While most trace the origin of the modern superhero to the Manhattan Project disaster which transformed an ordinary man into the American Paradigm, some scholars believe that superheroes walked the world long before one man put on a mask and cape. Those individuals scour mythology and ancient legends, looking for grains of truth in stories about the supernatural. One particular myth has persisted through the centuries, beginning in the Middle Ages and continuing all the way to the modern day: the Destiny Entity.

Mysterious Origins

The superheroine known as Miss Destiny claims to be but the latest in a long line of hosts who have been empowered by the mysterious Destiny Entity: a magical force that gives select champions the power to fight as a force of justice. Miss Destiny refuses to elaborate much on the nature of the entity to the press, but rumor has it that it has existed for hundreds of years, with the legendary wizard Merlin possibly being either the originator of the magic or its first host.

The exact nature of the Destiny Entity, and how it interprets the idea of “justice,” is a subject of much debate among paranormal scholars. Those individuals have scoured history books, reading tales of wizards and possession, trying to discern which stories might be related to this figure and which ones are tall tales or hints about other supernatural beings.

The truth remains hotly debated, and Miss Destiny has shown no interest in adding clarity to the situation. When reporter Betsy Bryant asked her directly about her past, the superheroine stated, “The concept of past and present are malleable and not my concern. My attention lies in the present, and in the need for justice today.”

The Three Wizards

The heroine currently known as Miss Destiny is actually the third public figure to use that name. The original appeared in 1963, fighting crime alongside Paradigm, the Nuclear Man, when the cosmic beast known as Yog-Sothoth temporarily manifested in Masters City. A cheerful woman wearing a witch’s hat, she channeled her magical might through a broomstick.

Sadly, this Miss Destiny perished in 1979 from wounds sustained in battle against Morcar, a wizard who claimed to be the descendant of Morgan Le Fay. A new Miss Destiny appeared the very next year, but this woman was markedly different than the one the public had gotten to known over the previous decade and a half. Serious and humorless, seemingly afraid to show emotion lest she lose control of her powerful magic, this Miss Destiny claimed to be a reborn version of her predecessor but few could believe that they were the same person.

The new Miss Destiny used her spells to battle street-level criminals but disappeared for long stretches of time to face cosmic threats in different dimensions. Whether these missions did her in or not is anybody’s guess. After decades of fighting crime, the strange sorcereress vanished for over two years. When she came back, she was dramatically changed once again.

The new Miss Destiny joined the League of Liberty and remained an active member until its disbanding. Now dressed in thigh-high boots and a flared cape, she wields an assortment of magical artifacts and has only the smallest of irises in eyes that appear otherwise alien and white. While she claims to be empowered by the same Destiny Entity as before, few believe that she is truly the same woman who appeared on the streets of Masters City more than 60 years ago.

After the League of Liberty

The superhero world was shaken up immensely when the League of Liberty disbanded following a particularly trying battle against the supervillain Roosevelt Pythagoras. Many superheroes went underground, retired, or restricted their activities to one particular region. Miss Destiny was one of the few who did not, as were Paradigm and Captain Tomorrow.

In the years that followed, Miss Destiny concerned herself more and more with matters beyond Earth. Other dimensions took more of her attention, and she appeared mostly when asked for aid by one of her former allies. Even then, she rarely waited around for the press following a battle, disappearing as soon as she was able. Some speculate that this was a new Miss Destiny, albeit one less changed than her predecessors. Others simply feel that times have changed and superheroes have become more reserved than they used to be.

As Meddling Heroes begins, Miss Destiny is tapped by attorney Eva Corson to serve as a consultant who can watch Roosevelt Pythagoras as he tries to solve a bizarre time travel murder mystery. Does she share Eva’s desire to redeem the former villain, or is she playing another hand? Read Meddling Heroes and find out!

Image: Victoria Borodinova, Douglas Baulch, Alexander, Hentai Zen’nei (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)