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Magik (comics)
Encyclopedia
Magik is a Marvel Comics
character
, associated with the X-Men
. She is the younger sister of the Russia
n X-Man Colossus
.
and artist Dave Cockrum
, Illyana first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men
#1 (May 1975). In the 1983 limited series
Magik (Illyana and Storm)
, she aged seven years while in a paranormal dimension called Limbo
, became a sorceress
, and developed the mutant
ability to create "teleportation
discs." She then joined the junior team the New Mutants
.
, Siberia
, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
to Nikolai Rasputin and his wife Alexandra Natalya Rasputina. Illyana's two older brothers, Mikhail Nikolaievitch Rasputin and Piotr "Peter" Nikolaievitch Rasputin
were both mutants
. The X-Men
suspected Illyana to be a mutant as well, but they figured that years would pass until her adolescence
and the emergence of any possible powers. They were wrong in this hypothesis, however.
Peter's superhuman powers manifested while saving Illyana from a runaway tractor.
When she was six years old, Illyana was abducted and brought to the United States by Arcade
, who used her and several other hostages to coerce the X-Men to assist him in opposing Doctor Doom
. She was rescued and brought back to the X-Mansion.
Shortly thereafter, Illyana was kidnapped again, this time to the Limbo
dimension by Belasco
and S'ym
, inhabitants of this demon
dimension. She was raised there and a portion of her essence/soul was corrupted by Belasco, who sought to claim her soul in order to use it as a key to bring forth the Elder Gods
to rule Earth
. In order to free himself, Belasco needed to fill the Beatrix Medallion with five bloodstones. The blood stones would be created by corrupting Illyana's soul, with a new stone appearing as her corruption deepened. She was later rescued and tutored in the practice of white magic
by that dimension's version of Storm (who turned to magic when her mutant powers waned) and eventually rebelled against Belasco. Finding the use of magic abhorrent, Limbo's version of Shadowcat kidnapped and trained Illyana in hand to hand and sword combat. Cat along with Illyana attempted to storm Belasco's citadel and kill him after her training. They were overwhelmed by Belasco who further transformed Cat into a more feline demonic creature. With Illyana back under his control, Belasco was able to instruct her in the art of black magic in the hopes that it would further corrupt her soul. However, Illyana covertly plotted Belasco's defeat and continued to resist the dark influence on her soul.
Before he kidnapped Illyana, Belasco used both Storm and Shadowcat as potential gateways to freeing the Elder Gods by manipulating their souls with his evil. Both refused his magic before the process could be completed. Because of this, Illyana formed a mystical bond between both Storm and Kitty once she too was used in the same manner.
Belasco was successful in using Illyana to create three parts of the bloodstone pendant and only needed two more in order to bring forth the Elder Gods. Realizing this, Illyana created the Soulsword and took over limbo as its new ruler. During her battle with Belasco she magically developed horns, a tail and fangs. She discovered that these new features only appeared when she held the Soulsword. After winning the battle, she banished Belasco from Limbo and claimed S'ym as her servant. She then managed to return to Earth several years older, although no time had passed on Earth since her kidnapping. She subsequently joined the New Mutants
.
Former New Mutants writer Louise Simonson
's one-shot "Time Trial", written for Marvel's 2007 Mystic Arcana
limited series, takes place during the events of New Mutants (vol. 1) #32, during which Magik misguided one of her teleportation discs through the space-time continuum and stranded herself and Mirage in ancient Egypt. There, Illyana met Storm's ancestor Ashake, an Egyptian priestess. Together, they defeated an evil sorcerer Heka-Nut who sought an ancient mystical sword called the Sword of Bone using Magik's Soulsword. Ashake helped Illyana and Dani return to the present, with Dani's memory of the incident erased in the process.
The series indicated that Illyana is mystically associated with the alchemic and classical
element of air
and the Suit of Swords
in the mystic Tarot
.
Over time when it came to the Inferno
storyline, a strange armor began to appear on her body each time she wielded the Soulsword, which, much like her brother Colossus, gave her a form of invulnerability and increased strength. The armor appeared only on one of her shoulders and arms at first, but gradually began appearing on more of her body with each time that she wielded the sword. Illyana's skill as a sorceress grew as over time and she was able to battle other beings with mystical powers such as Baba Yaga
, the Enchantress
, Forge
, Spiral
, and Heka-Nut. During the "Inferno
" storyline, a routine trip-through Limbo went awry, leaving the New Mutants stuck in Limbo. Illyana's demonic nature began to completely overtake her body and the demons pressed her to become the full and true lord of their realm. Her efforts to escape provided the demon N'astirh
the opportunity to open a colossal teleportation disc between Earth and Limbo, which triggered an invasion of Earth by demons from Limbo. Towards the end of this ordeal the seven-year old Illyana was seen in some part of timeless Limbo. Magik made a supreme effort, which defeated S'ym
. Afterwards, when the New Mutants examined the husk of Magik's armor they found the seven-year-old Illyana inside it. She still possessed the bloodstone locket Belasco gave to her, implying that she still had ties to Limbo. The New Mutants' best guess as to what happened was that by forcibly removing her seven-year old self from Limbo, before she had been corrupted by Belasco, then everything since then had been negated and none of it had happened, except that they still had their memories of the teenage Illyana who had not existed and of events which had not happened.
Because of the mystic bond she shared with the Kitty Pryde from the Limbo dimension, the Soulsword then passed on to Earth's Kitty Pryde in England. It embedded itself into a stone near Excalibur
's lighthouse headquarters, waiting for Kitty to claim it and become its new wielder. She rejected it out of fear she would become a twisted dark image of herself, just as Illyana had. Seeing how much its presence bothered her friend Kitty, Rachel Summers
attempted to remove it from the bedrock with the powers of the Phoenix Force
but could not move it, because, Kitty guessed, it would only move upon her command. It stayed embedded in England until it eventually fell into the hands of the supervillain Doctor Doom
, who shortly thereafter lost it to the demon Darkoth
. It eventually was acquired by Amanda Sefton
, who would become the new Magik, and then go on to be ruler of Limbo and wielder of the Soulsword.
Illyana, still a child, returned to Russia where she lived with her parents for some months until they were murdered by the Russian government in order to secure Illyana's abilities to defeat a psionic being known as the Soul Skinner
. Illyana then returned to the X-Mansion
to live with her brother Piotr and the other X-Men.
Not long afterwards, Illyana contracted the Legacy Virus
, succumbed to it and finally died in the X-Mansion, despite all efforts in order to save her made by Charles Xavier and Moira McTaggert. Not being able to be there for his sister, Colossus, consumed by grief and rage, betrayed the X-Men and joined the Acolytes right after her burial in Siberia.
Her spirit, however, contacted both Wolverine
and Piotr from the afterlife. She came to Logan shortly after he had the adamantium pulled from his body, and urged him to return to the world of the living to save Jean Grey
. Illyana's spirit returned again, this time to her brother Piotr, who had recently returned to the United States with Kitty and Nightcrawler following the disbanding of Excalibur
. When investigating odd occurrences inside the Mansion, Piotr located one of stepping disks that Illyana had magically bound to the school. He found himself transported to a pocket world, which held a memory imprint of Illyana. There Piotr manages to learn how to let go a little more and to move on with his life, while still remembering his sister.
Despite this, Illyana's memory convinced him to make one final sacrifice. When the cure for the Legacy Virus turned out to need the death of one mutant, he secretly and willingly gave his life, so nobody else would have to die like Illyana did. Colossus would later be resurrected by an alien race.
After finally overthrowing Amanda Sefton as leader, Belasco returned to his previous position as ruler of Limbo. He created a powerful spell to return Illyana to him after seeing her reappear during the House of M
crossover event. The spell managed to pull forth the remaining essence and memories of Illyana still held within Limbo's dimension. The essence took shape and became the Darkchylde. Unfortunately, Belasco was not satisfied with his creation, claiming that it was not the true Illyana Rasputin (due to her lack of Illyana's soul) and banished her to the outer parts of Limbo.
Darkchylde eventually discovered some of the teenage New X-Men
being attacked by a horde of demons. After aiding the mutants against the demons, Darkchylde subsequently used a spell to immobilize them in order to steal a portion of the New X-Man Pixie's soul, in the hopes of creating both a bloodstone and a new Soulsword, as Illyana felt Pixie had the most innocent of souls present. The spell was interrupted by Anole
, who broke free from Illyana's confinement and dispatched her.
Pixie's soul extraction was partially successful however, creating one part of a bloodstone pendant and a soul dagger. Illyana then attempted to complete the process and destroy those who wished to interfere, but the New X-Man Rockslide
thwarted her, and caused Illyana's human memories of her friends and life among the X-Men to apparently return to her.
