“X-Manhunt” has come and gone, finishing up with X-Manhunt Omega #1. The issue had some big action moments in it, as the X-Men did their best to stop Professor X from leaving the planet Earth. One of the best parts of the book comes towards the middle. Xavier had asked X-Force member Sage to help him escape and she employed John Wraith — and a mech powered by one of the engines from the Storm Sanctuary — to slow down the pursuing Cyclops and Magik. What follows was an example of the X-Men’s unconventional tactics — Magik summoned a massive demon to battle Wraith, leading to a mech versus kaiju fight that fans never imagined they’d see. It was a huge moment and it proved something that many X-Men fans have been saying for a long time — Magik is one of the most powerful and resourceful X-Men of all time.
Magik brings something rare to the X-Men side of the Marvel Universe — magic. Magik has been wildly popular since her resurrection in the ’10s. When most people think of Marvel magic users, they think about Doctor Strange. Some of them even think of Doctor Doom. However, Magik deserves her flowers as Marvel’s best magic user, something that is made even more clear by her long history.
Magik was born Illyana Rasputin, the youngest sister of Mikhail and Piotr Rasputin. All three of the Rasputins are powerful mutants. Mikhail can alter reality and travel through dimensions and Colossus can transform into organic steel, gaining massive super strength. Illyana was very young when Colossus left for the X-Men, which would be a fateful development in her life. Illyana was kidnapped by Arcade’s partner Miss Locke, but the X-Men were able to save her, and the little girl stayed in the US with her brother. Illyana was kidnapped by the demon Belasco and taken to Limbo. Time moves differently in Limbo and Illyana’s powers manifested — the ability to produce disk-shaped portals that allowed her to travel anywhere. Belasco put part of her soul into the Bloodstone, giving her the potential for great power. This caused her to manifest the ability to transform into the Darkchylde, a demonic version of her whose magic abilities were greater. However, Illyana lost control of herself as the Darkchylde, making her extremely dangerous, and she would become afraid of using her magical powers. Illyana was able to escape Limbo, defeating Belasco, and becoming the lord of Limbo. She gained the Soulsword, as well, a magical sword that allowed her to destroy demons and enchantments.
Illyana was able to escape Limbo as a teenager and ended up joining the New Mutants. Magik’s time with the New Mutants saw her make the friendships that would last her lifetime, becoming one of the most powerful mutants on the team. However, her Darkchylde form was a constant problem and the team had to fight her several times. Magneto helped her come to terms with her powers, and she stayed with the team until “Inferno”, where she was able to help close the portal to Limbo at the cost of her time as Magik, reverting back to her original age. She would eventually come down with the Legacy Virus and was the first mutant to die from it. Magik would return several times over the years, often thanks to the machinations of Belasco. Darkchylde would become ascendant on her last resurrection, powerful but without her soul, and battle her friends in the New Mutants once again. Eventually, her friends were able to get her soul back and since then Magik has become one of the X-Men’s most powerful mutants. She trained with Doctor Strange for a time and was a teacher in his Strange Academy for magic users. She’s become a leader in the mutant community and stands tall as the field leader of Cyclops’s team of X-Men in the “From the Ashes” era.
Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme and has mastered multiple disciplines of magic. However, as powerful as he is, he’s never walked the edge of the darkness like Magik did. Magik’s powers have allowed her to become a top-flight combat mage, able to summon demons to do her bidding. Magik doesn’t depend completely on her magik, either; in Limbo she learned to fight with weapons as well as she did with magic. Take Doctor Strange’s powers away and he’s just a guy. Take Magik’s powers away and she’s still a formidable fighter.
Magik was able to summon a massive demon to help her fight Wraith’s mech. As powerful as Doctor Strange is, he wouldn’t have been able to summon a powerful demon to do his bidding. Magik’s history can be quite convoluted, but she’s proven herself as Marvel’s best magic user, making her a unique weapon for the X-Men.
X-Manhunt Omega #1 is on sale now.
“X-Manhunt” has come and gone, finishing up with X-Manhunt Omega #1. The issue had some big action moments in it, as the X-Men did their best to stop Professor X from leaving the planet Earth. One of the best parts of the book comes towards the middle. Xavier had asked X-Force member Sage to help Read More