Samantha Destine aka Argent

Background

Powers and Abilities

Being a scion of an immortal and a djinn, Samantha was born with several mystical gifts. One of these is an extended lifespan. If her life isn’t ended prematurely through violence or accident, she can expect to live for centuries. She should retain most of her physical strength and vigor over that span.

In addition, Samantha has a unique ability to generate and manipulate a metallic ectoplasmic substance. The actual source of the material is unrevealed at this time, but it can be assumed to be extra-dimensional .

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In any case, the substance can be made as flexible or as rigid as she so desires. The substance is presumably as durable as the strongest man-made metals in existence (short of adamantium ).

In combative situations, Samantha will fashion her ectoplasmic metal into swords, shields and/or a protective suit of armour that fully encases her body. When fashioned into armour, the metal retains its durability. Yet, it doesn’t constrict or hamper Samantha’s movement at all.

The armour in itself has astounding properties, the least of which is that it acts as a second skin, with a sense of touch similar to Samantha’s own flesh.

History

Before the twins (Rory and Pandora) were born, Samantha Destine was the youngest of the Destine clan. She was born in the early 1950s, and graduated from college in 1972. Samantha’s youth, and relative low-key upbringing, resulted in her living a relatively “adventure” free lifestyle in Perpignan , France.

She achieved some success as an metal working artist while living there. She was working under the alias of Samantha Hassard when the family’s modern day troubles began.

The hunt for the Gryphon

Samantha was ambushed in her home by a trio of mutated beings that were sent to retrieve the Gryphon, an object that she had never heard of. Samantha’s martial prowess allowed her to easily dispatch her foes. When she made contact with her older brother Walter, she realized that the entire family was under attack.

Samantha rushed off to Barcelona to rendevous with her sister Cuckoo. The two pieced together what was going on. Apparently, the young Destine twins (Rory and Pandora) had inadvertantly revealed the existence of the family while intervening in a battle between the scientific organization A.I.M. and lackeys of the mutated being Lenz.

The twins tried to stop them by taking the object of their dispute, the Gryphon, but soon fled the scene. Pandora’s cape was torn off and then retrieved after the battle. Due to a label sewn into the fabric, this led to the death of several family members.

Family reunion

The two sister’s returned to Ravenscroft (their ancestral home) and reunited with their other siblings (only Albert and William were absent). As a family, they confronted Lenz in his own lair. The fight went poorly, but the timely arrival of the children’s father, Adam, turned the tables and resulted in Lenz’s defeat.

With Adam’s return, and the sudden exposure of the Relative Stranger protocol, Samantha decided to remain in Ravenscroft with the rest of her siblings. Their goal was to regroup, and plan their next actions.

When her sister, Cuckoo, travelled to America to reclaim her lost fortune, Samantha went with her. Thus, she was caught up in a failed attempt on Cuckoo’s life. To her surprise, her young siblings Rory and Pandora arrived with Spider-Man (no less) in tow and prevented the assassin from fulfilling his contract.

Samantha was also present when the demon Synraith made it’s final push for a return to the earthly plane. She was further present for the brief misunderstanding that occurred between the Clan and the X-Men before the demon was finally defeated.

Description

Samantha is a tall, statuesque, full-bodied woman with long auburn hair that falls far below her shoulders. Her expression tends to be a severe one, with little emotion expressed under normal circumstances.

When unarmored, Samantha usually dresses in casual yet practical clothing. She tends to trend towards the warmer colours, sticking with softer browns and greens that seem to compliment her hair and eyes.

When armored up Samantha’s body is coated in a thin, yet durable, layer of a silvery metallic substance. The design of the armor is constantly in flux as it is an unconscious expression of her artistic mind and reacts to her thoughts.

She often transforms the portions of the armor around her hands into razor sharp weapons in order to increase her effectiveness in combat.

Personality

Samantha is unlike most of her siblings. She is the quiet one, and can appear to be aloof and brooding. She reserves her laugther and even smiles for her younger siblings, and doesn’t usually take part in the usual family bickering.

She does however, have a strong opinion on what is right and wrong. And Samantha isn’t afraid to vocalize these thoughts. She openly chastises her much older sister Kay over her perceived misuse of her gifts.

Despite her relative youth, Samantha seems to have adopted the “warrior” role in the family. She is fierce in combat and is usually standing shoulder to shoulder with her much larger brother Walter. Neither is likely to back down. Her own father has commented, with surprise, on her overall fierceness in combat.

Finally, Samantha is one of the children who disagree with Adam’s decision to kill Vincent and despite her obvious affection for him, clearly resents him for his actions. Time will only tell if she can ever bring herself to forgive him.

Quotes

“Sorry to disappoint you… But when I fought your advance guard, I simply generated a single sword. I am capable of far more… as you can see.”

“Let’s see how they fare against my metallic ectoplasm… the razor-sharp kind.”

Adam: “Samantha ! I never realized you had become so ferocious while I was away.”
Samantha: “Not really. I simply discovered that I HATE squirmy slimy things.”

“So we’re teleporting blind, again. Last time we were nearly killed because of our ‘softly softly’ approach. This time we should go in prepared. Ready for a fight. Whatever we’re up against started this feud… but we’re going to finish it.”

Samantha: “My power has made me grow apart from ordinary people.”
Gambit: “Don’ tell me y’prefer metal t’flesh.”
Samantha: “It has a pure strength and a beauty that can make flesh seem… repulsive.”

DC Universe History

The clan is such a minor group within the Marvel Universe, they could conceivably be inserted wholesale into the DC universe with very little modifications to their backstory.

Instead of encountering the Inhumans, they could have encountered the Amazons or some far flung group of Legionnaires on a trip to the past. Lenz could have been created by Intergang or Professor Ivo or even been one of Luthor’s experiments.

By Bryan Gittens.

Source of Character: Alan Davis’ Clan Destine published by Marvel Comics.

Helper(s): Sébastien’s Armor writeup.