Illyana Rasputina/Magik Appreciation 2022

[sunofdarkchild]

Another preview: https://www.nme.com/features/gaming-...review-3351035

However, if there’s one big thing from this final preview that I’d like to focus on, it’s the character work. The portal-slinging Magik has quickly emerged as a firm favourite, a taciturn Russian superhero who wields a big sword and gets to deliver many of the best lines.

[Galerion]

???

Wanda and Magik don't have hostility with each other in the comics. Like at all.

Probably referencing AvX but besides that I can't think of much.

[sunofdarkchild]

There was also the time Wanda was part of the Avengers team which attacked Magik's team during Secret Empire and tried to steal the soul sword. I'm pretty sure Wanda was possessed by a demon at that time so none of that was her fault. They've interacted or been on the same team multiple times the last few years, usually when working with Dr. Strange and other sorcerers, but they are never really shown speaking to each other. The preview short has more dialogue between them than the two characters have shared in their entre comics history.

[Maestro 216]

That was a weird period Inhumans were still in the limelight and mutants were on some nation not called Genosha.

[sunofdarkchild]

Chapter 6 of my Magik/Sailor Moon fanfiction is up. This chapter gets to the heart of why I wanted to write this story in the first place.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1412473...-Moon-Princess
https://archiveofourown.org/works/41...ters/108567366

When considering possible crossovers with other franchises like Harry Potter, the Sailor Moon idea always worked best in my mind because I found a clear hook - Illyana dealing with her PTSD over what happened to the X-Men in Limbo.

This is one aspect of her trauma which is largely unexplored in the comics and therefore ripe for exploration here. It also provides a clear character arc and a reason for her to resist the 'call to adventure' when confronted with this new world.

[Triniking1234]

Before fighting Illyana vs after fighting her.

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That Illyana crit had him re-think his life choices.

[rcaguy]

Chapter 6 of my Magik/Sailor Moon fanfiction is up. This chapter gets to the heart of why I wanted to write this story in the first place.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1412473...-Moon-Princess
https://archiveofourown.org/works/41...ters/108567366

When considering possible crossovers with other franchises like Harry Potter, the Sailor Moon idea always worked best in my mind because I found a clear hook - Illyana dealing with her PTSD over what happened to the X-Men in Limbo.

This is one aspect of her trauma which is largely unexplored in the comics and therefore ripe for exploration here. It also provides a clear character arc and a reason for her to resist the 'call to adventure' when confronted with this new world.

Curious. Will you be dealing with the Dani/Illyana friendship that Sy'm commented about?

[ZephyrSurf]

Midnight Suns got Magik in a new temp outfit for a bit.

Also has her being consoling leader for Nico.

[sunofdarkchild]

Midnight Suns: Infernal Rising, the prequel book to the Midnight Suns videogame, is out today, and the Kindle version can be bought and downloaded immediately on Amazon. It makes explicit that it was Mephisto who kidnapped Illyana to Limbo in this universe, and as the plot revolves around a group who are targeting Mephisto Illyana should have some meaty stuff later in the story.

[sunofdarkchild]

I've been playing Midnight Suns on and off since Friday morning. The game is very fun when it's not crashing or taking 2 minutes to load. I'm playing on Steam Deck and it crashes to Steam during so many of the already interminably long loading screens.

I find Illyana to be by far the most useful character to have on a team during missions, at during the early game. Her portals make it much easier to take advantage of the environmental hazards than it is for any other character, and her hero move is one of the best for instantly hitting or even KOi'ng multiple enemies at once.

[sunofdarkchild]

Has anyone else her been able to play Midnight Suns or read the prequel novel?

[WinterCoyote]

Has anyone else her been able to play Midnight Suns or read the prequel novel?

I am on act 3 of Midnight Suns.

[Odd Rödney]

Oh my god. How have I not posted here all year? I feel great shame.

Magik is among my favorite fictional characters. I’m extremely drawn to characters who take profound journeys that leave them changed at the end. Transformation & transcendence in stories are hugely appealing themes to me so naturally I just love Illyana. She experienced something extremely traumatic as a young child and came out of it more resilient, but definitely changed. I love that aspect of her story. I also love Dani Moonstar for many of the same reasons, but this ain’t a Dani appreciation thread.

