Mystique and Destiny's Bisexuality

A FAQ by Tilman Stieve (Menshevik@aol.com)
 
We know from interviews that Chris Claremont visualized Mystique and Destiny
as lovers and as Nightcrawler's parents. But what hints entered his stories?

1) Nothing during Destiny's first appearance:

Uncanny X-Men #141 (1980):
Destiny is introduced as "the only member of the Brotherhood Raven calls,
_friend_." Obviously a, or perhaps *the* special person in Raven's life, but
not necessarily a lover.

UXM #142 (1980):
Mystique thinking: "Have no fear, my dear friend. Neither you, nor the
Brotherhood will be in prison for long."

Again nothing extraordinary. However, this issue also gave the first hint of a
connection between Mystique and Nightcrawler. Maybe CC was already thinking of
making Mystique and Destiny Kurt's parents, but nothing of that would actually
enter the stories.

2) Avengers Annual #10 (1981)
After Rogue and Mystique spring the other members of the Brotherhood from
prison, Mystique and Destiny greet as follows:
"Destiny! Oh my beloved friend, it is so good to see you."
"It gladdens my heart to hear your voice also, Raven."

The use of the word "beloved" is noteworthy. Perhaps a bit much for 'just
friends', although not necessarily conclusive.

3) UXM #170 (1983)
If I remember correctly, this is the first time CC made clear that Rogue is
Mystique's surrogate daughter and the first time he portrayed Mystique and
Destiny in a scene of  "domestic bliss" (talking in the Kitchen). It also may
be the first time readers got an inkling of Raven's real age: After a
harrowing nightmare sent by Mastermind, Paul Smith drew Raven's face looking
haggard and old -- one supposes that her control over her shape slipped
because of her worries.So while in previous issues it may have outwardly
appeared as if Destiny was old enough to by Mystique's mother, it is hinted
here for the first time that they might be contemporaries. In this issue Rogue 
leaves her surrogate family ("she's run away from the home
and people she loves"), which also includes Destiny. But as this and later
stories make clear, her relationship to Destiny is not as close as that to
Mystique. (In #177 and 185 Destiny however feels she has the right to argue
against Mystique about what is best for Rogue).

4) UXM #177 (1983)
In a training session in Murderworld, Mystique can't bring herself to 'kill' a
Nightcrawler robot and is knocked out by it. When she wakes up, Destiny holds
her close and cools her forehead with a wet towel. 
A bit dubious. The scene could possibly be interpreted as taking place between
two close friends, although perhaps  Irene addressing Mystique as "my Raven"
may imply something more?


5) Marvel Fanfare #40 (1988; set behind the scenes of UXM #185)
After her parley with Storm, Mystique (in the shape of a young woman in her
teens or twenties) sashays over to the table where Destiny sits. As she goes,
she thinks: "She waits at a corner table, elegant as always, as beautiful
today as when first we met. I behold her in the flesh. She sees me only in her
mind's eye. I've always wondered which of us was the more fortunate?"

She sits down with Irene to talk about what went on (Raven has just set up
Storm to be shot with Forge's neutralizer, instead of Rogue). Mystique takes
Destiny's hand, saying: "Besides, with your power, you must have known my
intentions."
-- "Yes."
-- "Yet you did nothing to try to stop me."
Tears are running down Destiny's visible cheek.
"You -- and Rogue -- mean more to me than Storm. I could not bear the thought
of either of you being hurt. I was too cowardly."
-- "You're now coward. Stronger by far than me, most of the time. And even if
you _were_ a coward... I wouldn't cherish you any the less."

Then Mystique narrates:
"Still, even as I wipe away her -- rare -- tears, I sense deeper meanings to
her words, a secret desperately hidden, and wonder if I should -- dare --
pry?"
As Destiny elaborates on her worries about the possible future consequences of
what will now happen, she keeps holding Mystique's hand to her own left cheek.
Mystique finally finishes these dark musings by changing into the shape of a
gray-haired, bearded man and saying: "Then let the future take care of itself.
For the present, my love, _Raven Darkholme_ and _Irenie Adler_ have more
important concerns."
And the two then proceed to dance (a waltz?) as the teen/twen crowd looks on
in astonishment.

It seems that a romantic relationship between Irene and Raven is clearly
inferred here -- the comments about Destiny's beauty, the physical intimacy,
the dance (not necessarily "the vertical expression of a horizontal desire",
but still...). And Raven callse Irene "my love".


6) UXM #254 (1989):
Before embarking on their final mission together, Mystique tells Destiny how
much she hates Forge, whom she blames for the (apparent) death of Rogue and
the X-Men.
Destiny replies: 
"You should think more _kindly_ towards Forge, Mystique, considering how...
intimately your futures are intertwined." 
-- "That'll be the day."
-- "Perhaps."
After which Destiny thinks: "And far sooner, my dear, than you dare suspect."

UXM #255 (1989):
Destiny sends Forge after Mystique because otherwise Raven will die (she does
not tell him that she knows that she herself will die because of this). She
tells him: "_Love_ her, Forge, as I have, with _all_ your heart. She deserves
no less. "
-- "My heart's spoken for, old woman. "
-- "Thus speaks on aware solely of the present. Who perhaps forgets, that for
all their passionate glory, it's the nature of _storms_ ever to pass."

Destiny wants Forge to feel a love for Mystique that she equates with her own
and which both she and Forge clearly understand to be more than friendship. If
she wanted him to be just friends with Raven, it would not be necessary to end
Forge's romance with Storm. Conversely, one can conclude that Destiny loved
Mystique more than just as a good friend.


7) UXM #265 (1990): 
FBI agent Reisz, taken over by Amahl Farouk, says: "I am primarily interested
in [Freedom Force's] leader, _Mystique_, and her leman, the precognitive
_Destiny_."

He went out and said it; seems CC slipped this one past the censors here;
perhaps they did not want to look up an archaic word:
"_leman,_ n. (arch.). Lover, sweetheart; unlawful lover or (usu., in mod.
archaistic use) mistress. (ME _leofmon_ (LIEF, MAN)]" (Concise Oxford
Dictionary)
"_leman_, n. [ME. _lemman, lefman < _lef_ dear (see LIEF) + _man_] [Archaic] a
sweetheart or lover (man or woman); esp., a mistress" (Webster's New World
Dictionary)


UXM #266 (1990):
Mystique at home, looking at a photograph of herself and Irene (spelled
Irenie) in younger years. In the photo, Mystique is dressed in men's clothes
and may in fact be in a male or androgynous shape (her hair is very short and
she does not seem to have any breasts at all). Destiny in the photo looks
quite young (maybe as young as 20? But it could also be somewhere in her 30s).


8) Not by Claremont but worth remembering:

X-Factor Annual #6 (1991):
Backup story _"Tribute the Third"_ written by Peter David
Raven on board a passenger ship, about to scatter Destiny's ashes. She opens a
letter Destiny left behind just for that occasion. It includes the ring Irene
inherited from her mother (which she puts on the little finger) and a photo of
the two taken when they went on a cruise together earlier. On that cruise
Destiny said: "Raven, when I am gone, it will eat away at you. Don't _let_ it.
You must do _then_ what you do not do enough _now_. You must _enjoy_ life. You
must _revel_ in it."
In the present, Raven reflects: "You got inside my head as nobody else did.
But you never made me _forget_ what a _rotten_ world this is. For all that you
_loved_ me, you _never_ made me laugh. And you left me behind, and I don't
know whether to _hate_ you or _love_ you. You were _always_ in my face.
_Always_ getting in my hair. But _not_ anymore. The love-hate relationship
ends now."