The upcoming Immortal X-Men series will explore the histories and political destinies of each member of Krakoa's ruling Quiet Council, including the shape-shifting former villain Mystique and her long-time wife, the recently resurrected Destiny. Raven and Irene have both lived long and mysterious lives, and while their original creator always intended them to explicitly be a lesbian couple, their relationship has only been made canon recently.
Chris Claremont, who many view as the architect behind the X-Men brand, created many queer characters throughout his 16 years of writing X-Men in the 70s and 80s, but editorial decisions by then editor-in-chief of Marvel Jim Shooter led to Claremont being unable to explicitly out any of his LGBTQ+ characters. First introduced in 1978s Ms. Marvel #16, Mystique was created by Claremont and drawn by Dave Cockrum, before Destiny debuted in 1981's Uncanny X-Men #141, drawn by John Bryne. Claremont had always intended for Raven and Irene to be a couple and the adoptive parents of the young Rogue, but unfortunately, the two iconic women were not shown kissing until... 2019, in The History of the Marvel Universe #2.
While some comics have been able to explore how they became a couple, the current Krakoan Era, which has many explicitly LGBTQ+ characters, it is absolutely past due that the true history of these two is explored, without any blindfolds or thinly veiled homophobia. Thankfully the team of Kieron Gillen and Lucas Werneck will be doing a deep dive into each member of the Quiet Council, focusing on one member in each issue. Destiny and Mystique have been at the center of the major drama and intrigue on Krakoa over the past several months, with Destiny's resurrection leading directly to the fall of Moira of X and the end of Charles and Erik's stranglehold on Krakoan power. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, alongside some gorgeous textless preview images, Gillen had this to say about everyone's favorite lesbian power couple:
"Immortal X-Men for me is this love story of two women across time... Saying that Destiny is Mystique's moral compass is too simple, because that implies that morals are important," Gillen says. "But she is the object Mystique orients herself around. That's how I see it. She is of fundamental importance to Mystique, and vice versa."
Gillen's emphasis on how Mystique and Destiny are fundamental to each other is powerful considering how hard readers saw Mystique fight for Destiny's resurrection up until Inferno where she just couldn't take the waiting any longer. Destiny has been canonically dead for years, and since the late 80s in publishing history, so Mystique's desperation to be reunited with her lost love is more than reasonable. Gillen is a writer who has created and fleshed out relatable and honest portrayals of queer and trans folks for years, like in the pages of The Wicked + The Divine, Die, and in Young Avengers. In this way, Mystique and Destiny's story is in good hands, and the way that Gillen talks about the two makes it clear that he is dedicated to telling their full story, with their truth, for the first time on page.
Over the years readers have seen small glimpses into their past, like showing how Mystique would shift into a man so they could dance in public together, but hopefully, Immortal X-Men will show a more encompassing history of their time together as partners before Destiny's death at the hands of Legion. They were both born in the 1800s, so their issue of Immortal X-Men has plenty of history to cover. Not only are Raven and Irene an iconic queer couple, but they are also major political powerhouses on the nation of Krakoa, so make sure to pick up Gillen and Werneck's Immortal X-Men #1 by Marvel Comics when it debuts on March 30th 2022.
Source: Entertainment Weekly