This is one of my favorite descriptors and one of the many excellent Illyana moments in the Krakoa era:



Landlord. Cop. Beyonce. That's hilarious.

Hilarious and accurate. Goddamn, I love her.

^^^ I'm very much in favor of the restoration of the Soulsword's size to that of a non-Anime-sword.

I love the anime sword, mainly because it reminds me of Monster Hunter, lol.

I am definitely into the "deadly savage in a small package" vibe

Same!

I've always loved that Colossus refers to her as "snowflake" as it not only denotes that he loves his little sister very much (as all big brothers should) but it also implies delicacy. When you're presented with that and then faced with Illyana you realize this lady is anything but delicate and I love that!

If I could go back in time and change the original Inferno, N'Astirh would never have existed. It would have been revealed that Belasco had been manipulating things for a long time to break Illyana and was ready to make his move. Belasco sent S'ym to attack the mansion knowing S'ym had no chance of winning because he intended for S'ym to act as Illyana's servant, but he remained loyal to Belasco the entire time. Belasco was the one who allowed Magus into Limbo with the orders that S'ym was to use the transmode virus to rebel, putting Illyana in a position where she would increasingly question her decision to show mercy. That story would follow the plot and themes of Illyana's story up until that point a million times better than the crap which was Simonsen's New Mutants run and actually bring about a sense of closure when she sacrificed herself to stop Belasco, refusing up until her dying breath to become like him. There'd be no need to bring her back to life just to fix the problems with her exit and her story would actually be complete. It will always be mind-boggling to me that Belasco's place in the story was taken by some brand-new demon for no discernable reason.

Well said, and I agree completely! Your version here makes a good bit more sense.

Another problem with the Bachalo design is what it does to her armor. Her armor is always this sleek, shiny silver. But with Bachalo's look it gets turned into this ugly blocky black monstrosity with spikes. The only positive thing that could be said about it is that it's something distinct from the training uniform she otherwise wears, but the training uniform is better to begin with since her armor and sword already provide a unique enough look to distinguish her visually without all the problems of the Bachalo look.

I personally love both the Bachalo look and the older training costume. They both work for the time they were used, in my opinion. As I work my way through this thread I'm curious to see what you all think of her new gold armor. I'm not a big fan of it, personally, but I suspect I'll get used to it.

First off, I want to suggest on the Magik Appreciation forum that posters and readers accept Scott McCloud's thesis in 'Understanding Comics' that the true magic of capital 'A' Art takes place, not in the creator's mind, but inside each unique mind of each audience/participant, unfolding for them uniquely, each time they experience it.
Rereading a great work across the decades of one's life might reveal very different, even completely contradictory themes, as life experience claims each of us, 'one can't step into the same river twice'/'you can't go home again', not just because the river and household are different, but because the Self has changed.
It seems to me that if my own experience of Illyana changes with my life experience, there's no reason to expect someone else's experience to match mine, nor is my experience of the magik of Illyana threatened by someone else's experience, any more than my current by the past, or my past experience by my present or future self... Such differences of opinion are of great value to me, much like my having two eyes gives me the great treasure of binocular vision.
And so having an online community with many 'I's sharing our unique personal experiences of Illyana is the magik we share, which could only be dulled down, turned grey and lifeless if forced into a homogenous agreement on The One True Magik, as opposed to a rich and diverse frothing, bubbly, juicy discussion group.
But that's just my hubris opinion.
Experiences may vary.

*Applauds* Well said!

her triumph over Belasco is in his becoming irrelevant to Illyana. If every moment of her life is spent asking 'What Would Belasco Do?' then doing the opposite, she would be as much under his influence as if she followed his every command.
So if Illyana is symbolic of a child abuse survivor, true recovery comes not from breaking away from the Gaslighting of the abuser's false reality, but in forming an ongoing experience of life, completely without regard to the abuser's viewpoint.

Goddamn, another well written observation. Here, here.

[Odd Rödney]

My top 10 moments off the top of my head.

