Marvel Explained: Who are ClanDestine, ‘Ms. Marvel’s New Djinn Adversaries?
The MCU’s newest bad team to beat is ClanDestine, immortal Djinn with cosmic powers. Who are these baddies in the Marvel comics universe?
Fans of the Ms. Marvel comic have been wondering how the new MCU show would change Kamala’s Khan’s power source since the first trailer. In this week’s episode, we got an answer in the form of a comic book team out of left field. But it actually makes perfect sense when you know about ClanDestine’s origins.
Created by: Alan Davis
First appearance: Marvel Comics Presents #158 (1994)
First Thing, What are Djinn?
Jinn, or djinn, are what you might know as the westernized “genie”. Djinn are mythological spirit-creatures of pre-Islamic lore. The tales of djinn have continued as cultural and religious beliefs of the Middle East and Northern Africa have changed. For this reason, you’ll find some details about djinn change by region or faith.
The idea of djinn laying in wait for a person to release them from a lamp is a more Westernized concept. But Djinn are thought to be a shapeshifting predecessor to the concept of “demons”, even though Djinn are traditionally not thought to be inherently good or evil.
Djinn were often depicted as humans with animal heads, features, or feet. Kitāb al-Bulhān or Book of Wonders, 14th Century
There are so many fascinating and thrilling stories about Djinn. Many are still passed down between generations or whispered between friends. If sitting in the dark and listening to spooky stories and historical Islamic lore sounds like a few hours well spent, I highly recommend The Hidden Djinn podcast from Grim & Mild.
Okay, So Who are the ClanDestine?
ClanDestine is actually a family name. In the 12th century, there lived a man named Adam. As a young man in England, he recovered from a major injury with the help of a vision of a woman. As an adult, he joined the Third Crusade, and managed to come out of it without a scratch – once again, he credited his mysterious woman figure in his dreams.
One day, Adam was captured by a clan leader in order to defeat a local sorcerer who was abusing the power of a magic gem in order to rule over Persia. In the ensuing battle, Adam used his dying breath to smash the magical gem. In doing so, he released the Djinn Elalyth, and wouldn’t you know it? She was the magical dream-lady who’d been protecting him! For a first date, Elalyth brought him back to life, healed all his wounds, and made him immortal.
ClanDestine is, essentially, their family. And they had so, so many kids. I mean, they’re immortal and in love, I guess 20 over the course of 9 centuries are actually very reasonable odds.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Clan Destine, Ms. Marvel, & the MCU
In this week’s episode of Ms. Marvel, we found out that Namja, Kamran, and their kitchen full of friends are all Djinn. And so was Kamala’s great-grandmother Aisha. The cuff she wears helps to channel and amplify her powers. Before deciding on a dime to attack Kamala and demand she return them to her home dimension, Namja casually mentions that her group is also known as ClanDestine, a name drop out of the 1990s.
What is the Noor Dimension?
In the MCU, the Aisha, Namja, and the rest of the Djinn come from another dimension called the Noor dimension, or the Light Dimension. We don’t know a lot about the Noor dimension from the comics. It’s filled with an abundance of photon energy, and was once used to create a new Captain Marvel. Hello, Easter Egg!
Ms. Marvel is clearly breaking new ground with a lot of character back stories. And we’re loving the new life it’s breathing into a very old superhero team. We can’t want to find our more about Djinn magic in next week’s episode.
A new episode of ‘Ms. Marvel’ premieres on Wednesdays on Disney+.
