New Mutants: 10 Questions About Magik, Answered

Illyana Rasputin made her comic book debut more than 40 years ago, but for some comic book fans, she’ll be a perennial teenager. That is because the bulk of Illyana’s story came to the page for the New Mutants, the superhero team of teens created to succeed the X-Men.

Illyana has been through many codenames over the years, but most fans know her as Magik. Magik finally makes her way to the big screen in Josh Boone’s New Mutants after the movie experienced delay after delay. For fans who want a primer on the character, or just a refresher, answers are available to some of the biggest Magik questions.

10 When Did Illyana First Appear In Comics?

Though she’s most associated with New Mutants, that’s not the comic that gave Illyana her first spot on the page. Instead, that was in the special Giant Sized X-Men #1 in 1975.

The issue brought together a new generation of X-Men, including Storm, Wolverine, and Colossus. When Piotr “Colossus” Rasputin was recruited for the team the comic book showcased his ability to become a man made of metal. He saved his baby sister from being run over by a tractor. That baby sister was Illyana, though she wouldn’t be named for several more years in comics.

9 How Many Times Has She Appeared In Live Action?

Illyana has appeared on the screen a handful of times. That’s been as a supporting character in various X-Men animated series.

The New Mutants movie marked the first time Illyana Rasputin appeared in a live action adaptation. Anya Taylor-Joy was actually one of the first actors cast in the film. Like Maisie Williams, she had been cast over a year before they were able to start filming.

8 How Old Was Illyana When She First Went To Limbo?

Many fans remember Magik for being the Empress of Limbo, a sorceress who could command demons, wield the Soul Sword, and more. Before she was Magik, however, she was just a little girl taken from her home.

The villain Belasco attempted to kidnap Illyana when she was just six years old. Though her brother and Kitty Pryde tried to stop the kidnapping, Kitty couldn’t hold onto Illyana and she disappeared. For Illyana, it was seven years of torture, training, and manifesting her mutant ability. For Kitty, it was a few seconds before the little girl reappeared again, but as a teenager.

7 Why Were Illyana And Kitty So Close?

Kitty and Illyana have been close ever since the former returned to the world – and it’s not because of Kitty’s long standing infatuation (and later, relationship) with Illyana’s big brother.

It’s actually the result of them being bonded through Belasco’s bloodstones. Belasco used a bit of their souls to create the bloodstones. Illyana met an alternate version of Kitty during her years in Limbo that she bonded with. The same was actually true of Storm. When Illyana returned to the world, she and Kitty were the same age and they bonded even further, with Kitty becoming the one person Illyana trusted above everyone.

6 Why Did Her Brother Try To Kill Her?

Colossus has always been very protective of Magik, but there’s one instance where he decided he would end her life himself. When the Avengers and X-Men collided over the Phoenix Force, the Force was split into five pieces and divided amongst Cyclops, Colossus, Magik, Namor, and Emma Frost.

Colossus was prepared to embrace the Phoenix Force because he had already been living under the influence of the gem of Cytorrak – and he didn’t like feeling as though he was controlled by it. When he discovered that Magik could sever his connection to the gem at any time, but she wanted him to understand a demonic influence so he better understood her, he was more than just angry. He vowed to kill his own sister, but he didn’t get the chance.

5 Did Her Other Brother Murder Her?

Through a lot of complicated age regression stories, Illyana did get the chance to live out a normal childhood again. It was, however, cut short by the Legacy Virus. The Legacy Virus became a huge part of Marvel comics in the ’90s as it killed mutants. Surprisingly, Illyana contracted it and died from it before ever manifesting her mutant abilities.

That’s because she’d actually had the virus introduced to her system as a teen during another storyline – by her older brother Mikhail. The events were wiped from her memory, but the experiments her brother performed on her, trying to find a cure, ultimately caused her to become infected and die. Mikhail was responsible for her death.

4 How Did Illyana Learn English?

When Illyana was kidnapped as a child, she didn’t actually speak English. It wasn’t until returning to the world from Limbo as a teen that she learned, but she learned in an unusual way.

Professor Xavier taught her himself, but not in a classroom setting. Illyana became fluent in a single night. That’s because he used his telepathic abilities to plant the language in her brain while she slept. While it’s a fast way to learn a language, it’s also incredibly invasive, which was par for the course with Professor X’s treatment of his students.

3 Did She Ever Headline Her Own Comic Book?

Illyana spent the first few years that she appeared in comics as a background character. She was primarily there to flesh out her brother’s backstory and prop up his character. While New Mutants fleshed out her story, it wasn’t her headlining book. Instead, that came in a different series.

Magik: Storm And Illyana was a four issue limited series that showed fans exactly what happened to Illyana while she was in Limbo while an alternate universe Storm acted as her mentor. Since then, Illyana has appeared in numerous ensemble books and even led the New Mutants in New Mutants: Dead Souls.

2 What Happened To Her Parents?

After going from being a teenager to being a child again, it wasn’t just the Legacy Virus that interrupted her chance for a normal childhood. Her parents were taken from her as well.

She was just seven years old when government officials came after her, knowing that she was a mutant who would eventually manifest her powers. They killed her parents to secure her, hoping to use her abilities to defeat a threat. Illyana ended up moving in with her brother and the X-Men at Charles Xavier’s mansion.

1 Did Illyana Have Any Significant Love Interests?

It’s not much of a spoiler to say that the New Mutants movie sees Roberto da Costa (Sunspot) have a bit of a crush on Illyana, but it’s not entirely clear how she feels about him. That’s par for the course with Illyana in the comics as well.

Over her many years in comics, Illyana didn’t have a lot of romantic interests. Her storylines, unlike a lot of the other X-Men related characters, didn’t focus on her love life, but her struggle to use her powers for good. Early in 2020, however, the New Mutants comic did reveal that Illyana was pansexual.

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