1: Illyana's letter to Xavier/the council. This is not only my favorite moment for Illyana, but my favorite moment of the entire Krakoa era. In a medium where so much character development happens off-panel, this is one of the most powerful moments of character development on the page I've seen in comics in many years. Illyana's letter has her accepting responsibility, admitting to a mistake, and most importantly calling out the people who failed her so badly. This is monumental for someone who used to worship the ground Xavier walked on even when he was neglectful or borderline abusive and whose self-hate led her to only blame herself even when she shouldn't have. Her misspellings, while humorous, only emphasize the point that Xavier and Magneto were not good teachers for her, and that's why she needs to do better than they did.

2: 'He doesn't matter.' Illyana has a history of putting so much weight into a few words. 'There are no snowflakes in hell.' 'How many sleeps?' Now these 3 words perfectly encapsulate her growth as a character and a person. The man who ruined her life, abused her in many different ways for years, corrupted her soul, stole her from her family, turned her into a person she hated with every fiber of her being - no longer mattered. There's no more fear of his return. No more overwhelming fear of becoming just like him. All the scars from the years of trauma and abuse remain, but they no longer define her. He no longer defines her.

3: Playing wingman for Karma at the Hellfire Gala. Everything Illyana says to and about Karma she could be saying about herself. And in a less extreme example than 2020 with Doug, it shows that Illyana's tough love really is love.

4. The 'Beyonce' of Limbo tortures N'Astirh with 'I'm Gonna Be.' More comedy gold and again showing how much more comfortable Illyana is in her own skin.

5. New Mutants group-chat/toast at the gala. It's just nice to see these characters show how much they love each other and how much they really are a family. Plus Illyana changing Doug's username to 'Dougie' is adorable.

6. Teleporting all of the fear pollen into the sun in Curse of the Man-Thing. Her best teleportation feat of the year and one of her best feats ever. Opening portals large enough to collect all of the pollen spores in various cities across the world at the same time and sending them all the way to the sun is a massive feat by any standard,

7. Forming the Dark Riders. This would be higher if it was explored more, but it again shows how far she's come that she can effectively mentor monster mutants now.

8. Dealing with the bullies. This stands out because it's one of the few times a New Mutant didn't royally screw up a situation with the kids this year. Between Dani's dismissal of Cosmar, no one having any idea how to reassure Gabby, and the disaster which was Dani and Karma's Otherworld excursion, there was a lot of screwing up to go around. Here Illyana knew the younger kids were lying to her, figured out exactly what happened, and dealt with the situation quickly and effectively, laying down the law that people should be good to each other even if that isn't one of the 3 laws.

9: Getting her revenge on Mojo for making her Pogg ur Pogg's love interest. It's cathartic to get something from the previous year paid off.

10: Stabbing and defeating Kulan Gath: This is another moment that would be higher if there was more to it. Unfortunately it's not a big character moment since she doesn't even know what the knife she uses is. She just happens to be the one who uses it since she can teleport it into her hand. The bragging rights are there, but it should have meant more.

This is a great list! Are you going to make one for 2022?

Do you guys think Magik will appear in the X-Men 97 cartoon? Illyana Rasputina appeared as a little girl in the original X-Men TAS, so they could have her be trapped in Limbo for 7 years and become Magik. Apparently, X-Men 97 will have less censorship than the 90s cartoon, so they can do justice to Magik's dark backstory. Also, Tara Strong voiced Illyana Rasputina back in the early 90s and voiced Magik in a video game back 6 years ago, so I guess they will just rehire her if Magik appears.

I would freakin’ LOVE that!

