Illyana Rasputin: Magik Appreciation 2019

[pandafarmer]

Thanks sungila, Always a treat to read your musings.

My reason for loving that art was I had quit reading comic books after Yana and Pitor died because they were two of my favorites and it wasn't like it is today where the dead characters usually crop back after 6-12 issues. When Joss Wheadon's Astonishing came out it was enough to bring me back to read that run along with Morrison's and House Of M. I was shocked to see Yana "back" in the House books and eventually that led me to find out about Exiles when she made that brief appearance. Then I got busy and didn't want to spend all that money staying current with X-Books... little did I know I was literally months away from the Quest For Magik storyline that likely would have kept me along reading.

When I got back in the third time it was a year or two ago. I forget how it happened, but in my news feed that picture showed up and my jaw dropped. Wait... that's an X-Men book... that can only be... IT IS!

I read all of Bendis's run and then used Marvel Unlimited to go back and re-read the entire X-catalog to tie up all those loose ends (not just with her, but with EVERYONE I adored back in the Claremont days). As unpopular as the run is to most people, I adore it for the respect Bendis has for the character, her interactions with Emma and Scott, and the feeling that she had indeed "grown up." That issue where her and Emma bring Benjamin Deeds to the casino to test his powers is just golden.

So yeah, I got the tattoo this year to celebrate my coming back to "the family." I get to meet Bachalo at a local comic con next month and I'm absolutely going out of my mind and can't wait to thank him for giving such unique style to these books.

[H-E-D]

My favorite Magik storyline is probably Gillen's. I don't know how hardcore Magik fans generally feel about that one though.

[Andru]

My favorite Magik storyline is probably Gillen's. I don't know how hardcore Magik fans generally feel about that one though.

I would be interested to hear why Gillen's is your favorite. His Magik was mostly background & a vehicle for Colossus' transformation into Juggernaut.

[H-E-D]

I would be interested to hear why Gillen's is your favorite. His Magik was mostly background & a vehicle for Colossus' transformation into Juggernaut.

Well, as Gillen put it, it was a Magik story that you had to wait until the end to realize it was her story. I suppose YMMV as to whether he was successful in that endeavor.

[Woozie]

Favorite Magik story has gotta be X-infernus.

[G0RM]

My favorite Magik storyline is probably Gillen's. I don't know how hardcore Magik fans generally feel about that one though.

I loved Zebb Wells through AvX: Consequences as a single arc of Darkchilde triumphant, but parts stretched to the end of Bendis & Secret Warriors as the rebirth and rise of "The Nice One" (the less said of Lemire, the better)

I'm a Magik conspiracy theorist, and personally believe that after finishing off the Elder Gods, her interactions from the bomb jacket until Dormammu and Strange were all a twisted attempt to surround herself with broken people, people she would have something in common with.

Not everyone agrees, but I see both Cyttorak and the Phoenix as being elements Illyana manipulated to be passed on to others so they would better understand her hesitant, tainted omnipotence, possibly extending to the Black Vortex, where even Kitty got a taste of absolute power. (See "Cosmic Girl Talk" by Dhalpin3)

[H-E-D]

I didn’t really like how Magic and Colossus made up. It didn’t feel earned, and it’s not where I would’ve wanted it to go anyways.

I like the idea that Magik was willing to destroy her relationship with Piotr in order to get him to understand she wasn’t a precious, innocent little girl anymore. “There are no snowflakes in hell”. It was a twisted, fascinating reveal.

[G0RM]

I didn’t really like how Magic and Colossus made up. It didn’t feel earned, and it’s not where I would’ve wanted it to go anyways.

I like the idea that Magik was willing to destroy her relationship with Piotr in order to get him to understand she wasn’t a precious, innocent little girl anymore. “There are no snowflakes in hell”. It was a twisted, fascinating reveal.

Piotr just spent a long time in a cave until he saw that Illyana was right.
(Being 'distracted' by Domino probably helped.)

[Fokken]

Soul-starved Yana from Zeb Wells run is probably my favorite most recent iteration.

He really mined her history to inform how he'd write her behavior, especially as this forcibly resurrected simulacrum.
There was a heavy lean into the creepy -- with the way she spoke and what she'd speak about -- like she was detached or preoccupied (understandably so, when the run finished) and eerily impersonating human behavior while casually weaving her manipulations and machinations.
She came across as a sociopath which was really entertaining to read in conjunction with the varied peer reception. Some hated her. Some feared her. Some were desperate to protect and defend her. Some refused to accept her.

Adding in Doug's resurrection and the subsequent next-level-language-reading, she and her interactions with those around her became even more interesting.

[sungila]

Soul-starved Yana from Zeb Wells run is probably my favorite most recent iteration.

He really mined her history to inform how he'd write her behavior, especially as this forcibly resurrected simulacrum.
There was a heavy lean into the creepy -- with the way she spoke and what she'd speak about -- like she was detached or preoccupied (understandably so, when the run finished) and eerily impersonating human behavior while casually weaving her manipulations and machinations.
She came across as a sociopath which was really entertaining to read in conjunction with the varied peer reception. Some hated her. Some feared her. Some were desperate to protect and defend her. Some refused to accept her.

