"I am Destiny. I wish for nothing. I know. What must happen will happen. That's how it is." ― Destiny
Destiny is the first and eldest of the Endless, and the personification of destiny. As the universe came into being, so it would be that it would come to its inevitable future, its end.
He was played by Adrian Lester.
History[]
Orpheus Wedding[]
As Orpheus's paternal uncle, Destiny/Potmos is present at his wedding to Eurydice, but claims that he had no need to wish them anything, since he already knew what would happen after the ceremony.
Family Reunion[]
Destiny decides to summon his entire family after receiving a visit from the Fates in his garden, who deliver a prophecy:
“A king will abandon his kingdom. Life and death will clash once again. The oldest battle begins anew.”
Following this prophecy, Destiny gathers the Endless in his domain, the Garden of Forking Paths. All family members are present except for Destruction, who abandoned his role long ago. During this meeting, tensions between the family members resurface, especially between Dream and Desire. Delirium, for her part, expresses concern about Destruction’s absence.
Visited by his siblings[]
After reconciling with Delirium, whom he had lied to, Dream offers to resume their search for Destruction with her, but to limit themselves to the other Endless, since all the others close to Destruction they wanted to interview were dead. To this end, Dream and Delirium visit Destiny, but the latter advises them to abandon their "mad undertaking" and return to their Realms. Dream intends to keep his promise to Delirium, but Destiny explains that it would be "unwise" to answer their request, as another path might appear in her Garden. Dream asks his question again, so Destiny repeats what Ishtar had said before she died: Dream and Delirium would need an oracle to find Destruction. Dream claims not to know of any oracle who could speak of the Endless, but Destiny claims that, on the contrary, there was one that Dream had "dismissed from his memory": Orpheus, Dream's son with Calliope. At her words, Dream asks what Cosmic Log says about Orpheus, but Destiny firmly refuses to say more and "begs" Dream and Delirium to return to their Realms. Dream understands that Destiny "knew everything from the beginning," namely that the Grey Women's prophecy, Nada's rejection, and the search for Destruction would inevitably lead to Orpheus, but Destiny replies that from now on, Dream's future would depend solely on him. Dream also understands that Destiny had the same premonition as Orpheus before his marriage to Eurydice.
As Dream reflects on how he abandoned his son after his beheading by the Bacchae, Delirium demands to know what Destiny told him. Destiny replies that it had nothing to do with her, but Delirium becomes angry and asks Destiny if he knew why she stopped being "Delight." At Destiny's silence, Delirium sneers, saying that if even his Cosmic Log couldn't "tell him everything," he'd better remember that there would always be ways out of his Garden.
Before they leave, Destiny warns Dream and Delirium that those who seek destruction will always find it. In response, Dream says goodbye, and Destiny says goodbye too.
Dream's Funeral[]
To be added
Personality[]
Destiny is a reserved, stoic, and often perceived as aloof character. He rarely intervenes in his siblings' affairs, preferring to watch events unfold as fate dictates. His calm nature and apparent indifference may make him appear insensitive, but above all, he embodies the notion of inevitability and control. Due to this, Destiny has shown to typically follow the instructions in his book to guide his actions and rarely, if not at all, chooses to go against what it written in it.
As shown, despite being mostly stoic and distant towards his siblings, Destiny does harbor some care and fondness for them and is implied to be the only beings he feel that he is genuinely close to. This is shown in the family meeting he called, Destiny diffused the fight between Dream and Desire and prevented it from escalating and discourages his siblings from fighting one another. As the eldest of the Endless, Destiny was implied to be the more mature and responsible one out of his siblings.
Later, his care for his siblings was shown once again when Dream and Delirium approached him to help find Destruction. Destiny notably tried to dissuade his younger siblings from continuing their quest, likely because he knew all too well the consequences of giving them the information they needed—both what would happen to Dream during the journey and what would follow once it was completed. Despite his role as the impartial observer of fate, Destiny cares enough about his family to try to convince his brother to abandon the search, knowing it would ultimately lead to his downfall.
In his his relationship with his younger sister Death, Destiny has shown to be mildly annoyed by Death’s easy going attitude and he believes that she should appear more mature as the second oldest, as shown when he criticized her to wear a more formal outfit instead of her casual one when he calls family meetings. In comparison, Destiny has shown to be slightly less severe to his other younger siblings, allowing Desire and Delirium's more eccentric tastes and styles.
Destiny is also the only one of his siblings who has a positive and close relationship with his parents. As Time considers him his favorite son due to respecting his privacy and leaving him alone and Destiny is the only one of his siblings to consistently visit and talk to their mother, Night.
Physical Appearance[]
Destiny, the eldest of the Endless in The Sandman universe, appears cloaked in a long, dark robe with a hood that partially shadows his face, enhancing his aura of mystery and solemnity. In his arms, he holds a massive, ancient book bound by a chain—the Book of Destiny—which is forever attached to him and contains the fate of all things.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Personification of Destiny: One of the seven Endless, inconceivably powerful beings, Destiny is both lord and personification of all destiny and freedom. As the personification of Destiny, Destiny has divine, omnipotent authority and absolute control over it and is linked to everything related to it. As stated by many, including his own siblings, Destiny is essentially omniscient and due to his role in maintaining the universe, Destiny is almost completely omnipotent.
- Omniscience/Omnipresence: As the very embodiment of destiny, Destiny exists simultaneously in all places and at all times. Bound to the Great Book that records all that has been, is, and will be, he possesses unparalleled knowledge of the cosmos. He can appear wherever he wishes — on Earth, in the Dreaming, or within his own Garden — with complete ease and instantaneity, guided not by his will, but by inevitability Destiny is aware of multiple possibilities that can occur simultaneously. He perceives all these potential paths at once, like numerous possible futures. However, when choices are made, and the course of events is sealed and set in stone, the other destinies dissolve. Only one reality then persists, representing the final fate of events. As Dream pointed out when Delirium spoke of the many Destinies, each of them addresses different possibilities. Thus, the advice they give can ultimately influence the final outcome, shaping the ultimate destiny.
- Vast Knowledge: Destiny knows all there is of the past, present and future, which is all written in his book. Destiny's Book of Souls is essentially constantly changing and being rewritten, as the book itself is not actually predetermined, but rather is continuously changing as the book follows the choices of the beings written within it (All living/sentient life in the universe) and records them as it writes down the subsequent consequences and after effects of the choices made and how it will effect the future of the universe.
- Immortality: Destiny, like the rest of his family, is ageless and virtually immortal. Even should Destiny be killed, he will simply reincarnate in a different aspect of himself, passing on his memories, powers and function to them.
Weaknesses[]
- Ancient Rules: Despite his great powers, Destiny, like the rest of the Endless, was bound to a complex set of rules and customs.
- One requires him to never spill the blood of family or he is no longer protected as the personification of Destiny from other Personifications.
- Another is that he cannot fall in love with a mortal or the mortal's downfall is assured.
- Destiny cannot take a mortal life unless they become a active threat to himself and his realm.
- Respect roles and domains. Each Endless embodies a specific concept and must stick to their own domain. Should Destiny leave and abandon his role, the aspect of existence supervised by him becomes more random and chaotic, disrupting the cosmic order.
Gallery[]