Although only a part of Pixie's soul was taken, Illyana informed the other New X-Men that Pixie was now capable of performing magic, the hole in her soul having been filled with black magic
. Since Belasco had sealed his castle from her own magic and powers, Illyana taught Pixie a teleportation
spell, with which the New X-Men attacked and defeated Belasco.
Illyana then gave into her Darkchylde persona and announced her desire to create several more bloodstones in order to become god-like in power. Before Illyana could begin the process, however, she was interrupted by the arrival of her brother, Colossus
, investigating Illyana's apparent return to life. A pained Illyana rejected her brother's offers of help, and sent everyone back to Earth, before reclaiming Limbo's throne, and informing with S'ym
and N'astirh
, now once more her servants, that her next move is to reclaim her soul.
Illyana was next seen in her castle in Limbo recounting how she was an impatient child and plotting to get her soul back. At first she planned on using her Bloodstone medallion but decided against it because it had ruined so many lives and she refused to follow in the footsteps of Belasco. Motivated by her relationship with Kitty and Piotr, she tried to reclaim her soul through love and teleported to the Xavier Institute only to find it destroyed and abandoned. Saddened and angry, she declared that she would not get her soul back through love but through suffering and that she would target those who had wronged her and make them pay with their souls.
While in Limbo, Darkchylde attacked various demons in her search for the Bloodstone amulet, becoming enraged when referred to by her human name. Her activities were noticed by Mephisto
, Blackheart
, Satannish
, Dormammu
and Hela. Belasco's daughter, Witchfire appeared during the meeting and revealed she was now the current owner of the Illyana's Bloodstone amulet and vowed to take her father's place as ruler of Limbo. Back at the X-Men's base in San Francisco, Pixie attacked Nightcrawler
with her soul dagger during a training session in the Danger Room and in the process accidentally discovered where Magik's Soulsword was hidden — inside Nightcrawler. Having sensed its presence, Darkchylde teleported in and laid claim to it.
Pixie engaged her in combat, refusing to hand over the Soulsword and demanded the return of the bloodstone forged from her own soul. Darkchylde easily defeated her and reclaimed her sword, transforming into her Magik persona. However, Magik stuck Colossus when he entered the Danger Room her and called out to her, realizing that something was wrong when she does not feel any emotions. She returned to Limbo telling her brother he cannot save her, and that she has to save herself.
Upon to her return to Limbo, she discovered that Witchfire had conquered Limbo and Magik's armies during her absence. Determined to destroy her, Witchfire engaged her in combat. Claiming everything that Belasco ever owned, Witchfire captured Magik, took her bloodstone and added it to the amulet.
After the X-Men arrived at the castle, Kurt discovered Illyana chained to a pillar. She asked him to stab her with Pixie's soul dagger, as he was the only one who was attuned to magic. She apologized and he stabs her. In doing so he re-released the Soulsword inside of her. Meanwhile, Witchfire completed the set of Bloodstones via another portion of Pixie's soul and released the Elder Gods. Illyana then teamed-up with the other mutants to hold back Witchfire and the Elder Gods. Using a combination of magic and the powers of the Soulsword and Souldagger, Illyana and Pixie were able to remove one of Pixie's bloodstones. Because of this, the Elder Gods were swept back to their dimension, along with Witchfire and the remaining bloodstones. Pixie's Souldagger then merged with the bloodstone that was pried loose by Ilyana. Angry that her second bloodstone was still lost and in the possession of Witchfire, Pixie then declared her hatred for Illyana and flew away.
Saddened by the loss of her and Pixie's remaining bloodstones, Illyana teleported the mutants back to the X-Base and was about to exile herself to Limbo. However, before she can do so her various former teammates begged for her to stay with them. But it was Cyclops that reminded her that they are a family and that, with so few mutants left, they needed her. Colossus then stepped forward and begged her not to leave and hurt him again. She reluctantly agreed.
After receiving an anonymous tip in Colorado about a young mutant endangering a small town, Dani and Shan were sent to investigate and calm the locals. During their mission, Magik reappeared back at the X-Men's base in San Francisco after teleporting off into the future after the events of "X-Infernus. Upon her return, the younger mutants were still very distrustful of her and after a brief argument she informed Sam and Roberto that Shan and Dani were in trouble and that it would result in their deaths. Sam assembled a team consisting of himself, Sunspot, Magma and Magik to go find Dani and Shan. When questioned about his roster request, Sam replied that there is bad blood between Illyana and the younger mutants because they do not trust her, but he does. Illyana seemed to have undergone a personality change since her return from the future, becoming more detached emotionally in most cases, possibly due to the further loss of most of her soul during "X-Infernus".
While en route, Illyana asked Magma questions about her visits to Empath since he tried to kill her friends and asked if she still loves him. Magma just said he's blind and helpless and Illyana offered to cure him. Magma struggles to answer causing Magik to accuse her of liking him 'that way' but nevertheless offers to help him if she asks, adding that it could be their little secret.
While searching for Shan and Dani in Colorado, the girls split up because Illyana felt sorry for a lost little girl. Sam and Roberto came across a tied up and unconscious Shan in the back of a bar. Meanwhile Magik and Magma were tricked into freeing Legion from a box. Legion, as a result of absorbing hundreds of new personalities was even more insane, absorbed Shan's mind and sought to act on his vendetta against Dani for her part in one of his previous defeats. When Cannonball decided to locate Legion in order to bring him to Emma Frost, Illyana ignored his orders and entered Legion's mind by using Shan's mind as a bridge and began to kill all of Legion's split personalities in order to locate Shan. After locating Shan in Legion's mind, they teamed up with the lost girl, Marci and David Haller to find the doll that controls his body. After the doll was found, Magik and the others are returned to their bodies.
During the protests between anti-mutant and pro-mutant movements about mutant reproductive rights during the Dark Reign
storyline, Illyana was seen watching the news coverage along with most of the other X-Men. Later, Cyclops sends her to team up (unknowingly) with X-Force to locate Wolverine and teleport them to Alcatraz to rescue any mutants taken prisoner by Norman Osborn's forces. Along with Pixie, they teleported all the X-Men from San Francisco to their new home, Utopia. In the aftermath of Utopia, Karma and Illyana were debriefed by Kavita Rao
, where they informed her of what went on in Legion's mind. When Kavita mistook Marci for one of Legion's personalities, Shan corrected her and revealed that Marci was a real person, and that when she was about to exit his mind, Legion revealed to her that Marci did not have a body to return to. Shan explained how Legion's power works, that he absorbs the powers and personalities of people that die in close proximity to him and that one of Legion's personalities had killed Marci after she bought Legion water and played with him after he'd returned from the Age of Apocalypse. Feeling angry, Illyana offered her Soulsword to Shan, telling her that it would be their little secret. Shan used the soulsword to kill the personality responsible for Marci's murder but told Kavita that Magik had done the deed. Magik kept her promise and corroborated Shan's version of events.
When Hope and Cable returned to the present during the X-Men: Second Coming
storyline, Bastion began eliminating all mutant teleporters to trap the mutant population on Utopia. Magik was the first to fall while trying to bring Hope and Cable to Utopia. One of the Purifiers fired on her with some sort of supernatural weapon that opened a portal to Limbo that she could not control, she was then drawn into the portal by a cluster of demonic tentacles. Cyclops later designated Cannonball as the team leader of the rescue mission to extract Magik from Limbo. This team consisted of people that Cyclops was willing to spare but who were also deemed right for the job. She was eventually freed from her restraints by Pixie, and she and her rescue team returned to Earth.
In a reversal of fortune, Pixie was soon kidnapped by Project Purgatory, and Magik returned to Limbo with the New Mutants in order to rescue her. While in Limbo, the New Mutants encountered the Inferno Babies - mutants who were taken as infants by the government during the Inferno
and were raised and trained in Limbo. This now-adult team of mutants attacked and overwhelmed Magik and the New Mutants. While the rest of the team was badly injured and captured, Magik managed escape to Earth with Karma and Pixie. After hiding the Soulsword inside Karma, Magik teleported the rest of the X-Men to Portal Epsilon, Project Purgatory's gateway to Limbo, for what the X-Men believed to be a rescue mission. They arrived just as Limbo's Elder Gods breached the gateway to Earth. Karma released Legion
's mind with the soulsword, freeing him to use his vast powers to destroy the Elder Gods and return the bloodstones belonging to Magik and Pixie. Confronted by Cyclops afterward, Magik admitted to putting the world in danger and manipulating the X-Men for the sake of a personal vendetta against the Elder Gods. As a result, Cyclops decided that she must be restrained. While she remained unrepentant, she accepted his decision.
