Destiny (DC)
Destiny is a comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Destiny
He was shown to be a hooded figure carrying the Cosmic Book of Destiny, chained to his wrist where he wandered through eerie landscapes and served as the host, recounting tales of horror and fate to the reader. He was depicted not as a participant in the events but as their presiding presence, framing the unfolding stories as inevitable outcomes written within his book. His activities revolved around the opening narration, the weaving of tales, and his role as the embodiment of inescapable destiny, giving the impression that all events stemmed from what was already inscribed within his tome. (Weird Mystery Tales v1 #1) Destiny next appeared in Weird Mystery Tales #2, where his presence continued as a guiding force for the anthology. He again introduced the stories and closed them, often with cryptic commentary, suggesting the moral or inevitability of the events. His interactions remained distant, more a metaphysical shaping of the narrative than physical engagement with other characters. The Cosmic Book of Destiny, ever chained to him, was shown to be his source of power, its pages revealing the fates of those who came under his gaze. His activity was the passive yet absolute command over the knowledge of unfolding futures and pasts. (Weird Mystery Tales v1 #2)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Destiny was one of the Endless and the oldest of their number who form after the beginning when there was the Word that was traced by hand onto the Book of Destiny. (Sandman v2 #21)
He was shown walking the paths of his garden, where every branching path symbolized the course of existence. The Cosmic Book remained his sole tool and burden, its pages containing the history and future of all things. His activity here involved summoning his siblings to discuss an impending crisis, underscoring his role as the convener and seer among the Endless. He functioned not through action in combat or conflict but through his immutable knowledge of all that was, is, and will be. (Sandman v2 #7)
At one point, Destiny deemed that Superman was a hindrance for humanity who had become far too dependant on him and thus concluded that his activities as a superhero must end. At first, he appeared in Clark Kent's apartment to warn him to stop but Superman refused to do so. However, after the encounter, Superman came to find that he was unable to use his powers when he needed them most. This led to him reluctantly being forced to announce his retirement to the public. Later on, an incident happened at an orphanage known as the Superman House where he attempted to help some of the people there but allowed them to handle the matter themselves. Superman then came to realize that sometimes it was better for normal people to solve their own problems without relying on Superman to get them out of every situation. Upon accepting this, Destiny came to enable Superman to be able to use his powers once again. (Superman v1 #352)
Chronus Walker Gabriel came to encounter Destiny where it was revealed his book could be changed with entire sections capable of being warped or erased albeit at great personal cost. This applies with even more force when a time traveller such as Gabriel attempts to change the timestream to satisfy a personal wish. In Gabriel's case, he manages to save his mother from an early death, but in the process erased himself from history. (Chronos v1 #9)
One day, he came to notice the continued presence of individuals that did not exist within the confines of the Book of Destiny. Such was a feat was not possible yet four such beings operated in the universe. Destiny had never noticed their absence before and came to notice with horror that events foretold began to change due to these people influencing events around them. Thus, their actions warped reality and changed the pages of the Book of Destiny. Destiny came to conclude that the Book was not safe with him anymore and decided that only the people outside of its pages were capable of repairing it. This led to him severing the chains that tied the Book to him and arranged for events for it to fall in their possession. However, a group of alien mystics known as the Luck Lords had planned for this opportunity as they had long coveted the tome for themselves and thus arranged for their agents to acquire it. (The Brave and the Bold v3 #4)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Destiny was portrayed as a tall, hooded figure cloaked in brown, faceless except for shadow beneath his cowl. His defining feature was the Cosmic Book of Destiny, an immense tome chained to his wrist by an unbreakable chain. His form was austere, his garb plain, reflecting the inevitability and impartiality of fate itself. (Weird Mystery Tales v1 #1) He was noted for being the tallest among the Endless. (Sandman v2 #21)
