Magik #6 features the return of the X-Men fan-favorite supporting character Madelyne Pryor aka the Goblin Queen. Madelyne was created by Chris Claremont and Paul Smith and first appears in Uncanny X-Men #168, and is originally conceived as a love interest for Scott Summers. She is also the mother of Nathan Christopher Summers, who becomes the mutant hero Cable after he is infected with the techno-organic virus and sent into the future. Madelyne is probably most well known for the “Inferno” storyline, in which Maddie is retconned to be a clone of Jean Grey created by Mister Sinister. This revelation enrages Madelyne, causing her to be corrupted by the demonic influences of Limbo and transformed into the Goblin Queen. The Goblin Queen Maddie tries to sacrifice baby Nathan as part of a plot to consume the Earth with the forces of Limbo and battles the X-Men and Jean Grey until she takes her own life.
Following her death in the 1989 “Inferno” crossover, Madelyne Pryor had sporadic appearances throughout various X-Men titles, such as her appearance as a supporting character in X-Man, which starred an alternate version of Cable named Nathaniel “Nate” Grey. Madelyne Pryor’s triumphant return to the X-books occurred in the pages of Hellions by Zeb Wells, which saw Maddie resurrected on Krakoa despite an initial decision by the Quiet Council that clones were not eligible for resurrection. Maddie was also a central character in Zeb Wells’ “Dark Web” event, which served as a sequel to “Inferno” and featured the Spider-Man character Ben Reilly/Chasm. Madelyne was also a brief supporting character in an arc of New Mutants by Vita Ayala which saw the transfer of ownership of Limbo from Illyana Rasputina to Madelyne Pryor. Steve Foxes’ Dark X-Men following the events of the Orchis assault on the Hellfire Gala during “Fall of X” also prominently features Madelyne Pryor, who leads a team of mutants as the Goblin Queen.
Magik #6 opens with an attack on the Limbo Embassy in an attempt to assassinate Madelyne Pryor. Illyana, sensing the attack, teleports to Limbo and discovers that Maddie survived the attack. Magik learns from Madelyne that a rebel faction of demons in Limbo is attempting to overthrow Madelyne as the ruler of Limbo. The rebels are unhappy because they believe that Madelyne prioritizes human affairs over the needs of the demons in Limbo, and wishes to supplant her and appoint one of their own as the new ruler of Limbo. Illyana agrees to help Madelyne maintain her control over Limbo. Initially, Madelyne refuses her assistance believing that Illyana intends to replace her as Queen of Limbo. Illyana reassures her that she hasn’t come back to take Limbo from Madelyne and Maddie reluctantly accepts Illyana’s help with dealing with the rebels.
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Limbo holds special significance for Madelyne, as it represents the possibility of Madelyne proving herself to those who have dismissed her as a non-person and nothing more than a clone of Jean Grey. In New Mutants #28, Madelyne talks openly about why becoming the new Queen of Limbo means so much to her. “Krakoa represents to me what Limbo represents to Illyana. But to me, Limbro represents a new beginning. A place where I can not only be myself but be of use”. As the ruler of Limbo not only can Madelyne bring much-needed purpose back to her life, but she can offer hope to others, and use her powers as Goblin Queen for benevolent purposes. Madelyne explains this motivation to Jean and Scott in Dark X-Men #1, saying: “For too long, Limbo has held the spirits no one wants to face. The parts of us we condemn to darkness. Nothing heals in darkness. I will open my arms to the rejected ones. The ones who have fallen so far, they’ve been starved of light… I will lead them out of the cold. I will show them they have a home. No more hiding”.
Much like Illyana, Madelyne’s past has defined her and determined how others perceive her. Being the Queen of Limbo is about embracing her identity as the Goblin Queen and subverting how she is perceived, proving not only that she is a human being with autonomy and an identity and purpose distinct from Jean Grey, but also that she can use her demonic powers for good. That is why holding on to Limbo is so important to Madelyne. Illyana choosing to accept her Darkchild side in Magik has thematic parallels with Madelyne embracing being the Goblin Queen and the Queen of Limbo. Both characters are willfully embracing the dark and traumatic parts of their past that have tainted them for so long as a means of healing from those emotional wounds. Seeing the former and current queens of Limbo uplifting each other through that difficult journey to self-acceptance and embracing the more shameful aspects of their past is both inspiring and heartwarming.
Magik #6 is yet another shining example of the exemplary work that Ashley Allen is doing with Illyana Rasputina in this book. Each issue delves deep into Illyana’s interiority and explores what motivates and troubles the character. A key element in Magik is what we can learn about Illyana through her relationship with the supporting characters. Whether it be Cal, Dani, or Madelyne Pryor, we get new sides and aspects about Illyana that have not been fully fleshed out with other writers who have had the character in their books. This book is by far one of the most definitive runs to feature Illyana Rasputina as Magik, and it is refreshing to see how Illyana is being characterized by a competent writer who understands her the way that Ashley Allen does.
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