During the Fear Itself
storyline, Magik was seen in the X-Brig 2, a newly-constructed, ultra-high security prison 500 ft. below sea level. She was controlled by devices that detected and prevented the use of teleportation and magic. During a visit Magik accepted the blame for her incarceration when Colossus tried to comfort her. Soon afterwards she was approached by Moonstar's old friend Gus Grim, a Native American Cognitive Therapist from Colorado known for his work in the Cheyenne communities, who had come to Utopia to help Moonstar's "damaged" teammates. But before they could talk, Grim collapsed and three demons from Limbo burst from his body to rescue Magik; Magik, however, had no intention of leaving, as she wanted to stay and to regain her life and the trust of her friends. The demons were then banished by Danger using a protocol designed by Doctor Strange for just such an occasion. Grim recovered from this ordeal, and Magik explained that the demons used his body as a Trojan Horse to get into Utopia to rescue her.
When Juggernaut, who had become the Worthy Kuurth, attacked San Francisco, Cyclops sent Dani Moonstar to meet with asgardian death-goddess Hela, in the hope that she could explain what was happening. However, on the way to Las Vegas, Dani was forcibly moved to Hel. Discovering that Dani was gone, the New Mutants sought the assistance of Magik, however, due to the devices attached to her, she could not use her powers, yet she could explain to them what happened to Dani and told Cypher how he could take the team to her. However, Doug made a mistake in the spell, and instead of Hel, he teleported the team into the Hell dimension of Mephisto.
As the had X-Men failed to stop Juggernaut, Magik was approached by her brother and Kitty who wanted her help to defeat him. She was released from her prison and used her powers to teleport herself, Colossus and Kitty Pryde into the Crimson Cosmos where they met with Cytorrak. Illyana told Cyttorak that Cain Marko had betrayed him and now served another god. Cytorrak took his power back from Marko and intended to make Magik his new avatar, but Colossus intercepted, and became the new Juggernaut, much to the dismay of Kitty Pryde.
ability to teleport
herself and others through time and space from one location to another by summoning "stepping discs", which are part of a dimension known as Limbo
in the Marvel Universe. This dimension is specifically known alternately as "Demonic Limbo," "Limbo-Belasco," or "Otherplace." However, when Illyana mentally calls for a Stepping Disc she must use Limbo as a midway point before she can teleport to an alternate location. If she teleported herself or someone else from one place on Earth to another, the person would pass through Otherplace in the process. Magik could also teleport herself or someone into the Otherplace dimension or out of it. It is not known if she was genetically predetermined to travel through Limbo, or if she did so because, having been spirited there as a child, it was the only alternate dimension she was instinctively aware of. Magik has succeeded in teleporting herself across continents, from one continent to another, and even interplanetary and intergalactic distances on occasion. Apparently she can mentally scan Limbo while on Earth in order to locate whoever she wishes to teleport from Limbo down to her on Earth.
Unlike most other teleporters in the Marvel Universe, Magik can teleport through time as well as space. She has teleported moments, days or centuries into the past or future. Especially early on, she had difficulty modulating this ability and would often inadvertently travel through time and space when intending to teleport only through space. Magik was told by Doctor Strange
that she had potential for great feats of manipulating time on a wider scale.
Illyana Rasputin could only utilize her superhuman mutant powers when she was an adolescent; on reverting to a prepubescent state her mutant powers returned to latency. As Magik, she never entirely mastered her teleportation ability, although her control over it improved with practice. Hence, the greater the distance over which she teleported, the greater the possible margin of error in terms of her arriving at the point of time she intended.
In Limbo, Magik can probably cast any magic spell that Belasco could, having had access to his store of sorcerous knowledge. The only exception to this is spells of teleportation, which Belasco kept from her (as stated in the Magik limited series) to ensure she never escaped captivity. Magik's recent teaching of a teleportation spell to Pixie
(who has no known natural teleportation ability) is inconsistent with this fact. Her sorcery was a unique mix of black magic that she learned from Belasco and white magic she was taught by an alternative-reality Ororo Munroe. She could not create uncorrupted life with a portion of her soul as Storm, her mentor, was able to do, as evidenced by the time Storm created an acorn that grew into a tree. The acorn Illyana created was rotten on the inside as her own soul was in her body. However, she was able to create a sword from a portion of her soul to use as a weapon. On one occasion she was shown to have easily inhibited the powers of the Enchantress
while in Limbo despite the Enchantress being a powerful sorceress in her own right.
Magik's magical abilities are far more limited in Earth's dimension, though she can still manipulate magical energies for various effects. Even an unskilled (but Earth-based) magic-user like Forge
has demonstrated himself to be her superior. On Earth she has performed astral projection, sensed mystical presences, scried, and cast very simple spells. Her magical powers on Earth are primarily the use of her Soulsword, which is the ultimate embodiment of her mystical might, and the summoning of her eldritch armor. In X-Infernus, however, she has been seen using magic of a seemingly greater strength than she could previously use in Earth's dimension.
The more that Magik uses her magical power on any occasion, the more mystical armor appears on her body in addition to demonic features such as horns, hooves, a tail and scales. The armor deflects or limits attacks, both physical and magical, which was shown during her battle with Forge
. Illyana's armor also provided her protection and immunity to the Transmode Virus, which was shown when her transmode virus-infected demons attempted to dethrone her.
Also shown during the Inferno storyline was an aspect of limited super-strength while in the armor, which makes Illyana similar in power to her brother Colossus
. This was shown when the rather large demon S'ym was easily thrown several feet by Illyana when he attempted to force her to the ground during the events of Inferno
.
by Belasco
. Illyana magically caused her own life force energy to manifest before her. Once this happened she cast her hand into a pool of eldritch energy and imagined a weapon in her mind. When she withdrew her hand she discovered she was holding the Soulsword, which was created from her own soul. A simple looking blade upon its origin, it began to develop intricate designs and forms upon itself the more Illyana used it, becoming more powerful with each use.
After Illyana's death the Soulsword was passed to Kitty Pryde
who initially rejected it due to its ties to dark magic. It was then taken from her by Doctor Doom
, and then taken from him by Darkoth the Death Demon
. Amanda Sefton
possessed the sword afterwards when she became a temporary ruler of Limbo. Fearing it would be stolen again, Amanda magically hid the sword inside the body of her former lover Nightcrawler
.
A resurrected Illyana Rasputin was seen aiding the New X-Men in Limbo, after Belasco abducted them and the adult X-Men to his realm. She is also responsible for using the soul of the New X-Man Pixie to create a soul dagger, a blade similar in origin, if not power, to the Soulsword. Illyana is now in possession of the Soulsword once again.
Magik's Soulsword disrupts magic energies, constructs and creatures. It also augments the power level of any magic user who holds it. The Soulsword generally has no physical effect whatsoever, but disrupts even the most powerful magic as it passes through. It can shatter enchantments and destroy mystical creations and creatures.
While it can kill magic creatures, such as demons, upon contact, it rarely injures non-magical beings or items, although it has recently been shown to capable of killing psionic entities. The only exception to this has been Kitty Pryde, who can still be cut by the Soulsword even when Pryde is using her phasing power to become intangible. Pryde is also one of the few people other than Magik who can wield the Soulsword effectively. When Pryde does so, Magik's armor begins to appear on Pryde's body. Moreover, when the Beyonder
once freed Illyana from the influence of her darksoul, Pryde gained the ability to produce and wield the Soulsword. Illyana later took the darksoul influence back into herself in order that she could again wield the Soulsword to save Pryde's life from a demon. Illyana once used it on herself to purge a magical strain of the Technarch transmode virus from her system after being infected by a transmode virus infected demon. Illyana can make her Soulsword appear and vanish at will.
The Soulsword can increase the mystical abilities of any magic-user, and as the Soulsword is the living embodiment of Illyana Rasputin, whomever owns the sword is considered to be the ruler of Limbo, just as Illyana once was.
The Soulsword has appeared in various dimensions, wielded by alternate Illyana Rasputins. For example, the Exiles version of Illyana wielded her own blade, which was referred to as the "Soul Sword of Bata's Circle." The exact origin of this sword is unclear, but this version of Illyana was able to create another blade after losing her original in a fight with Earth-616's Archangel.
, the Shadow King
, and the Phoenix
-enhanced Rachel Summers
can not mentally read Illyana's thoughts. Illyana was able to lower her psionic shields and allow Emma Frost
to see her memories of the death of the X-Men.
Due to Belasco creating the magical bloodstones with their souls, Illyana seems to have a psychic bond with X-Man Kitty Pryde. When telepathically scanning a nightmare Kitty was having, Rachel Summers
surmised that the nightmare was originating from Illyana and that the two of them have similar thought patterns, causing a psychic rapport
like those of twins. Because of this, a similar connection could be considered between Illyana and Storm.
timeline, Illyana was never kidnapped by Belasco at all. It was believed she had been killed during Apocalypse's attacks on Russia, but she was actually taken to the slave camp known as the Core located in Seattle, which provided energy for Apocalypse's empire. Colossus, Shadowcat and Generation NeXt rescued her, at the cost of the lives of every single member of Generation NeXt (except for Husk
, who was later revealed to have survived). Illyana then helped Bishop go back in time to prevent the Age of Apocalypse from occurring in the mainstream Earth-616 timeline.
