Illyana Rasputina/Magik Appreciation 2022

[Exodus]

Magik_new.jpg

here the new costume looks absolutely fantastic!

[WallStreeter]

Another thing - not a problem with the issue but with the way editorial has been working, is that at the end there is no reason for Illyana to suddenly want to join the X-Men. She even says that she still wants to pursue the school idea of teaching mutants how to use magic. Every indication is that she wants to stay where she is with the New Mutants.

A War Captain of Krakoa is an XMan. Granted they have to be elected to the official team. But Illyana does more than Teach mutants magic or the New Mutants. Her being so busy allowed Queen Illyana to manifest, who looked fabulous with her metal crown piece and no horns.

[WallStreeter]

Magik_new.jpg

here the new costume looks absolutely fantastic!

It does. Love it!

[sunofdarkchild]

X-Men 13 today. Apparently Illyana is like Captain America when it comes to giving orders.


like captain america.jpg

[Andru]

"New Mutants", "X-Men", and a tiny cameo in "Death to the Mutants"...

HUGE day for Magik!

As much as I enjoyed the "Labors of Magik" arc, I am quite ready to see a different writer handle Illyana.

Goodbye New Mutants, and hellloooo X-Men!

[Devaishwarya]

I love and appreciate that Vita was able to give her some emotional and mental closure from her traumatic past. It read and felt very real and authentic to her character.
I wouldn't mind seeing how Duggan writes that slight tonal shift in XM but...I'm not going to hold my breath.

[sunofdarkchild]

Here's how I'd fix the fight with Queen Illyana.

Illyana rubbed the back of her head where she had been bludgeoned with S'ym's soul mace. "Let me guess, you're the me who exists because I forgot to flush the toiler that one time."

"No, foolish girl," her older counterpart scoffed. "I'm the you who actually took her rightful place on the throne of this realm instead of playing at queen while simpering on Earth. Limbo itself summoned me into being because of your neglect and attempt to hand this realm to someone else. Although, as you must suspect, to continue to exist, I must ascend to the throne and take your place."

She gestured at Magik's companions, causing them all to fall to the floor and groan in pain. "I'm shocked your friends aren't more pleased. I thought they wanted to keep Magik on the throne."

"You aren't Magik," Illyana growled, launching a magical energy blast at her doppelganger, who blocked it with a dismissive gesture.

"I'm the only Magik who truly matters," she said as Illyana rose and threw a punch at her. "I'm the one who was brave enough to fulfill her destiny instead of running away from it. While you ...."

She dodged Illyana's blow and responded with a punch of her which connected with Illyana's eye, knocking her to the floor. "All you've ever done is take the easy way out. Fleeing back to Earth instead of ruling Limbo like you were meant to, always hiding behind your sword instead of using your power to change things."

She kicked Illyana in the face as she tried to rise. Illyana landed on her back in front of the others, who were still bound by the doppelganger's spells. She rolled over, spitting blood, and struggled to push herself off the ground. Her arms gave out, and she collapsed completely.

It was all Illyana could do to lift her head enough to see the desperation on the faces of her friends and brother.

"Don't give up," Piotr said.

"Get up," Dani begged her. "Please."

Illyana shook her head in a silent apology.

"How touching," the doppelganger said, standing over her. "But you know the truth. You can't save them or yourself. Because you're weak. You always have been. Too weak to rule Limbo, too weak to even face reality. Without your sword you're just a broken doll"

Illyana felt something in her pocket and pulled it out. She gasped as she saw the glowing not-acorn given to her by her past self.

"You've already saved us, as you will again," her child-self's voice rang in her mind. "And I would be proud to become you."

Illyana squeezed the not-acorn tightly. "You're the weak one," she whispered.

"What?"

With one arm, Illyana began to push herself off of the ground. "You think returning to Earth was easy? I didn't want to return at all, because I knew it meant I'd have to fight Belasco again, and I because I knew I could never be the person Piotr and my parents wanted me to be."

Piotr flinched at her words.

