental, whom she intends to banish back to its native dimension. Dominic and the rest of the Destines, however, believe the robot is in fact inhabited by Vincent's spirit, and aim to stop Cuckoo from destroying it. During this conflict they also encounter Daredevil and Doctor Strange, who assist the family. Daredevil destroys the Plastoid, releasing Vincent's spirit. The storyline concludes in Wolverine Annual (vol 2) #1, which includes a flashback depicting a prior adventure that Adam shared with Wolverine. In the present, Vincent animates a group of ancient Heliopolitan gods (hybrids of Egyptian deities and humans that resemble humanoids with animal heads), which battle Wolverine, Dr. Strange, and the Destine family, including Cuckoo, who confirms telepathically that the being they are pursuing is indeed Vincent. Vincent explains that he arranged a number of events, including Adam and Elalyth's recent reunion, in order to bring about his own resurrection, and ultimately intends to use Wolverine's superhuman form as a vessel to contain his power. His plan is foiled by Cuckoo, Rory, Pandora, and Wolverine, who destroy Vincent.

Although there is a core group of family members, Alan Davis has stated there are an unknown number of other family members who usually keep to themselves. Adam traveled to Russia in 1612 to help establish the Romanov Dynasty. While horseback riding through the Sayan Mountains in 1615 en route to Japan to aid Albert and Grace, he encountered a trio of armored insectoid extraterrestrials attempting to construct a teleportational portal through which to bring an army to claim the Earth. The aliens attacked Adam, but none of their weapons could harm him, and believing that his invulnerability was representative of the entire human race, they departed, fearing they could not conquer Earth. Elalyth – a green skinned being called a Djinn, similar to a genie, In 1526 she was in Peru, and at some point during or prior to this, learned a Mayan dialect. When Adam killed Vincent, she was in her forty third host body. Walter does not approve of how she indulges the twins' superhero fantasies, or how she visits only when her lifestyle permits it, buying the twins' affections with gifts. Cuckoo's current body is sometimes depicted as a Caucasian, and other times with brown skin of varying darkness. Albert Destine – a monk in the Seventh Moon temple in Nepal, In the series, they are depicted as Djinn exiled from the Noor dimension, whose origin is tied to the background of series protagonist Kamala Khan and her family, in particular her great grandmother, Aisha, and her activities during the Partition.