In the 2000 Blink limited series, it is revealed via flashback that the mutant villain Sugar Man
was at one point the jailer in charge of cellmates Illyana Rasputin (the longlost sister of fellow X-Man Colossus) and Blink
(before she was rescued as a young girl by Weapon-X and Sabretooth) in a prison facility, and that he sexually abused both of them on a nightly basis. This is also shown that in the Generation Next series, where Sugarman continued to regularly victimize the young girls who were part of the inmate population at Apocalypse's slave pits.
s "Cross-Time Caper" storyline, the team encounters a child-like version of Illyana, clothed in the regalia of Dr. Strange, who runs an organized crime cartel in partnership with her friend Shadowcat. When Alistaire Stuart and a near comatose Rachel Summers are threatened by the authorities, Illyana grants them sanctuary; however, she merely intends to use her guests to ensure her success in a bid for dominance over the world. When the authorities once more attempt to search Illyana's apartment, an altercation occurs and she is shot dead but merely resurrects into her fully demonic form which is incredibly powerful, but not sufficiently so to withstand the assault of a restored Phoenix
.
. Illyana replaced Blink
when the Timebroker
apparently sent her home. She had been led to believe that had she not become an Exile, she would murder her family. This universe's Magik was much more temperamental and ruthless than the Earth-616
Magik and clashed with the team from the very beginning. Shortly after the Timebroker returned Blink to the team, the Timebroker decreed that half the members of the combined Exiles and Weapon X
group had to die. Fearing for her life, Magik tried to join King Hyperion
and told him of the mission Exiles and Weapon X had been given. In order to corroborate her claims, Hyperion snapped Magik's neck to see if a replacement Exile was sent. Magik's body was kept in the stasis gallery at the Panoptichron, until the Exiles took over the timeline fixing operation and sent the bodies of the fallen Exiles and Weapon X'ers home. Magik was buried by Colossus and their parents.
reality. Not a true alternate earth as such, House of M was a temporary recreation of Earth-616 by the Scarlet Witch
in which mutants were dominant on Earth. Magik was a member of a S.H.I.E.L.D.
squadron of young mutants called the Hellions. Like most of the other Hellions, she eventually joined the side of the New Mutants, a team being groomed as future leaders, in fighting the establishment of the House of M in Japan
in a showdown against impossible odds. This version of Magik was seen teleporting to Limbo before the Scarlet Witch restored reality to its former state, but has not been seen since. However, this resulted in Belasco's resurrection of Illyana in the main Earth.
but never succumbed to the Legacy Virus. She grew up to master her mutant and mystical powers, called herself Darkchild and joined X-Force
alongside New Mutants like Sunspot
and Cannonball
.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, associated with the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. She is the younger sister of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n X-Man Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
.
Publication history
Created by writer Len WeinLen Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
and artist Dave Cockrum
Dave Cockrum
David Emmett Cockrum was an American comic book artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus...
, Illyana first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men
Giant-Size X-Men
Giant-Size X-Men #1 was a special issue of the X-Men comic book series, published by Marvel Comics in 1975. It was written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. Though not a regular issue, it jump-started the series after a five-year hiatus. The issue serves as a link between the original...
#1 (May 1975). In the 1983 limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
Magik (Illyana and Storm)
Magik (Illyana and Storm)
Magik was a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1983–1984, starring the fictional character Magik...
, she aged seven years while in a paranormal dimension called Limbo
Otherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
, became a sorceress
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
, and developed the mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
ability to create "teleportation
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
discs." She then joined the junior team the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
.
Fictional character biography
Illyana Rasputin (born Illyana Nikolievna Rasputina) was born in the Ust-Ordynski Collective farm, near Lake BaikalLake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to Nikolai Rasputin and his wife Alexandra Natalya Rasputina. Illyana's two older brothers, Mikhail Nikolaievitch Rasputin and Piotr "Peter" Nikolaievitch Rasputin
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
were both mutants
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
. The X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
suspected Illyana to be a mutant as well, but they figured that years would pass until her adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
and the emergence of any possible powers. They were wrong in this hypothesis, however.
Peter's superhuman powers manifested while saving Illyana from a runaway tractor.
Arcade (comics)
Arcade is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Arcade first appeared in Marvel Team-Up, vol...
, who used her and several other hostages to coerce the X-Men to assist him in opposing Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
. She was rescued and brought back to the X-Mansion.
Shortly thereafter, Illyana was kidnapped again, this time to the Limbo
Otherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
dimension by Belasco
Belasco
Belasco is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character's first appearance was in Ka-Zar the Savage #11; he was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson.-Fictional character biography:...
and S'ym
S'ym
S'ym is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, a demon of Limbo who served as a frequent enemy and sometimes supporting character in The Uncanny X-Men and The New Mutants...
, inhabitants of this demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
dimension. She was raised there and a portion of her essence/soul was corrupted by Belasco, who sought to claim her soul in order to use it as a key to bring forth the Elder Gods
Elder Gods (Marvel Comics)
The Elder Gods are fictional characters from the Marvel Comics universe. They were the first generation of Earth's gods, apparently inspired by Greek mythology and the Cthulhu Mythos.-Fictional group history:...
to rule Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. In order to free himself, Belasco needed to fill the Beatrix Medallion with five bloodstones. The blood stones would be created by corrupting Illyana's soul, with a new stone appearing as her corruption deepened. She was later rescued and tutored in the practice of white magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
by that dimension's version of Storm (who turned to magic when her mutant powers waned) and eventually rebelled against Belasco. Finding the use of magic abhorrent, Limbo's version of Shadowcat kidnapped and trained Illyana in hand to hand and sword combat. Cat along with Illyana attempted to storm Belasco's citadel and kill him after her training. They were overwhelmed by Belasco who further transformed Cat into a more feline demonic creature. With Illyana back under his control, Belasco was able to instruct her in the art of black magic in the hopes that it would further corrupt her soul. However, Illyana covertly plotted Belasco's defeat and continued to resist the dark influence on her soul.
Before he kidnapped Illyana, Belasco used both Storm and Shadowcat as potential gateways to freeing the Elder Gods by manipulating their souls with his evil. Both refused his magic before the process could be completed. Because of this, Illyana formed a mystical bond between both Storm and Kitty once she too was used in the same manner.
Belasco was successful in using Illyana to create three parts of the bloodstone pendant and only needed two more in order to bring forth the Elder Gods. Realizing this, Illyana created the Soulsword and took over limbo as its new ruler. During her battle with Belasco she magically developed horns, a tail and fangs. She discovered that these new features only appeared when she held the Soulsword. After winning the battle, she banished Belasco from Limbo and claimed S'ym as her servant. She then managed to return to Earth several years older, although no time had passed on Earth since her kidnapping. She subsequently joined the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
.
Former New Mutants writer Louise Simonson
Louise Simonson
Louise Simonson, born Mary Louise Alexander , is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman: The Man of Steel, and Steel...
's one-shot "Time Trial", written for Marvel's 2007 Mystic Arcana
Mystic Arcana
Mystic Arcana is a 2007 Marvel Comics storyline published as a series of four one-shot titles. Each book in the series contains an individual main story followed by a back-up story whose plot continues through all four books. The main story in each book focuses upon a different fictional character,...
limited series, takes place during the events of New Mutants (vol. 1) #32, during which Magik misguided one of her teleportation discs through the space-time continuum and stranded herself and Mirage in ancient Egypt. There, Illyana met Storm's ancestor Ashake, an Egyptian priestess. Together, they defeated an evil sorcerer Heka-Nut who sought an ancient mystical sword called the Sword of Bone using Magik's Soulsword. Ashake helped Illyana and Dani return to the present, with Dani's memory of the incident erased in the process.
The series indicated that Illyana is mystically associated with the alchemic and classical
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
element of air
Air (classical element)
Air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance. Its supposed fundamental importance to life can be seen in words such as aspire, inspire, perspire and spirit, all derived from the Latin spirare.-Greek and Roman tradition:...
and the Suit of Swords
Suit of swords
The Suit of Swords is a suit found in playing cards using the Italian and Spanish suits. It is also found in Latin Suited Tarot Cards. It's equivalent to Spades in Anglo-American playing cards.The suit represents the Second Estate ....
in the mystic Tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
.
