Selene was born 17,000 years ago in central Europe, "After the Oceans swallowed Atlantis" and "Before the rise of the sons of Aryas". Selene's mother was young when she bore her, but would be dead before Selene spoke her first words. The tribal elders ordered her mother's people to sacrifice themselves to Selene until none remained. They thus gave her sustenance and her name.
She was an old enemy of sorcerer Kulan Gath.
During the times of the Roman Empire, Selene began plotting to sacrifice the entire population of Rome in a ceremony that would grant her godlike power. To further this scheme, she recruited Eliphas, a respected Roman senator, who was unaware that he had been brought to power by people who wished to use him. After his fall from grace, Selene came to him, offering him her eternal love and immortality - if he helped her sacrifice the countless souls of Rome. She instructed her pawn to draw symbols around the city in his own blood for the ritual.
However, Eliphas performed a small act of compassion by telling a slave girl he had previously saved from starvation what was going to happen. Her father informed the authorities, who captured both Eliphas and Selene and sentenced them to be burned at the stake. Selene awoke before it could happen and set the flames back against their would-be executioners. Furious at Eliphas for seemingly betraying her, she took his life-force and transformed him into a vampire-like creature, vowing that he would never see her again.
Selene posed as an Incan in the hidden city of Nova Roma in Brazil and found worshippers as the Dark Priestess. She was discovered by the New Mutants trying to sacrifice Amara Aquilla, and learned for the first time that other beings with powers existed. Sunspot imprisoned her, but Selene escaped soon thereafter. Intrigued by seeing the young heroes use their powers, Selene traveled to New York City. In New York, Selene seduced Cain Marko in a bar, hoping to absorb his life force, but was indirectly prevented by the X-Men who happened upon Rachel Summers when sensing her immense power. She attempted to drain her life-force, but was stopped by the X-Men.
Soon after, Selene became interested in the Hellfire Club and tried to join its Inner Circle with help from her worshiper Friedrich von Roehm. Sensing Rachel Summers and Magma nearby, she defeated them and offered them as gifts to the Club. While the adolescents were rescued by the X-Men, Selene was admitted and given the position of Black Queen. However, it was clear that Sebastian Shaw was frightened by the witch despite their association. Selene developed a rivalry with the White Queen Emma Frost.
When Kulan Gath transformed all of Manhattan into a Hyborian Age land, Selene was unaffected by the dark sorcerer's spell. It was revealed that she was an old enemy of Gath: the two had feuded long ago during the actual Hyborian Age. Selene's spells caused Storm and Callisto to remember Gath was an enemy, eventually leading to his defeat.
Rachel Summers plotted to kill Selene and the other members of the Hellfire Club after recovering the memories of the Phoenix Force, whom she believed to be her mother. Having drained the X-Men's life-forces temporarily to battle the Beyonder, the spirit of Wolverine was drawn into her dreams, where he learned her intentions. Rachel confronted Selene in her room at the club, and was about to kill her when Wolverine arrived. He tried to reason with the young X-Man, and when she attempted to carry on, he stabbed her through the heart with his claws, saving Selene.
Joined by Sebastian Shaw, Harry Leland, and Friedrich von Roehm, Selene sought revenge for Rachel's attack. Encountering the X-Men in Central Park, the two groups clashed, even though the Hellfire Club were outnumbered by the heroes. Selene proved herself in combat by disintegrating Rogue's gloves as she tried to save Colossus from Leland's density-altering power.
To both teams' surprise, the time-displaced mutant hunter Nimrod appeared, declaring that they were all viable targets.[19] Within moments the robot had vaporized von Roehm and proceeded to attack the others, leading to Nightcrawler being shocked and Shaw being launched into the upper atmosphere. Combining their efforts, the Hellfire Club and X-Men were able to defeat Nimrod. Leland used his power to change Shaw's orbit-bound course, while Selene animated power cables to restrain the advanced Sentinel. Even with the Black King smashing into Nimrod at terminal velocity and Wolverine poised to slash apart the exposed internal systems, the mutant hunter was still able to teleport to safety. Having exerted his power to its limit, Harry Leland died. The two groups parted amicably, willing to cooperate in the future.
Selene was present at a party held in the Club, where Magneto became White King to the Inner Circle and his students the New Mutants were invited. She tried to intimidate Amara by revealing to have killed her mother. She also revealed to be Amara's ancestor. It remains unconfirmed.
At this time, Selene had great plans concerning Nova Roma. Also, she tried with Shaw, Frost, and Magneto to save Amara, kidnapped by the High Evolutionary's spires.
During the Inferno event, she tried with the others to control Magik's power for their own interests. However, this was prevented by the New Mutants. Magneto and Shaw left their positions.
Selene remained active in the Club. She had a confrontation with the Skeleton Crew, trying to steal weapon equipment from the club, indirectly prevented by Captain America and Diamondback.
Over time, Selene's ambition grew and she arranged for the assassination of her fellow Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club. She created a hunting club of rich, bored mutants called the Upstarts, coordinated by the omnipath Gamesmaster to hunt and kill Hellfire Club members for sport. Selene lost control of the Upstarts, however, as Gamesmaster continued to moderate the game without her approval, and the Upstart Trevor Fitzroy captured and tortured her as part of the Hellfire hunt.
Selene was critically wounded by Fitzroy's trap and barely escaped. She spent some time recuperating in Paris, where she eventually found and seduced Madelyne Pryor into her employ. Selene found a way to rejuvenate herself by stalking and killing her fellow Externals, draining their life essences. She and Sebastian Shaw later formed an uneasy alliance and reclaimed control of the Hellfire Club from Shinobi Shaw, Sebastian's son and one of Selene's former Upstarts.