Illyana finally reached her feet and turned to face her doppelganger, the not-acorn held out in her fist. "You think it was easy to tell the New Mutants I was a sorceress, knowing all the horrible things they were already saying about me behind my back?"

Dani and Rahne looked at each other and grimaced.

"You think it was easy to tell my brother who I really was, knowing our relationship could never be the same afterwards?"

"And do you think it was easy to give up Limbo, to break with the place that defined me for so long, to decide to try to heal instead of wallowing in pain and anger all the time? To give up power instead of seeking it, and to trust someone else with something this important?"

"Don't make me laugh. You've never made a hard decision in your life. You're the one who took the easy way out by staying in Limbo, by never putting your heart at risk, by never taking a chance that other people might disappoint and hurt you."

She raised her first above her head. "I'm not the one who's broken, because I'm the one who faced my fears and came out the other side, who took the chance and found it was possible to love, and for others to love me back."

Illyana opened her palm, and the golden glow from the not acorn spread out and enveloped her. The demons and doppelganger were forced to shield their eyes from the intense glow as she transformed, new, golden armor forming over left arm and shoulder, spreading to the left side of her chest and her right leg. The not-acorn burst open, and a long, ornate hilt formed in her hand, out of which popped a long blade of pure energy which glowed so bright no human eyes could look at it. The soul sword was back.

Behind her, the others rose, the spell holding them to the floor broken by the energy unleashed from Illyana's transformation.

The doppelganger scowled. "Kill them all," she instructed her demon forces.

Dani, Rahne, Madelyne, and Colossus leapt into battle against the demons as the doppelganger walked towards Illyana. "So you've got your sword back. So what? I'll break it as easily as before.

She swung S'ym's soul mace at Illyana, who leaned back to dodge the attack. "No you won't. Never again."

"You think you can actually beat me? I've done nothing but grow my power while you've been busy making friends."

Illyana blocked the next blow with her sword, shocking the doppelganger by holding the blade together this time. "I do, because I learned how to trust."

The doppelganger screamed in pain as a blade shot out of her chest. Madelyne stood behind her, having impaled the doppelganger from behind with a new weapon, a soul scythe.

"Did you really think we spent all that time in that cave just twiddling our thumbs?" Madelyne asked as the doppelganger's body began to dissolve away. She was dead.

[Fokken]

oh WOW sunofdarkchild. BRAVO. Omg I got actual CHILLS reading this. The inclusion of the gifted acorn and the inspiring (and omg emotional) words of Lil-Yana, followed by the glorious magical girl transformation??? Sweet Jesus.



Really phenomenal. I love love love how you had her straight up call out her fears and insecurities, while also calling out the people she loves in the room. The vulnerability of that moment was incredible.

And that final line?? About trust???? And then Maddie comes in swinging? Woof. EXCEPTIONAL.

[sunofdarkchild]

This is why I find the actual issue and all the Sun Tzu quotes so disappointing. There is so much that can be done to explore the idea of the 'road not taken,' to show why the choice of whether to stay in Limbo or not was so consequential, to actually explore Illyana's past traumas, to use the events of the previous issues to show Illyana growing, and all of that was wasted so they could make random Sun Tzu quotes. They don't even take the time to justify the Sun Tzu quotes by saying Illyana read Sun Tzu in Belasco's library. I also dislike that Illyana gets this powerup/tranformation AFTER the fight is already over and someone else defeated the villain, without any realization or doing anything to earn it. They came up with the plan for Maddie to stab the villain from behind while Illyana distracted them off-panel while in the cave, and that's the sum total of how they win.

[WallStreeter]

This is why I find the actual issue and all the Sun Tzu quotes so disappointing. There is so much that can be done to explore the idea of the 'road not taken,' to show why the choice of whether to stay in Limbo or not was so consequential, to actually explore Illyana's past traumas, to use the events of the previous issues to show Illyana growing, and all of that was wasted so they could make random Sun Tzu quotes. They don't even take the time to justify the Sun Tzu quotes by saying Illyana read Sun Tzu in Belasco's library. I also dislike that Illyana gets this powerup/tranformation AFTER the fight is already over and someone else defeated the villain, without any realization or doing anything to earn it. They came up with the plan for Maddie to stab the villain from behind while Illyana distracted them off-panel while in the cave, and that's the sum total of how they win.

