Adam Destine was born Adam of Ravenscroft, a Saxon under Norman rule of England during the 1100's. As a youth, he was working on his family's lands when he fell from a great height onto a scythe. He was believed to have suffered a mortal injury, but instead recovered after meeting a genie, a creature of pure magic, in a near-death encounter and receiving her loving touch. Believed to be blessed for a great destiny, he was given the name Adam Destine. Later, he joined Richard the Lionheart's Crusade in the Holy Lands and impressed into military service, where he soon became the champion of many battles.

At one point, Adam was captured by Arabian nomads who knew of Adam's destiny. They hoped he might free them from the sorcerer Sujanaa min Raghbah, who used a mystic gem to empower his regime over Persian lands. Adam ultimately confronted Sujanaa, killing him, but was betrayed by the Arabian nomad who first contacted him. In his dying moments, Adam destroyed the mystic gem, which was in reality a prison trapping the genie whom he had fallen in love with. The genie restored Adam and blessed him with powers of invulnerability and immortality, so that they would never be apart again.

From this union, children would be born, each blessed with great power and living an extended lifespan due to their heritage. Although not truly on the same plane of existence, Adam's love has contacted him periodically, and over the years, delivered him dozens of children. Dubbed the ClanDestine, many would stay with Adam in their ancestral home, Ravenscroft Manor in England, living a happy life.

Ultimately, however, their happiness was shattered sometime in the 1970's by Adam's son Vincent. Although the details remain unknown, Vincent's treacherous deeds quickly forced the family to become divided. Adam felt he was ultimately forced to kill Vincent. Some members sided with Adam, and others were directly opposed to his actions. With Vincent dead, Adam fled from Earth entirely, distraught over his actions and the family woes.

Eventually, the Destine children on Earth drifted apart, creating separate identities to avoid compromising questions or falling victim to bigotry and hatred born from fear. This kept a period of stability for the family, as each remained in the life he or she created, maintaining limited contact with the rest of the family.

In recent years, Adam's twins Rory and Pandora had their powers develop early. Creating heroic identities for themselves, they performed many acts of heroism until one such adventure caused the existence of the family to be discovered. This led to a chain of events that caused the murder of many Destine family members, which Adam's lover allowed him to glimpse so that he may return to Earth. About the same time, Adam was happened upon by the alien Silver Surfer, who helped convinced Adam to return and aided him with his powers. Adam arrived in time to band with others of the family in stopping the threat to themselves, and afterward chose to remain with the family at Ravenscroft Manor once more.