How did Magik get her powers in Marvel comics? Origin story explored
Illyana Rasputin, popularly known as Magik in Marvel comics, is a mutant teleporter mage and is also often known as the Demon Queen of Limbo. She eventually joined her brother Colossus as a permanent member of Earth-616 with the X-Men. Illyana then took on the codename Magik and joined New Mutants after developing her mutant powers.
However, before joining the X-Men, Illyana Rasputin was faced with a terrible fate. She was taken captive in the hellish heart of Limbo and had to fight demons and forge magical abilities to become a heroic mutant sorcerer. From being Colossus’ little sister, Illyana became the guiding light for the next generation of Marvel’s mutants and magicians.
Magik's childhood: Backstory of the Mutant Sorcerer explored
Illyana Nikolievna Rasputina debuted as a little Russian farm girl in Marvel comics. She is also the sister of cosmonaut Mikhail Rasputin who was a mutant unknown to his family.
The Russian government faked Mikhail's death and the grief of it triggered his other brother Peter’s mutant powers. Peter was then recruited by Professor Charles Xavier, AKA Professor X, into his American-based mutant team the X-Men. Illyana too would later come to join the X-Men.
Soon after, when a Dr. Doom robot imprisoned the criminal Arcade, his assistant Miss Locke took Illyana hostage. X-Men took upon themselves the task of rescuing Arcade and invading Arcade’s Murderworld to retrieve the hostages, including Illyana. After she was rescued, Peter arranged for Illyana to stay at Xavier’s School for a little while and the X-Men came to dote on her as a little sister.
What are Magik's superpowers and skills? How did her powers originate?
Since Magik is both a mutant and a sorceress it is difficult to establish when exactly she got her powers. Her powers, however, grew when she was kidnapped by Belasco, one of Marvel's Hell Lords, and taken to the Limbo.
Since time passed differently there, by the time the X-Men came to rescue her, she had already aged a decade and became a teenager with magic powers. She could create teleportation "stepping discs" that transported her through space and time and had also become skilled in sorcery.
While being trapped, Illyana also became a skilled swordswoman and created the Soulsword in Limbo. She could draw the sword from her own body and use it to destroy supernatural beings and magical weapons.
Following the manifestation of her mutant abilities in Limbo, Magik was able to return to the X-Men and join the New Mutants with whom she had uncountable adventures.
However, her time with the New Mutants was short as she had to sacrifice herself to prevent Limbo from corrupting Earth. She was infected by the deadly Legacy Virus and passed away before being revived by Belasco without a soul.
She then took control of Limbo and manipulated her former allies in the New Mutants to recover her lost soul. Magik once more joined the X-Men and became closer to the magic superheroic community after becoming Doctor Strange's apprentice.
Later, Magik found a passion for teaching and was appointed as one of the Great Captains of Krakoa, where she was in charge of training and leading mutants to battle. Apart from this, she also teaches magic at Strange Academy.