In personality, Destiny was reserved, impartial, and detached. He neither celebrated nor lamented the fates inscribed within his book. Instead, he accepted all outcomes as necessary parts of existence. His demeanor was calm, cryptic, and often somber, reflecting the burden of knowing every possible path yet lacking the ability to alter them. Even in interactions with his siblings, he was portrayed as the most neutral of the Endless, voicing no preference for one outcome over another but serving as a reminder of inevitability (Sandman v2 #7)
It was said that Destiny kept his secrets and never told others of them. (Sandman v2 #21)
Powers and abilities
Destiny’s essence and powers derived from his nature as one of the Endless, making him a cosmic embodiment of his principle rather than a being with traditional abilities. He was human in form but not in nature, bound to the Cosmic Book that dictated the flow of time and existence. His power was absolute knowledge—omniscience rooted in the book chained to his wrist, which contained the fates of all beings, places, and events. Unlike mortals, Destiny was timeless, invulnerable to harm, and inextricably tied to the concept of inevitability itself. (Sandman v2 #7)
Some claimed he was blind whereas others stated that he had travelled far beyond blindness to the point of seeing all of existence. (Sandman v2 #21)
It was said that he did not write the Book of Destiny and had been its guardian as well as solitary reader since the Dawn of Time. In its pages was the entire lives of all the inhabitants of the universe from birth to their eventual death. Without his Book, Destiny was noted for being incomplete with his memories becoming dimmer the longer he was separated from it. (The Brave and the Bold v3 #4)
His home was a vast garden that was referred to as the Garden of Destiny whereby only Destiny himself knew its peculiar geography as it was distinct from time and space. There was said to be no beginnings or endings within the garden which was said to be beyond such concepts. Those that walked within it were said to be forced to choose a path to take many times in their journey. This was cause the paths forked and divided whereby each step in the garden forced the traveller to make a choice with this determining their future paths. Some claimed that not even Destiny truly knew where each turn twisted and took its bearer. The Book of Destiny was said to be a guide through the garden. (Sandman v2 #21)
Notes
- Destiny was created by Marv Wolfman and Bernie Wrightson where he made his first appearance in Weird Mystery Tales v1 #1 (August, 1972).
- According to Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #6 (1985), Destiny was "the one being who has been able to resist Zeus' unlimited powers." It also referred to the Cosmic Log as the Book of Souls. It further reported that his occupation was as a "Cosmic Observer" and that the field of 'Known Relatives' was "inapplicable" to him.
- Like Lucien, Cain and Abel and some other Sandman characters, Destiny first appeared as host of a 1970s DC horror comic, Weird Mystery Tales. There was, of course, no mention of his family, though a more traditional version of Death did appear in it. In his earliest appearances, he was less of a storyteller than an introducer, as most of his stories were actually told by Jack Kirby's Dr. E. Leopold Maas, an investigator of paranormal phenomena.
In other media
Television
- In the Arrowverse, the character did not appear but was referenced in the shared continuity setting:
- In The Flash, the Book of Destiny appeared in the live-action television series in the cross-over arc “Elseworlds”. It was a reality relic used by the Monitor Mar Novu and given to Doctor Deegan to allow him to alter reality on Earth-1 leading to the lives of Oliver Queen and Barry Allen to be swapped with one another.
- In Arrow, the Book of Destiny appeared in the second part live-action television series cross over arc “Elseworlds”. Superman had said to had encountered objects like the Book of Destiny with them requiring incredible force of will to control and that they always took a price from the user. The Monitor was shown to had given it to Deegan to test Earth-1’s heroes for a coming Crisis and that he was looking for heroes that were strong enough to fight it.
- In Supergirl, the Book of Destiny appeared in the third part of the live-action television series cross over arc “Elseworlds”. Earth-1’s existence had been rewritten by Deegan who transformed himself into a figure like Superman where he controlled the world. Oliver Queen and Barry Allen were similarly transformed into a pair of criminals called the Trigger Twins where they attempted to restore reality.
Films
- In DC Showcase: Death, the Book of Destiny was referenced in the setting of the 2019 animated short film. It was mentioned by Death who told the dying artist Vincent that she had no control over his demise as his death had been written in the Book of Destiny from the moment he was born.
Appearances
- Weird Mystery Tales v1: (1972)
- Sandman v2:
- Destiny v1:
- Captain Atom v2:
- The Brave and the Bold v3:
External Links
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