Marvel Voices Calls Back to the Most Tragic Joke in X-Men History

Warning: The following contains spoilers for "Épée is Truth" from X-Men: The Wedding Special, available now from Marvel Comics.

Of all the mutant love stories to have played out in the pages of various Marvel Comics titles, few if any have been able to captivate fans quite like the decades-long relationship between Raven Darkhölme and Irene Adler, better known as Mystique and Destiny. Apart from all the pulse-pounding action they have been involved in, the two have also provided some of the most heartfelt moments in pop culture.

Rather than focusing on any overt action, however, "Épée is Truth" by Yoon Ha Lee and Stephen Byrne finds Mystique and Destiny facing a whole different kind of struggle in the form of a marriage counseling session led by none other than the White Queen herself - Emma Frost.

What begins as a relatively normal appointment quickly gives way to a battle of sabers, as the trio are transported to a psychic plane by Emma for an impromptu fencing session. During the fight, Emma pointedly asks Mystique if her wife is aware of everything she suffered in the aftermath of Destiny's death.

While Destiny lost her life in 1989's Uncanny X-Men #255 by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri, the impact of her demise continued to be explored for decades after. In fact, this was the entire crux of 1991's X-Factor Annual #6 in writer Peter David and artist Guang Yap's closing story, "Tribute the Third."

"Tribute the Third" brought Mystique back to the very same cruise ship that she had enjoyed a stay on years prior with her beloved. Or rather, that she had mostly enjoyed a stay on, as their experience wasn't exactly a happy one for Mystique. Though Destiny was more than happy to spend some quality time together on the high seas, the trip was a constant reminder to Mystique that her entire livelihood hinged on passing as human.

There isn't any doubt that Destiny understood where Mystique was coming from, nor that she was mindful of the ever-present threat her wife was constantly protecting herself from. At the same time, Destiny was looking forward to actually enjoying her time with Mystique, even if it meant hiding who they really were for a few days. Unsurprisingly, this didn't sit well with Mystique. Still, Destiny was only concerned with making her wife crack the smile she had spent so much time avoiding, and thanks to her powers, she knew exactly how to make that happen despite also knowing she wouldn't be there to see it for herself.

Upon her death, Destiny left Mystique her ring, the picture they took during their cruise, and a note outlining exactly where and when to spread her ashes. Obviously, this wasn't something Mystique was looking forward to, yet it was something she was willing to carry out nonetheless. Unfortunately for Mystique, there was no way she could have known that Destiny had looked into the future to find the exact moment when her ashes would be blown back by the wind, directly into her wife's face.

This resulted in Mystique being covered in Destiny's ashes in a moment of peak slapstick comedy. As much as Mystique may have wanted to curse her wife's name, she couldn't help but laugh at the absolute absurdity of it all. With that Destiny made good on her promise to make her wife laugh, albeit under some particularly heartbreaking circumstances.

Fortunately for both of them, death is hardly the end for most iconic comic book characters, and it was only a matter of time before Destiny was resurrected and reunited with her love. Of course, the circumstances of that resurrection were fraught with its own issues, but any potential consequences hardly mattered when Mystique was so desperate to hold her wife in her arms again.

Now that they are together again, not to mention that the war against the anti-mutant organization known as Orchis and the Dominion they created has finally been won, Mystiqe and Destiny finally have a chance to move past all the pain they dealt with the first time around. Better yet, now that Emma (or rather Loki in disguise) has helped them come to terms with their past, Mystique and Destiny have a brighter future than ever to look forward to. And, should that future ever prove to be more than one of them can handle, they can rest easy knowing that the other will be there to help them through anything and everything that comes their way.

Now that we've reached the end of this article, I'll ask you, dear reader... What is your favorite comic book power couple, and is there any defining moment in their relationship that I should cover in a similar article? Drop your answers in the comments, and thanks for reading.

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