Adding in Doug's resurrection and the subsequent next-level-language-reading, she and her interactions with those around her became even more interesting.

Well writ Fokken.

My fav Magik storylines don't go explaining everything about her...sorta what I really liked about the overall so so Dead Souls was the the way that so-so-ness kind of blurred out the setting (depressed it) so that Illyana was kind of forced to the foreground...hmmm, it's like when she's not in Limbo...but of Limbo...from there. You know?

The bolded from you, for me, is great and isn't that what being adult is all about? I mean acting like one?
Having adult conversations, about comics...lol, I hope I'm pulling this off.


I also like the tension between Karma and Magik. That's something I flinch at, but without resolution, appreciate.

[ermac]

I'm a Magik conspiracy theorist, and personally believe that after finishing off the Elder Gods, her interactions from the bomb jacket until Dormammu and Strange were all a twisted attempt to surround herself with broken people, people she would have something in common with.

Not everyone agrees, but I see both Cyttorak and the Phoenix as being elements Illyana manipulated to be passed on to others so they would better understand her hesitant, tainted omnipotence, possibly extending to the Black Vortex, where even Kitty got a taste of absolute power. (See "Cosmic Girl Talk" by Dhalpin3)

OMG. I love that take. I wish the X-Editoral had the capacity for this kind of storyline.

I didn’t really like how Magic and Colossus made up. It didn’t feel earned, and it’s not where I would’ve wanted it to go anyways.

I like the idea that Magik was willing to destroy her relationship with Piotr in order to get him to understand she wasn’t a precious, innocent little girl anymore. “There are no snowflakes in hell”. It was a twisted, fascinating reveal.

Totally agree. We had years of "snowflakesht" and Colossus being overprotective. Finally having a twist on that dynamic was super interesting. There was no point in resolving that so quickly to go back to same-old-same-old

[WallStreeter]

I loved Zebb Wells through AvX: Consequences as a single arc of Darkchilde triumphant, but parts stretched to the end of Bendis & Secret Warriors as the rebirth and rise of "The Nice One" (the less said of Lemire, the better)

I'm a Magik conspiracy theorist, and personally believe that after finishing off the Elder Gods, her interactions from the bomb jacket until Dormammu and Strange were all a twisted attempt to surround herself with broken people, people she would have something in common with.

Not everyone agrees, but I see both Cyttorak and the Phoenix as being elements Illyana manipulated to be passed on to others so they would better understand her hesitant, tainted omnipotence, possibly extending to the Black Vortex, where even Kitty got a taste of absolute power. (See "Cosmic Girl Talk" by Dhalpin3)

That’s not even conspiracy theory. Magik explicitly said she manipulated Cytorrak and Colossus to give a taste of what it feels to channeler demonic power. It’s fact. As for the Phoenix, Magik new the future and that it was coming to earth. Her words to young Jean were embracing it, a little fire never hurt anyone.

So yes, she does feel like Jean and her brother get her.

[ermac]

I think Zeb Wells' Magik is my favorite portrayal of the character. What an underated run...

[AbnormallyNormal]

I think Zeb Wells' Magik is my favorite portrayal of the character. What an underated run...

No doubt. It's sad NM v3 doesn't get the attention and praise it's owed.

[G0RM]

That’s not even conspiracy theory. Magik explicitly said she manipulated Cytorrak and Colossus to give a taste of what it feels to channeler demonic power. It’s fact. As for the Phoenix, Magik new the future and that it was coming to earth. Her words to young Jean were embracing it, a little fire never hurt anyone.

So yes, she does feel like Jean and her brother get her.

I've argued in this forum regarding Illyana knowing about the Phoenix Five before it happened, but several here disagreed.

But it seems far too 'convenient' to me that Cyttorak & Phoenix powers both lifted up and dropped down Piotr simultaneously, leading to her "There Are No Snowflakes In Hell" speech.

Continuing that with others to "Villians It Is" in AvX: Consequences including Scott, Emma, and Magneto, as additional broken ones, just seems too coincidental to me to be credible.

"Once is an accident, twice is coincidence, but three times is enemy action" is a military axiom. In terms of Mutants learning what wielding enormous tainted powers feels like, Illyana is becoming surrounded by other wounded fallen angels at a suspicious rate.

As far as the Fallen status currently, Moira is paranoid about Destiny; Tempus is under control mind-melded into part of the Resurrection Squad, but as a Cross-Time Traveler, Illyana should be a Clear and Present Danger to Moira & Xavier, especially with her "Extraordinarily Sophisticated Mental Shields", which apparently allow her to convince telepaths that they can read her mind, all while manipulating them.

Moira seems to have a powerset that is a 'lite' version of what Illyana used in the Elder War, trying out various solutions until she finally obliterated the Elder Gods with Zero X-Men casualties. Replaying scenarios until winning is assured ("Groundhog Day", "Edge of Tomorrow", "Next" etc) is close to an unbeatable superpower, whereas Destiny has told Mora she's limited to 10.5 iterations: a pretender compared to Illyana, who might have been playing for centuries (Sociopathy would be an inevitable side effect of seeing everyone on Earth devoured a thousand times by Cthulhu and Associates.)