Over time when it came to the Inferno
Inferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
storyline, a strange armor began to appear on her body each time she wielded the Soulsword, which, much like her brother Colossus, gave her a form of invulnerability and increased strength. The armor appeared only on one of her shoulders and arms at first, but gradually began appearing on more of her body with each time that she wielded the sword. Illyana's skill as a sorceress grew as over time and she was able to battle other beings with mystical powers such as Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga or Baba Roga is a haggish or witchlike character in Slavic folklore. She flies around on a giant pestle, kidnaps small children, and lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs...
, the Enchantress
Enchantress (Marvel Comics)
The Enchantress is the name of two fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe, the first of which is a powerful sorceress named Amora and is one of the most notable antagonists of Thor.-Publication history:...
, Forge
Forge (comics)
Forge is a fictional character in the , a superhero associated with The X-Men.A mutant with an unsurpassed brilliance in technology, Forge has had a lengthy career as a government weapons contractor. He shared a romantic relationship with Storm, and a brief affair with Mystique which led him to...
, Spiral
Spiral (comics)
Spiral is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in the Longshot miniseries by Ann Nocenti and Art Adams.-Fictional character biography:...
, and Heka-Nut. During the "Inferno
Inferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
" storyline, a routine trip-through Limbo went awry, leaving the New Mutants stuck in Limbo. Illyana's demonic nature began to completely overtake her body and the demons pressed her to become the full and true lord of their realm. Her efforts to escape provided the demon N'astirh
N'astirh
N'astirh is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics as a demonic inhabitant of Limbo. He first appeared in X-Factor #32 and was created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove.-Fictional character biography:...
the opportunity to open a colossal teleportation disc between Earth and Limbo, which triggered an invasion of Earth by demons from Limbo. Towards the end of this ordeal the seven-year old Illyana was seen in some part of timeless Limbo. Magik made a supreme effort, which defeated S'ym
S'ym
S'ym is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, a demon of Limbo who served as a frequent enemy and sometimes supporting character in The Uncanny X-Men and The New Mutants...
. Afterwards, when the New Mutants examined the husk of Magik's armor they found the seven-year-old Illyana inside it. She still possessed the bloodstone locket Belasco gave to her, implying that she still had ties to Limbo. The New Mutants' best guess as to what happened was that by forcibly removing her seven-year old self from Limbo, before she had been corrupted by Belasco, then everything since then had been negated and none of it had happened, except that they still had their memories of the teenage Illyana who had not existed and of events which had not happened.
Because of the mystic bond she shared with the Kitty Pryde from the Limbo dimension, the Soulsword then passed on to Earth's Kitty Pryde in England. It embedded itself into a stone near Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
's lighthouse headquarters, waiting for Kitty to claim it and become its new wielder. She rejected it out of fear she would become a twisted dark image of herself, just as Illyana had. Seeing how much its presence bothered her friend Kitty, Rachel Summers
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....
attempted to remove it from the bedrock with the powers of the Phoenix Force
Phoenix (comics)
The Phoenix Force is an entity in the Marvel Comics fictional universe which has bonded with other characters, who often used the alias Phoenix....
but could not move it, because, Kitty guessed, it would only move upon her command. It stayed embedded in England until it eventually fell into the hands of the supervillain Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, who shortly thereafter lost it to the demon Darkoth
Darkoth
Darkoth is a fictional character, supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four series 1 #142, , and he was created by Gerry Conway and Rich Buckler....
. It eventually was acquired by Amanda Sefton
Amanda Sefton
Amanda Sefton is a fictional character, a witch in the Marvel Universe. She is the foster sister and former lover of Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler of the X-Men....
, who would become the new Magik, and then go on to be ruler of Limbo and wielder of the Soulsword.
Illyana, still a child, returned to Russia where she lived with her parents for some months until they were murdered by the Russian government in order to secure Illyana's abilities to defeat a psionic being known as the Soul Skinner
Soul Skinner
Soul Skinner is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. He first appeared in X-Men vol. 2, #17.-Fictional character biography:...
. Illyana then returned to the X-Mansion
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
to live with her brother Piotr and the other X-Men.
Not long afterwards, Illyana contracted the Legacy Virus
Legacy Virus
In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well....
, succumbed to it and finally died in the X-Mansion, despite all efforts in order to save her made by Charles Xavier and Moira McTaggert. Not being able to be there for his sister, Colossus, consumed by grief and rage, betrayed the X-Men and joined the Acolytes right after her burial in Siberia.
Her spirit, however, contacted both Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
and Piotr from the afterlife. She came to Logan shortly after he had the adamantium pulled from his body, and urged him to return to the world of the living to save Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
. Illyana's spirit returned again, this time to her brother Piotr, who had recently returned to the United States with Kitty and Nightcrawler following the disbanding of Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
. When investigating odd occurrences inside the Mansion, Piotr located one of stepping disks that Illyana had magically bound to the school. He found himself transported to a pocket world, which held a memory imprint of Illyana. There Piotr manages to learn how to let go a little more and to move on with his life, while still remembering his sister.
Despite this, Illyana's memory convinced him to make one final sacrifice. When the cure for the Legacy Virus turned out to need the death of one mutant, he secretly and willingly gave his life, so nobody else would have to die like Illyana did. Colossus would later be resurrected by an alien race.
After finally overthrowing Amanda Sefton as leader, Belasco returned to his previous position as ruler of Limbo. He created a powerful spell to return Illyana to him after seeing her reappear during the House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
crossover event. The spell managed to pull forth the remaining essence and memories of Illyana still held within Limbo's dimension. The essence took shape and became the Darkchylde. Unfortunately, Belasco was not satisfied with his creation, claiming that it was not the true Illyana Rasputin (due to her lack of Illyana's soul) and banished her to the outer parts of Limbo.
Darkchylde eventually discovered some of the teenage New X-Men
New X-Men
New X-Men was a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics within the X-Men franchise. After the end of Grant Morrison's run on X-Men , titled New X-Men, the title was used for a new series, New X-Men: Academy X, serving as a continuation of the second volume of New Mutants...
being attacked by a horde of demons. After aiding the mutants against the demons, Darkchylde subsequently used a spell to immobilize them in order to steal a portion of the New X-Man Pixie's soul, in the hopes of creating both a bloodstone and a new Soulsword, as Illyana felt Pixie had the most innocent of souls present. The spell was interrupted by Anole
Anole (comics)
Anole is a fictional mutant superhero in the Marvel Universe. He was created by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis and first appeared in issue #2 of New Mutants vol. 2 . A student at the Xavier Institute and junior member of the X-Men, Anole is one of the few openly gay characters in the Marvel...
, who broke free from Illyana's confinement and dispatched her.
Pixie's soul extraction was partially successful however, creating one part of a bloodstone pendant and a soul dagger. Illyana then attempted to complete the process and destroy those who wished to interfere, but the New X-Man Rockslide
Rockslide (comics)
Rockslide is a fictional character, a mutant superhero and member of the X-Men in the . He is a student in the Xavier Institute and a member of the former Hellions squad therein. After M-Day, he was one of only 27 students to retain his powers. He is best friends with Julian Keller and is...
thwarted her, and caused Illyana's human memories of her friends and life among the X-Men to apparently return to her.
Although only a part of Pixie's soul was taken, Illyana informed the other New X-Men that Pixie was now capable of performing magic, the hole in her soul having been filled with black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
. Since Belasco had sealed his castle from her own magic and powers, Illyana taught Pixie a teleportation
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
spell, with which the New X-Men attacked and defeated Belasco.
Illyana then gave into her Darkchylde persona and announced her desire to create several more bloodstones in order to become god-like in power. Before Illyana could begin the process, however, she was interrupted by the arrival of her brother, Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
, investigating Illyana's apparent return to life. A pained Illyana rejected her brother's offers of help, and sent everyone back to Earth, before reclaiming Limbo's throne, and informing with S'ym
S'ym
S'ym is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, a demon of Limbo who served as a frequent enemy and sometimes supporting character in The Uncanny X-Men and The New Mutants...
and N'astirh
N'astirh
N'astirh is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics as a demonic inhabitant of Limbo. He first appeared in X-Factor #32 and was created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove.-Fictional character biography:...
, now once more her servants, that her next move is to reclaim her soul.
Illyana was next seen in her castle in Limbo recounting how she was an impatient child and plotting to get her soul back. At first she planned on using her Bloodstone medallion but decided against it because it had ruined so many lives and she refused to follow in the footsteps of Belasco. Motivated by her relationship with Kitty and Piotr, she tried to reclaim her soul through love and teleported to the Xavier Institute only to find it destroyed and abandoned. Saddened and angry, she declared that she would not get her soul back through love but through suffering and that she would target those who had wronged her and make them pay with their souls.
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
, Blackheart
Blackheart
Blackheart is a fictional demon in the . The character was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr., and first appeared in Daredevil #270...
