While she was still a child, war erupted, forcing Crystal and her kinsmen to flee Attilan. Crystal passed through adolescence into young adulthood while wandering with her kinsmen through Asia, Europe, and finally America in search of Crystal's amnesiac sister Medusa. When they finally caught up with Medusa in New York, Medusa had sought refuge with the Fantastic Four, mistaking her kinsmen for her enemies. Crystal then met Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four and the two began a romantic relationship that survived Crystal's return to Attilan and a lengthy separation.

Crystal eventually returned to New York and served as a substitute member of the Fantastic Four during the Invisible Girl's first pregnancy and post-childbirth. Crystal was forced to return to Attilan when her health became impaired by prolonged exposure to pollutants in the atmosphere. However, enroute to Attilan, Crystal became a pawn in a plan by the alchemist Diablo, and then happened upon the mutant Quicksilver, who had been wounded in battle with the Sentinels. She brought Quicksilver back to Attilan, nursed him back to health, and became romantically involved with him. The Human Torch soon learned of Crystal's change in affections, and after a futile battle with Quicksilver, terminated his relationship with her. Crystal and Quicksilver were wed shortly thereafter, theirs being the first marriage between an Inhuman and a human (albeit a human mutant) in recorded history. Crystal and Quicksilver conceived a child, a girl bearing no apparent Inhuman or mutant characteristics, whom they named Luna after the world on which she was born. While Quicksilver wanted to exercise the father's right to have his child subjected to the Terrigen Mist, Crystal convinced him to let her grow up normal.

Eventually, Crystal and Quicksilver's marriage began to deteriorate, due to Quicksilver's temper, which may have been aggravated by the evil Inhuman, Maximus the Mad. Crystal left Quicksilver and Attilan with Luna and her nanny, Maya, and returned to the Fantastic Four. Although she searched for the relationship she once had with Johnny, he was then married. Dissatisfied, Crystal briefly had an affair with another man. Crystal returned to Attilan to deal with a crisis posed by Medusa and Black Bolt's child. Amidst the troubles, she and Quicksilver reconciled.

Later, the Inhumans were attacked by the alien Brethren, and Crystal sought out the Avengers for their help. Shortly there after she joined them, moving into the Avengers Mansion with Luna and nanny, Marilla. During her tenure with the Avengers, she developed a crush on teammate Dane Whitman (the Black Knight,) although she soon reconciled with Quicksilver yet again. Crystal was among the Avengers who seemingly sacrificed themselves to end the menace called Onslaught. Actually transported to a different reality created by Franklin Richards, Crystal was restored when the heroes returned.

When the heroes, who were believed dead, returned to Earth, Crystal and Quicksilver were reunited. Both helped the Avenges reassemble and accepted the status of reserve members. Crystal returned to Attilan, where she remained aside the Royal Family, raising Luna. Quicksilver would return to assist the Avengers on occasional missions.

Ealier, Quicksilver had revived the Knights of Wundagore (actually animals mutated into humanoids by the High Evolutionary) and encountered Black Knight and his hero team, the Heroes for Hire. The two would eventually fight over Crystal's affections, whereupon an embittered Crystal estranged herself from Quicksilver again.

Later, Crystal was on hand during the Inhuman's emmigration from the moon to the recently-raised continent of Atlantis. At this point, her relationship with Quicksilver was no longer strained, although the two would still spend large amounts of time apart.

More recently, the Inhumans were captured by the alien Kree, the original creators of the Inhumans. The Kree judge and warrior, Ronan the Accuser, hoped to use the Inhuman Royal Family to assassinate the Kree's enemy, the Shi'ar empress Lilandra. Black Bolt singlehandedly dueled and defeated Ronan, but the Inhumans turned away from him, deposing him by decree and exiling him. The Royal Family returned to Earth, monarchs with no people.

Crystal rejoined the Royal Family on their return to Earth. However, they were all met with a wave of xenophobia as every nation rejected the Family's appeals for sanctuary. In fact, the only nation offering the Inhumans a place in its lands was Latveria, ruled by the villain Doctor Doom, and the Inhumans reluctantly accepted.