For much of her publication history, Marvel’s mutant demon sorceress Illyana Rasputina, also known as Magik, has been haunted and troubled by her traumatic past. Abducted at a young age by the demon Belasco, Illyana spent most of her formative years as a child imprisoned in the demonic realm of Limbo. While she was in Limbo, Illyana was corrupted in Belasco’s image and was groomed to become his loyal and faithful servant and help bring forth the Elder Gods to Earth (Illyana’s time in Limbo is detailed in X-Men: Magik-Storm and Illyana).
Despite managing to escape Limbo and return to Earth and the X-Men, Illyana has always felt deep shame over what Belasco did to her in Limbo and has fought to suppress her dark side lurking beneath the surface. If she were to allow Darkchylde’s persona to take full control, she would be confirming that she is evil just like Belasco, and that her soul is beyond saving. In Magik by Ashley Allen, Illyana continues the battle to keep Darkchylde at bay. When Illyana’s actions inadvertently cause her friend and ally, Cal Isaacs, to be taken over by an entity called Liminal (as seen in Magik #5), she teams up with her fellow New Mutants team member, Dani Moonstar, to defeat Liminal and free Cal from the entity.
In Magik #7, Dani took Cal to the Society of the Eternal Dawn, believing that the organization could help Cal. In this issue, Illyana and Dani meet the organization’s leader, The Embodiment, and her two Exemplars, Lexi Larsen and Yanisa Suwan. Illyana is wary to trust The Embodiment, and questions whether the Society of the Eternal Dawn are acting in the best interest of Cal or in pursuit of their own mission and agenda. Dani has put her faith in the organization and The Embodiment and tries to convince Illyana to put her trust in them as well. These competing views of the Society of the Eternal Dawn further the tension between Dani and Illyana, who are already at odds due to the events leading up to Cal being taken over by Liminal.
Magik #10 is the epic conclusion to an arc that has been building to a climactic showdown between Illyana and The Embodiment and Illyana and Liminal. The issue opens with Illyana, Dani, and Liminal, who forged a temporary alliance with Magik for the time being, fighting the Society of the Eternal Dawn. At the end of Magik #7, The Embodiment ripped out Cal’s heart as a show of strength against Illyana. When The Embodiment refused to give up the heart, Illyana opted for violence instead of submitting to The Embodiment’s will.
The battle with the Society of the Eternal Dawn commences. Credit: Marvel Comics
Like Illyana, The Embodiment is a mutant, born with the ability to foresee events mere seconds before they are about to happen. The Embodiment discovered her mutant gifts back in 1885 when she saved her father from a hunting accident. When the magical conclave she grew up in, The Sevenths, discovered her ability, they killed her father and forced her to participate in a ritual to try and exploit her power. Her mother rescued her and murdered the conclave. Before her death, The Embodiment’s mother transferred her life force to her, thus slowing her aging and allowing her to survive. After one hundred years, the Embodiment was able to gather the resources and assets necessary to forge her own organization, which would become the Society of the Eternal Dawn. This tragic backstory is reminiscent of Illyana’s own troubled past, as both were manipulated at a young age by those with power who wanted to exploit them for their own means.
When Illyana confronts The Embodiment, she makes comparisons between herself and The Embodiment, saying:
“I’ve been viewed as a monster my entire life. I’ve viewed myself as a monster. I understand more than you know. I isolated myself, trying to make up for my past. Not trusting others led me down a dark path. Just like you. That feeling in your stomach isn’t guilt. It’s a shame. Placed in you by someone else. Don’t let them win”.
These statements by Illyana demonstrate her self-awareness, as well as her ability to show empathy and compassion to those she finds herself in conflict with. She also admits to The Embodiment that she is not fundamentally opposed to her mission, and is on her side when she is actively not trying to kill her. This illustrates how level-headed Illyana is, and that she can show tact and diplomacy when needed.
The issue ends with Illyana freeing Cal and trapping The Embodiment away in the Library of the Fates. With the Society of the Eternal Dawn in need of new leadership, Illyana suggests Dani take in and lead the organization in a more positive direction; however, Dani is uncertain. Magik #10 comes to a close with Illyana ready for something new, and the chance to “Find balance and rediscover who I am outside of everything that’s happened”.
Magik #10 delivers an immensely satisfying conclusion to a series that has given us some incredible material for Illyana Rasputina. In this run, we have seen Illyana deepen and strengthen her relationship with magic and the arcane. We have also seen great character beats and meaningful interactions with supporting characters Dani Moonstar and Cal Isaacs. This run also feels significant for having Illyana reconcile with her Darkchylde persona in a very monumental and character defining way. Ashley Allen, Germán Peralta, Arthur Hesli, Ariana Maher, and the rest of the creative team have given fans of Magik a truly incredible series that has significantly expanded how the character can be utilized in future runs by whoever continues to write Illyana after Allen. This run feels like the perfect series for Magik, the one that fans have been waiting for, and it’s finally here.
While fans of Illyana Rasputina are sure to be disappointed that this is the last issue of the book before we spin into Age of Revelation next month, we know that Illyana will have some role to play in the event based on the solicits we have seen. The letters column at the end of the issue also drops a hint of something coming after the event wraps up, something which involves Allen, Peralta, and Hesli. Could Magik be returning in a big way in 2026? Only time will tell, but I am certain that future plans with Marvel’s merry band of mutants next year are sure to include Magik in some capacity.
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