The soul sword is one of the most powerful mystical artifacts in the entire Marvel universe. While I'd like to see more sorcery and less simple sword-swinging from Illyana, in-canon the sword is more effective and faster than spell-casting, just like her mutant power is more effective than using the teleportation spell she taught Pixie. This scene is wrong and displays a fundamental misunderstanding of what the soul sword is and what it does. What Wong does is impossible. If it were possible Bealsco would have done it, Dr. Strange would have done it, and many other sorcerers would have done it long ago. If it were possible Dr. Doom, Margali Szafaldos, Belasco, and others would never have sought the soul sword for themselves and it would have been of no benefit to them. If it were possible all the talk about how the soul sword was the only thing which could kill Belasco in Quest for Magik would be a joke. It makes the soul sword unable to fulfill its primary function. It is like if Mjolnir suddenly became a paperweight that had no effect on the weather, The X-Men writers are going to rightly ignore that this ever happened. Any writer with any knowledge of Illyana and the soul sword from before this is going to ignore that it ever happened. That is why we are unanimous in saying this is an act and not real. It undermines the last 40 years of stories regarding both Illyana and the soul sword for a joke that isn't even that funny.

Well said, that scene was BS and we all know it!

Magik is not going to have deep character development in Strange Academy lol. The teachers are extremely secondary in that book. The writer just had a moment he thought looked cool in his head but doesn't work very well with the established canon. It happens.

I guess that is fair, I still hope no-one in the X-Men books ever references it though.

Isn't the Soul Sword one of the most powerful magical artifacts in Marvel? Mephisto hired Nightmare to steal it. So did Doom and tons of other magic users. Chthon also wanted it. Is there any other weapon with more magic cancelling feats than the Sou Sword? I'd argue no other Hell Lord has feats of turning a soul into weapon like the S.S. It also landed the killing blow on Archenemy, a being that was destroying the all the splinter realms including Dormammu's, Mephisto's, Nightmare's and Surtur's realms. It also cut through the magical wards of the sanctum sanctorum. All these powerful being want the sword, they can't recreate it.

100%, it’s also one of the straight up coolest magical artifacts of the Marvel mythos, in my opinion.

I recently purchased the trades of the Batman Eternal storyline from 2014, and these an Illyana easter egg I never noticed before because I had ignored the Killer Croc subplot when the storyline was current.
End of issue 19.

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Beginning of issue 20.

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The second pic is too small to read, but that little blonde girl with Illyana's hairstyle is being sacrificed by being sent through a circular extradimensional portal. There is no way that's a coincidence.

I didn’t know about this until I read through this thread and that is goddamn amazing.

^^^
The Incarceration of Illyana is one of my favorite bits of her wild journey as an X-Man.

The long con. The manipulations. The deceptions. All in the name of retribution.

And I absolutely cannot stress enough how much the discussion between Cyclops and Illyana tickled me.

[Paraphrasing]:
Cyclops: You risked all of reality, on a vendetta.
Illyana: Yes, but I succeeded and I'm done now.
Cyclops: We can't trust you
Illyana: You CAN trust me because I'm done now.
Cyclops: How do we know you won't do this again?
Illyana: Easy. I have no reason to do it again. I succeeded.
Cyclops: That's not good enough. We have to lock you up.
Illyana: (sigh) Sure, that's cool.

I loved that too. I just love how cocky and confident she was in that moment.

So I like the Bachalo design a lot and I realize that it has become iconic for her character, but I'm not a fan of how it has made "blacker than the blackest night!!" become the theme for Illyana.

Lol, I guess we're just gonna have to disagree! I love her in black!

Art by Suspiria Vilchez:

I freakin' love this!

I always viewed Yana as asexual. It always felt to me that when she was doing a 'boy crazy' thing, it was forced, like how she was supposed to act.
Or she could just choose to be celibate. I don't mean to get dark, but we don't know exactly what happened to her at the hands of Belasco in Limbo.

Nah, she was way too flirtatious with Bobby back in the day for that to be the case. However, I get your meaning and it could’ve worked at some point. Hella dark though, even for Illyana. I personally love the idea of her and Doug being a thing.

By Joshua Swaby:

That is just beautiful.

[Odd Rödney]

Bangs aren't just 1980's; love 'em or hate 'em, they are in every decade of hair.

Bangs look so good on Illy.

Illyana's look is her iconic look and shouldn't be messed with.

Bangs are to Illyana as claws are to Logan.

The bangs stay...always!

Agreed, she looks wrong without them, to me.

The bangs are part of her character. Not because they are cute, but because they project a shadow over her eyes that makes her look more sinister when needed.

Holy ****, I never thought of that!

I love this!!

Oh my god! I want that shirt now!