I think the true issue is you wanted Illyana to remain sorceress supreme of Limbo. There’s not big wrong with that, but anyone who had this preference isn’t going to like Madelyne becoming the sorceress supreme of Limbo. One can pick over the details, but there’s a core reason why you didn’t like the issue.

I’m happy to see Madelyne as the sorceress supreme of Limbo, and Illyana, a victim of rape and human trafficking, choose to move on beyond that. 80s Msrvel was terrible towards victims of sexual assault and crime. Once our hurt was lost they had to be discarded. There was never a sense of moving on. I’m happy to see Madelyne truly grow into the Goblin Queen, and not be just discarded and killed off because Scott dumped her.

Different fans are looking at this from extremely different lens. What Claremont did in the 80s is simply unacceptable today.

[Fokken]

I think the true issue is you wanted Illyana to remain sorceress supreme of Limbo. There’s not big wrong with that, but anyone who had this preference isn’t going to like Madelyne becoming the sorceress supreme of Limbo. One can pick over the details, but there’s a core reason why you didn’t like the issue.

I’m happy to see Madelyne as the sorceress supreme of Limbo, and Illyana, a victim of rape and human trafficking, choose to move on beyond that. 80s Msrvel was terrible towards victims of sexual assault and crime. Once our hurt was lost they had to be discarded. There was never a sense of moving on. I’m happy to see Madelyne truly grow into the Goblin Queen, and not be just discarded and killed off because Scott dumped her.

Different fans are looking at this from extremely different lens. What Claremont did in the 80s is simply unacceptable today.

How? Why?
Even the fic he wrote maintains the transfer of power to Maddie.
Sunofdarkchild isn't butthurt about the title-transfer. He's disappointed by the Sun Tzu quotes being used in place of what could have been legitimately beautiful (as evidenced in the fic he wrote) exchanges about her personal growth and the path she chose and the path she's now taking.

The concerns with the story aren't about Maddie at all.
They are about Illyana.

[sunofdarkchild]

I think the true issue is you wanted Illyana to remain sorceress supreme of Limbo. There’s not big wrong with that, but anyone who had this preference isn’t going to like Madelyne becoming the sorceress supreme of Limbo. One can pick over the details, but there’s a core reason why you didn’t like the issue.

I’m happy to see Madelyne as the sorceress supreme of Limbo, and Illyana, a victim of rape and human trafficking, choose to move on beyond that. 80s Msrvel was terrible towards victims of sexual assault and crime. Once our hurt was lost they had to be discarded. There was never a sense of moving on. I’m happy to see Madelyne truly grow into the Goblin Queen, and not be just discarded and killed off because Scott dumped her.

Different fans are looking at this from extremely different lens. What Claremont did in the 80s is simply unacceptable today.

If you'd read what I wrote it ends the same way with Maddie getting the killing blow, and has Illyana justifying her decision to give up Limbo and say she learned to trust right before Maddie does her thing. The story would not only still end with Maddie in control of Limbo, but would have more firmly established that Illyana is right to give up Limbo and that she trusts Maddie with the realm. My problem is that the issue does nothing with its premise and therefore doesn't earn any character development for Illyana and certainly not her powerup.

If anything I think the overall story should have done more with Maddie in the first 3 issues and that it makes sense for Illyana to turn to her to take over Limbo. I have always hated what was done to Maddie after Jean came back. It turned me into a Cyclops hater.

[WallStreeter]

I’m a lot more interested in what Vita wrote, as opposed to fan fic. Lol

[JB]

Cover for X-Men 17 in November.

[sunofdarkchild]

Rod Reis has confirmed that the 'not acorn' little Illyana gave our Magik is what became her new armor.