, Satannish
Satannish
Satannish is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Satannish is a very powerful extra-dimensional demon who has clashed with Doctor Strange. Satannish is known for granting mortals mystical power in exchange for their souls...
, Dormammu
Dormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
and Hela. Belasco's daughter, Witchfire appeared during the meeting and revealed she was now the current owner of the Illyana's Bloodstone amulet and vowed to take her father's place as ruler of Limbo. Back at the X-Men's base in San Francisco, Pixie attacked Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
with her soul dagger during a training session in the Danger Room and in the process accidentally discovered where Magik's Soulsword was hidden — inside Nightcrawler. Having sensed its presence, Darkchylde teleported in and laid claim to it.
Pixie engaged her in combat, refusing to hand over the Soulsword and demanded the return of the bloodstone forged from her own soul. Darkchylde easily defeated her and reclaimed her sword, transforming into her Magik persona. However, Magik stuck Colossus when he entered the Danger Room her and called out to her, realizing that something was wrong when she does not feel any emotions. She returned to Limbo telling her brother he cannot save her, and that she has to save herself.
Upon to her return to Limbo, she discovered that Witchfire had conquered Limbo and Magik's armies during her absence. Determined to destroy her, Witchfire engaged her in combat. Claiming everything that Belasco ever owned, Witchfire captured Magik, took her bloodstone and added it to the amulet.
After the X-Men arrived at the castle, Kurt discovered Illyana chained to a pillar. She asked him to stab her with Pixie's soul dagger, as he was the only one who was attuned to magic. She apologized and he stabs her. In doing so he re-released the Soulsword inside of her. Meanwhile, Witchfire completed the set of Bloodstones via another portion of Pixie's soul and released the Elder Gods. Illyana then teamed-up with the other mutants to hold back Witchfire and the Elder Gods. Using a combination of magic and the powers of the Soulsword and Souldagger, Illyana and Pixie were able to remove one of Pixie's bloodstones. Because of this, the Elder Gods were swept back to their dimension, along with Witchfire and the remaining bloodstones. Pixie's Souldagger then merged with the bloodstone that was pried loose by Ilyana. Angry that her second bloodstone was still lost and in the possession of Witchfire, Pixie then declared her hatred for Illyana and flew away.
Saddened by the loss of her and Pixie's remaining bloodstones, Illyana teleported the mutants back to the X-Base and was about to exile herself to Limbo. However, before she can do so her various former teammates begged for her to stay with them. But it was Cyclops that reminded her that they are a family and that, with so few mutants left, they needed her. Colossus then stepped forward and begged her not to leave and hurt him again. She reluctantly agreed.
After receiving an anonymous tip in Colorado about a young mutant endangering a small town, Dani and Shan were sent to investigate and calm the locals. During their mission, Magik reappeared back at the X-Men's base in San Francisco after teleporting off into the future after the events of "X-Infernus. Upon her return, the younger mutants were still very distrustful of her and after a brief argument she informed Sam and Roberto that Shan and Dani were in trouble and that it would result in their deaths. Sam assembled a team consisting of himself, Sunspot, Magma and Magik to go find Dani and Shan. When questioned about his roster request, Sam replied that there is bad blood between Illyana and the younger mutants because they do not trust her, but he does. Illyana seemed to have undergone a personality change since her return from the future, becoming more detached emotionally in most cases, possibly due to the further loss of most of her soul during "X-Infernus".
While en route, Illyana asked Magma questions about her visits to Empath since he tried to kill her friends and asked if she still loves him. Magma just said he's blind and helpless and Illyana offered to cure him. Magma struggles to answer causing Magik to accuse her of liking him 'that way' but nevertheless offers to help him if she asks, adding that it could be their little secret.
While searching for Shan and Dani in Colorado, the girls split up because Illyana felt sorry for a lost little girl. Sam and Roberto came across a tied up and unconscious Shan in the back of a bar. Meanwhile Magik and Magma were tricked into freeing Legion from a box. Legion, as a result of absorbing hundreds of new personalities was even more insane, absorbed Shan's mind and sought to act on his vendetta against Dani for her part in one of his previous defeats. When Cannonball decided to locate Legion in order to bring him to Emma Frost, Illyana ignored his orders and entered Legion's mind by using Shan's mind as a bridge and began to kill all of Legion's split personalities in order to locate Shan. After locating Shan in Legion's mind, they teamed up with the lost girl, Marci and David Haller to find the doll that controls his body. After the doll was found, Magik and the others are returned to their bodies.
During the protests between anti-mutant and pro-mutant movements about mutant reproductive rights during the Dark Reign
Dark Reign (comics)
"Dark Reign" is a 2008–2009 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It deals with the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn. The title "Dark Reign" refers to Osborn's rise to national power and the...
storyline, Illyana was seen watching the news coverage along with most of the other X-Men. Later, Cyclops sends her to team up (unknowingly) with X-Force to locate Wolverine and teleport them to Alcatraz to rescue any mutants taken prisoner by Norman Osborn's forces. Along with Pixie, they teleported all the X-Men from San Francisco to their new home, Utopia. In the aftermath of Utopia, Karma and Illyana were debriefed by Kavita Rao
Kavita Rao
Dr. Kavita "Vita" Rao is a fictional character, a geneticist in the Marvel Comics universe of the X-Men. She first appeared and featured prominently in the first story arc of the monthly series Astonishing X-Men in 2004.-Hope:Dr...
, where they informed her of what went on in Legion's mind. When Kavita mistook Marci for one of Legion's personalities, Shan corrected her and revealed that Marci was a real person, and that when she was about to exit his mind, Legion revealed to her that Marci did not have a body to return to. Shan explained how Legion's power works, that he absorbs the powers and personalities of people that die in close proximity to him and that one of Legion's personalities had killed Marci after she bought Legion water and played with him after he'd returned from the Age of Apocalypse. Feeling angry, Illyana offered her Soulsword to Shan, telling her that it would be their little secret. Shan used the soulsword to kill the personality responsible for Marci's murder but told Kavita that Magik had done the deed. Magik kept her promise and corroborated Shan's version of events.
When Hope and Cable returned to the present during the X-Men: Second Coming
X-Men: Second Coming
"Second Coming" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that ran through the most of the X-Men comic books from March to July 2010.-Publication history:...
storyline, Bastion began eliminating all mutant teleporters to trap the mutant population on Utopia. Magik was the first to fall while trying to bring Hope and Cable to Utopia. One of the Purifiers fired on her with some sort of supernatural weapon that opened a portal to Limbo that she could not control, she was then drawn into the portal by a cluster of demonic tentacles. Cyclops later designated Cannonball as the team leader of the rescue mission to extract Magik from Limbo. This team consisted of people that Cyclops was willing to spare but who were also deemed right for the job. She was eventually freed from her restraints by Pixie, and she and her rescue team returned to Earth.
In a reversal of fortune, Pixie was soon kidnapped by Project Purgatory, and Magik returned to Limbo with the New Mutants in order to rescue her. While in Limbo, the New Mutants encountered the Inferno Babies - mutants who were taken as infants by the government during the Inferno
Inferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
and were raised and trained in Limbo. This now-adult team of mutants attacked and overwhelmed Magik and the New Mutants. While the rest of the team was badly injured and captured, Magik managed escape to Earth with Karma and Pixie. After hiding the Soulsword inside Karma, Magik teleported the rest of the X-Men to Portal Epsilon, Project Purgatory's gateway to Limbo, for what the X-Men believed to be a rescue mission. They arrived just as Limbo's Elder Gods breached the gateway to Earth. Karma released Legion
Legion (Marvel Comics)
Legion is a Marvel Comics character, created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bill Sienkiewicz.David is the mutant son of Charles Xavier and Israeli Holocaust survivor Gabrielle Haller...
's mind with the soulsword, freeing him to use his vast powers to destroy the Elder Gods and return the bloodstones belonging to Magik and Pixie. Confronted by Cyclops afterward, Magik admitted to putting the world in danger and manipulating the X-Men for the sake of a personal vendetta against the Elder Gods. As a result, Cyclops decided that she must be restrained. While she remained unrepentant, she accepted his decision.
During the Fear Itself
Fear Itself (comics)
"Fear Itself" is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scott Eaton, and...
storyline, Magik was seen in the X-Brig 2, a newly-constructed, ultra-high security prison 500 ft. below sea level. She was controlled by devices that detected and prevented the use of teleportation and magic. During a visit Magik accepted the blame for her incarceration when Colossus tried to comfort her. Soon afterwards she was approached by Moonstar's old friend Gus Grim, a Native American Cognitive Therapist from Colorado known for his work in the Cheyenne communities, who had come to Utopia to help Moonstar's "damaged" teammates. But before they could talk, Grim collapsed and three demons from Limbo burst from his body to rescue Magik; Magik, however, had no intention of leaving, as she wanted to stay and to regain her life and the trust of her friends. The demons were then banished by Danger using a protocol designed by Doctor Strange for just such an occasion. Grim recovered from this ordeal, and Magik explained that the demons used his body as a Trojan Horse to get into Utopia to rescue her.