After Sebastian lost interest in the Club, Selene tried to reform the Inner Circle with demonic help, bringing Mephisto's son Blackheart in as her new Black King. Her efforts were opposed by the Son of Satan and the Fantastic Four. She also attempted to coerce Roberto Da Costa into the Club as her Black Rook. Selene lost control of the Club, however, and was condemned to a shadowy existence bound within the borders of the Club mansion. She later battled Storm's team of X-Men as they sought out her ally Donald Pierce.
Eliphas, changing his name to Eli Bard, searched the world for Selene, despite the curse she placed on him. He eventually found her in Nova Roma, but was too scared to approach her. He planned on completing her original plan from a few thousand years ago, by sacrificing thousands of Purifiers for her. However, he changed his plan when he saw the Technarchy's abilities to reanimate the dead. He resurrected an Apache tribe he slaughtered many decades ago, including Caliban, whom he presented to Selene as his gift, to find all the mutants in the world as her army and sacrifice, which Selene gladly accepted.
To help her collect all the deceased mutants in the world and claim their souls, Selene gathered mutants with deadly abilities, including Wither, Senyaka, Blink, Mortis, and of course Eliphas. They traveled around the world, reanimating long dead friends and foes of the X-Men, before journeying finally to Genosha, where 16 million mutants had been killed by Wild Sentinels sent by Cassandra Nova.
Selene sent her reanimated slaves to attack the X-Men on Utopia. While the X-Men were occupied defending themselves from foes and friends long lost, Selene ordered Eliphas to reanimate all the deceased mutants of Genosha; because of M-Day, however, only a million or less of the 16 million mutants on Genosha had retained their abilities.
With a million mutant souls ready to be offered to her, she sent her Inner Circle to collect the mystical knife needed to make the ritual work. Selene's Inner Circle attacked Utopia and killed Onyxx, Diamond Lil, and Meld. They managed to return with the knife and capture Warpath in the process. As Selene commanded her Inner Circle to prepare the ritual, X-Force arrived at Genosha and tried to stop the ritual, but they were too late to prevent Selene absorbing the reanimated souls of a million mutants and ascending to godhood.
During her ascension, X-Force attacked her Inner Circle, killing Senyaka and Wither (Eliphas had been killed by Selene earlier). Selene, now a goddess, was then alone against X-Force, and Warpath managed to stab Selene in the heart with the same knife used to perform the ritual. Selene exploded, and it was presumed that she died.
It was later revealed that Selene's body and soul had been preserved as airborne particles and somehow stored in stasis in a vault located somewhere in New York City. Lady Deathstrike and the Enchantress gained access to the vault, and through the newly enhanced magic granted to Deathstrike by the sentient virus, Arkea, she was able to fully restore Selene to physical life for the purpose of adding her to the newly-formed Sisterhood of Mutants.
Selene was confronted alongside Madelyne Pryor and Arkea by Storm and Rachel Summers. However, because Selene and Madelyne did not particularly care for her, they took Storm's offer to let them go in exchange for Arkea.
In the aftermath of Hydra's takeover Selene had publicly become the head of the White House's Task Force of Faith-Based Initiatives, and joined the Power Elite. She also assisted Alexa Lukin in the resurrection of Alexa's husband Alexander Lukin; however with the mind of the Red Skull.
After stealing part of Sharon Carter's soul, Captain America, Falcon, Winter Soldier, Princess Aja-Adanna, and the Daughters of Liberty assaulted her and her 'christian' group of controlled workers. Selene was ultimately defeated by Sharon Carter in Iron Patriot Armor.
Selene was eventually welcomed to the new mutant island of Krakoa, created by Xavier, Magneto, and Moira X. She entered through the teleportation gateway alongside other villainous and fractious mutants, who had been invited to join the nation in order to heal mutantdom and start over as a whole species together.
Selene was tasked by Xavier, alongside Emplate, with measuring the amount of psychic energy that Krakoa would take from its inhabitants. A similar protocol was put in place for her as she also needed to feed on mutants for survival.
Apocalypse eventually summoned all the Externals through their shared psychic link to the Eternal Caldera of Krakoa. When Apocalypse arrived, and revealed his plans for them, Selene allied herself with Apocalypse and Rictor as they sacrificed Crule, Nicodemus, Saul, and Candra. Selene defended Rictor and Apocalypse against Absalom, who was left alive but drained. Selene and Gideon, together with a coerced Absalom, then helped Apocalypse to finish the ritual and transform the fallen Externals' bones into a gateway to Otherworld.
Mastermind invited Selene along to the Technology TALKS. After realizing Monet had been captured and the presentation was failing, Selene found Monet and took down Sara St. John, who was holding her captive. She joined the board of X-Corp soon after. Monet and Selene then worked together to take out X-Corp's competition, Noblesse.
Following Magneto's departure from the Quiet Council, Selene declared her candidacy. She argued that the council had failed to replace the previously departed Apocalypse, and that the council would need her experience with immortality, knowledge of magic, and vast powers in the days to come. Her pitch was interrupted by Hope Summers, who also declared her candidacy and insisted that the council would have no choice but to give her the vacant seat as the Five were too important and popular to deny representation. To counter Hope's threats, Selene threatened to disrupt the External Gate, constructed from her fellow Externals' bones.
The council eventually chose to grant Hope the vacant seat, prompting Selene to make good on her promise and re-animate the External gate as a giant monstrosity, which proceeded to attack the council members. Selene retreated to Coven Akkaba and awaited the inevitable moment when the Council would come crawling back for her help. Instead, Destiny aided Hope in assassinating Selene. She was immediately resurrected, and in her newborn state of weakness, Exodus telepathically overwhelmed her and had her undo the spell before snapping her neck.