When Juggernaut, who had become the Worthy Kuurth, attacked San Francisco, Cyclops sent Dani Moonstar to meet with asgardian death-goddess Hela, in the hope that she could explain what was happening. However, on the way to Las Vegas, Dani was forcibly moved to Hel. Discovering that Dani was gone, the New Mutants sought the assistance of Magik, however, due to the devices attached to her, she could not use her powers, yet she could explain to them what happened to Dani and told Cypher how he could take the team to her. However, Doug made a mistake in the spell, and instead of Hel, he teleported the team into the Hell dimension of Mephisto.
As the had X-Men failed to stop Juggernaut, Magik was approached by her brother and Kitty who wanted her help to defeat him. She was released from her prison and used her powers to teleport herself, Colossus and Kitty Pryde into the Crimson Cosmos where they met with Cytorrak. Illyana told Cyttorak that Cain Marko had betrayed him and now served another god. Cytorrak took his power back from Marko and intended to make Magik his new avatar, but Colossus intercepted, and became the new Juggernaut, much to the dismay of Kitty Pryde.
Powers and abilities
Teleportation
Magik has the mutantMutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
ability to teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
herself and others through time and space from one location to another by summoning "stepping discs", which are part of a dimension known as Limbo
Otherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
in the Marvel Universe. This dimension is specifically known alternately as "Demonic Limbo," "Limbo-Belasco," or "Otherplace." However, when Illyana mentally calls for a Stepping Disc she must use Limbo as a midway point before she can teleport to an alternate location. If she teleported herself or someone else from one place on Earth to another, the person would pass through Otherplace in the process. Magik could also teleport herself or someone into the Otherplace dimension or out of it. It is not known if she was genetically predetermined to travel through Limbo, or if she did so because, having been spirited there as a child, it was the only alternate dimension she was instinctively aware of. Magik has succeeded in teleporting herself across continents, from one continent to another, and even interplanetary and intergalactic distances on occasion. Apparently she can mentally scan Limbo while on Earth in order to locate whoever she wishes to teleport from Limbo down to her on Earth.
Unlike most other teleporters in the Marvel Universe, Magik can teleport through time as well as space. She has teleported moments, days or centuries into the past or future. Especially early on, she had difficulty modulating this ability and would often inadvertently travel through time and space when intending to teleport only through space. Magik was told by Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
that she had potential for great feats of manipulating time on a wider scale.
Illyana Rasputin could only utilize her superhuman mutant powers when she was an adolescent; on reverting to a prepubescent state her mutant powers returned to latency. As Magik, she never entirely mastered her teleportation ability, although her control over it improved with practice. Hence, the greater the distance over which she teleported, the greater the possible margin of error in terms of her arriving at the point of time she intended.
Sorcery
Magik is the sorceress supreme of her Limbo dimension. The extent of her powers in Limbo has yet to be defined, but powerful demons of Limbo did not dare challenge her.In Limbo, Magik can probably cast any magic spell that Belasco could, having had access to his store of sorcerous knowledge. The only exception to this is spells of teleportation, which Belasco kept from her (as stated in the Magik limited series) to ensure she never escaped captivity. Magik's recent teaching of a teleportation spell to Pixie
Pixie (comics)
Pixie is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe. Her mutation grants her pixie-like eyes, colorful wings that allow her to fly, and "pixie dust" which causes hallucinations...
(who has no known natural teleportation ability) is inconsistent with this fact. Her sorcery was a unique mix of black magic that she learned from Belasco and white magic she was taught by an alternative-reality Ororo Munroe. She could not create uncorrupted life with a portion of her soul as Storm, her mentor, was able to do, as evidenced by the time Storm created an acorn that grew into a tree. The acorn Illyana created was rotten on the inside as her own soul was in her body. However, she was able to create a sword from a portion of her soul to use as a weapon. On one occasion she was shown to have easily inhibited the powers of the Enchantress
Enchantress (Marvel Comics)
The Enchantress is the name of two fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe, the first of which is a powerful sorceress named Amora and is one of the most notable antagonists of Thor.-Publication history:...
while in Limbo despite the Enchantress being a powerful sorceress in her own right.
Magik's magical abilities are far more limited in Earth's dimension, though she can still manipulate magical energies for various effects. Even an unskilled (but Earth-based) magic-user like Forge
Forge (comics)
Forge is a fictional character in the , a superhero associated with The X-Men.A mutant with an unsurpassed brilliance in technology, Forge has had a lengthy career as a government weapons contractor. He shared a romantic relationship with Storm, and a brief affair with Mystique which led him to...
has demonstrated himself to be her superior. On Earth she has performed astral projection, sensed mystical presences, scried, and cast very simple spells. Her magical powers on Earth are primarily the use of her Soulsword, which is the ultimate embodiment of her mystical might, and the summoning of her eldritch armor. In X-Infernus, however, she has been seen using magic of a seemingly greater strength than she could previously use in Earth's dimension.
Eldritch armor
Forge (comics)
Forge is a fictional character in the , a superhero associated with The X-Men.A mutant with an unsurpassed brilliance in technology, Forge has had a lengthy career as a government weapons contractor. He shared a romantic relationship with Storm, and a brief affair with Mystique which led him to...
. Illyana's armor also provided her protection and immunity to the Transmode Virus, which was shown when her transmode virus-infected demons attempted to dethrone her.
Also shown during the Inferno storyline was an aspect of limited super-strength while in the armor, which makes Illyana similar in power to her brother Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
. This was shown when the rather large demon S'ym was easily thrown several feet by Illyana when he attempted to force her to the ground during the events of Inferno
Inferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
.
Soulsword
The Soulsword was created by Illyana Rasputin during her imprisonment in LimboOtherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
by Belasco
Belasco
Belasco is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character's first appearance was in Ka-Zar the Savage #11; he was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson.-Fictional character biography:...
. Illyana magically caused her own life force energy to manifest before her. Once this happened she cast her hand into a pool of eldritch energy and imagined a weapon in her mind. When she withdrew her hand she discovered she was holding the Soulsword, which was created from her own soul. A simple looking blade upon its origin, it began to develop intricate designs and forms upon itself the more Illyana used it, becoming more powerful with each use.
After Illyana's death the Soulsword was passed to Kitty Pryde
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
who initially rejected it due to its ties to dark magic. It was then taken from her by Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, and then taken from him by Darkoth the Death Demon
Darkoth
Darkoth is a fictional character, supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four series 1 #142, , and he was created by Gerry Conway and Rich Buckler....
. Amanda Sefton
Amanda Sefton
Amanda Sefton is a fictional character, a witch in the Marvel Universe. She is the foster sister and former lover of Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler of the X-Men....
possessed the sword afterwards when she became a temporary ruler of Limbo. Fearing it would be stolen again, Amanda magically hid the sword inside the body of her former lover Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
.
A resurrected Illyana Rasputin was seen aiding the New X-Men in Limbo, after Belasco abducted them and the adult X-Men to his realm. She is also responsible for using the soul of the New X-Man Pixie to create a soul dagger, a blade similar in origin, if not power, to the Soulsword. Illyana is now in possession of the Soulsword once again.
Magik's Soulsword disrupts magic energies, constructs and creatures. It also augments the power level of any magic user who holds it. The Soulsword generally has no physical effect whatsoever, but disrupts even the most powerful magic as it passes through. It can shatter enchantments and destroy mystical creations and creatures.
While it can kill magic creatures, such as demons, upon contact, it rarely injures non-magical beings or items, although it has recently been shown to capable of killing psionic entities. The only exception to this has been Kitty Pryde, who can still be cut by the Soulsword even when Pryde is using her phasing power to become intangible. Pryde is also one of the few people other than Magik who can wield the Soulsword effectively. When Pryde does so, Magik's armor begins to appear on Pryde's body. Moreover, when the Beyonder
Beyonder
The Beyonder is a fictional character in . Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, the immensely powerful Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars vol. 1 #1 as an unseen force. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 , which was created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom.-Publication history:The Beyonder was a...
once freed Illyana from the influence of her darksoul, Pryde gained the ability to produce and wield the Soulsword. Illyana later took the darksoul influence back into herself in order that she could again wield the Soulsword to save Pryde's life from a demon. Illyana once used it on herself to purge a magical strain of the Technarch transmode virus from her system after being infected by a transmode virus infected demon. Illyana can make her Soulsword appear and vanish at will.
The Soulsword can increase the mystical abilities of any magic-user, and as the Soulsword is the living embodiment of Illyana Rasputin, whomever owns the sword is considered to be the ruler of Limbo, just as Illyana once was.
The Soulsword has appeared in various dimensions, wielded by alternate Illyana Rasputins. For example, the Exiles version of Illyana wielded her own blade, which was referred to as the "Soul Sword of Bata's Circle." The exact origin of this sword is unclear, but this version of Illyana was able to create another blade after losing her original in a fight with Earth-616's Archangel.
Other abilities
It is also mentioned that Illyana has formidable psionic shields, which are mental barriers that block anyone from reading her mind. This is most likely a result of the time she spent in Limbo and the effects of her evolving a partially demonic soul. As such even powerful mind readers such as Charles XavierProfessor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
, the Shadow King
Shadow King
The Shadow King, also known as Amahl Farouk, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shadow King exists as an entity of pure psychic energy that feeds on the hatred of humanity...
, and the Phoenix
Phoenix (comics)
The Phoenix Force is an entity in the Marvel Comics fictional universe which has bonded with other characters, who often used the alias Phoenix....
-enhanced Rachel Summers
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....
can not mentally read Illyana's thoughts. Illyana was able to lower her psionic shields and allow Emma Frost
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
to see her memories of the death of the X-Men.
Due to Belasco creating the magical bloodstones with their souls, Illyana seems to have a psychic bond with X-Man Kitty Pryde. When telepathically scanning a nightmare Kitty was having, Rachel Summers
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....
surmised that the nightmare was originating from Illyana and that the two of them have similar thought patterns, causing a psychic rapport
Rapport
Rapport is a term used to describe, in common terms, the relationship of two or more people who are in sync or on the same wavelength because they feel similar and/or relate well to each other....
like those of twins. Because of this, a similar connection could be considered between Illyana and Storm.
Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of ApocalypseAge of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
timeline, Illyana was never kidnapped by Belasco at all. It was believed she had been killed during Apocalypse's attacks on Russia, but she was actually taken to the slave camp known as the Core located in Seattle, which provided energy for Apocalypse's empire. Colossus, Shadowcat and Generation NeXt rescued her, at the cost of the lives of every single member of Generation NeXt (except for Husk
Husk (comics)
Husk is a fictional character from Marvel Comics. Guthrie is a superhero associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Husk has the ability to remove one layer of skin - or "husk" - revealing an epidermis of a different composition beneath...
, who was later revealed to have survived). Illyana then helped Bishop go back in time to prevent the Age of Apocalypse from occurring in the mainstream Earth-616 timeline.
In the 2000 Blink limited series, it is revealed via flashback that the mutant villain Sugar Man
Sugar Man
Sugar Man is a fictional character, a mutant villain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, he first appeared in Generation Next #2 ....
was at one point the jailer in charge of cellmates Illyana Rasputin (the longlost sister of fellow X-Man Colossus) and Blink
Blink (comics)
Blink is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero featured in various X-Men-related series. Created by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #317 .-Publication History:...
(before she was rescued as a young girl by Weapon-X and Sabretooth) in a prison facility, and that he sexually abused both of them on a nightly basis. This is also shown that in the Generation Next series, where Sugarman continued to regularly victimize the young girls who were part of the inmate population at Apocalypse's slave pits.
Excalibur
During ExcaliburExcalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
s "Cross-Time Caper" storyline, the team encounters a child-like version of Illyana, clothed in the regalia of Dr. Strange, who runs an organized crime cartel in partnership with her friend Shadowcat. When Alistaire Stuart and a near comatose Rachel Summers are threatened by the authorities, Illyana grants them sanctuary; however, she merely intends to use her guests to ensure her success in a bid for dominance over the world. When the authorities once more attempt to search Illyana's apartment, an altercation occurs and she is shot dead but merely resurrects into her fully demonic form which is incredibly powerful, but not sufficiently so to withstand the assault of a restored Phoenix
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....
.
Exiles
An Illyana from yet another timeline (Earth-4210) was also a member of the team known as The ExilesExiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...
. Illyana replaced Blink
Blink (comics)
Blink is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero featured in various X-Men-related series. Created by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #317 .-Publication History:...
when the Timebroker
Timebroker
The Timebroker is a fictional character created by Judd Winick for the comic book Exiles; a psychic construct created by the Timebreakers, a race of alien bug-people who accidentally damaged a large number of alternate universes....
apparently sent her home. She had been led to believe that had she not become an Exile, she would murder her family. This universe's Magik was much more temperamental and ruthless than the Earth-616
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
Magik and clashed with the team from the very beginning. Shortly after the Timebroker returned Blink to the team, the Timebroker decreed that half the members of the combined Exiles and Weapon X
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...
group had to die. Fearing for her life, Magik tried to join King Hyperion
Hyperion (comics)
Hyperion is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The first character debuted in The Avengers #69 Hyperion is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The first character debuted in...
and told him of the mission Exiles and Weapon X had been given. In order to corroborate her claims, Hyperion snapped Magik's neck to see if a replacement Exile was sent. Magik's body was kept in the stasis gallery at the Panoptichron, until the Exiles took over the timeline fixing operation and sent the bodies of the fallen Exiles and Weapon X'ers home. Magik was buried by Colossus and their parents.
House of M
Magik was seen once again in the House of MHouse of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
reality. Not a true alternate earth as such, House of M was a temporary recreation of Earth-616 by the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
in which mutants were dominant on Earth. Magik was a member of a S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
squadron of young mutants called the Hellions. Like most of the other Hellions, she eventually joined the side of the New Mutants, a team being groomed as future leaders, in fighting the establishment of the House of M in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in a showdown against impossible odds. This version of Magik was seen teleporting to Limbo before the Scarlet Witch restored reality to its former state, but has not been seen since. However, this resulted in Belasco's resurrection of Illyana in the main Earth.
Shattershot
In the Shattershot crossover, a reality was shown in which Illyana was regressed in the same way as in Earth-616Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
but never succumbed to the Legacy Virus. She grew up to master her mutant and mystical powers, called herself Darkchild and joined X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
alongside New Mutants like Sunspot
Sunspot (comics)
Sunspot is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups the New Mutants and X-Force....
and Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
.
Other
- In another reality in which Illyana is an adult, her son is trapped in an incorporeal form. She makes a deal with Mephisto to provide him with a body, at the cost of all mutants' lives, but her son ultimately rejects the offer.
- In a 2006 issue of What If...?What If (comics)What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
, Magik was a member of a soviet version of the Fantastic Four known as "The Ultimate Federalist Freedom Fighters".
Television
- Illyana appears in "Red Dawn" (1993), an episode of the animated television series X-Men. She and her mother remain by Colossus and the X-Men as they fought the newly-released Omega RedOmega RedOmega Red is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #4 , and was created by Jim Lee...
. She also appears in one of CableCable (comics)Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
's visions of the altered time-stream in "Time Fugitives" (1993), in which, without the antibodies developed to fight ApocalypseApocalypse (comics)Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
's techno-organic virus, many mutants (like Illyana) developed harmful mutations which would eventually kill them. She is voiced by Tara StrongTara StrongTara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...
. - Illyana is mentioned in X-Men: EvolutionX-Men: EvolutionX-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series about the Marvel Comics superhero team the X-Men. In this incarnation many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults...
as a hostage of MagnetoMagneto (comics)Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
in order to make Colossus work for him. - At Comic Con 2009, Magik was one of several character design sketches shown for the 2nd season of Wolverine and the X-Men. The second season was ultimately unproduced due to financial disputes.
Video games
- Illyana appeared as a non-playable character in the video game X-Men LegendsX-Men LegendsX-Men Legends is an action role-playing video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles in the fall of . Barking Lizards Technologies developed the N-Gage port of the game, which was released in early...
voiced by Jeannie EliasJeannie EliasJeannie Elias is a Canadian American film and voice actress.-Anime Roles:* Blood+ - Young Haji, Nahabi, Additional Voices* Ergo Proxy - Kitty* Naruto - Kaori-Non-anime Roles:...
. She was psychically kidnapped by the Shadow KingShadow KingThe Shadow King, also known as Amahl Farouk, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shadow King exists as an entity of pure psychic energy that feeds on the hatred of humanity...
in order to lure Xavier onto the astral planeAstral planeThe astral plane, also called the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical , medieval, oriental and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions...
. - She also appears in the game X-Men Origins: WolverineX-Men Origins: WolverineX-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 American action film based on the Marvel Comics' fictional character Wolverine. The fourth installment in the X-Men film series, it was released worldwide on May 1, 2009...
. She is held captive in the weapon X facility at Alkali Lake until WolverineWolverine (comics)Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
frees her during his escape.
Novels and adaptation
- Illyana was mentioned in the novelization of X-Men: The Last StandX-Men: The Last StandX-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,...
, stating that Shadowcat and Illyana were pen palPen palPen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail.-Purposes:A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships...
s.