While she’s been a significant character in the comics since the 80s, Magik has recently enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity. As such, her live action debut — portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy (of Queen’s Gambit, The Witch, and Peaky Blinders fame) in 2020’s The New Mutants — should have been a major success. But unfortunately, while the film came close to capturing Magik’s appeal in some ways, it failed cataclysmically in others. The result is a truly bizarre adaptation that’s as fascinating as it is baffling.
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Illyana Rasputin technically made her first appearance in 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1, in which her older brother Colossus is introduced saving her from a runaway tractor. However, it wouldn’t be until 1982’s Uncanny X-Men #160 that her story would truly begin. Penned by legendary X-scribe Chris Claremont, the issue sees the X-Men do battle with the demonic sorcerer Belasco, who abducts Illyana into the hellish realm of Limbo. While the X-Men fight valiantly to save Illyana, time is convoluted in Limbo. By the time Illyana returns to Earth, she’s spent seven whole years in Limbo from her perspective, growing from a child to a teenager while her brother hasn’t aged a day.
The 1983 miniseries Magik explores Illyana’s time in Belasco’s captivity, depicting their relationship as one of abuser and victim. Belasco presents himself as a caring mentor to Illyana, assuring her that he loves her even as he imprisons and torments her. Illyana tries to learn sorcery to free herself from Belasco’s clutches, but struggles in vain to master the creative forces of light magic. It’s only when she gives in to her hunger for vengeance that she’s able to harness the destructive power of dark magic, channeling her own life force into a mystical blade she calls the Soulsword. With the power of the Soulsword, Illyana quickly defeats Belasco — but in the process, she begins to shift into a demonic form.
Using her mutant power of teleportation, Illyana opens a portal back to Earth, but she’s haunted by the knowledge that the power of Limbo still dwells within her. She tries her best to hide her trauma, taking on a confident, mischievous persona to show a brave face to the world. But deep down, she fears that she’s destined to fall to darkness, no matter how hard she tries to be a hero. As she puts it herself in Magik #1, “I am Illyana Rasputin… humanity’s savior… or the means of its eternal damnation.” In other words, she suffers from truly apocalyptic levels of imposter syndrome. It’s not until she sacrifices herself to save her fellow New Mutants in the classic Inferno crossover that Illyana truly accepts her capacity to do good.
But of course, death is never permanent in comics, and Illyana eventually returned to life as a young adult. The biggest turning point for her character was Brian Michael Bendis’ 2013 run on Uncanny X-Men, which saw her finally graduate from New Mutant to X-Man. Becoming a sort of apprentice to Cyclops, she now sported a visually striking goth aesthetic and a more lighthearted personality. Most recently, the “Labors of Magik” storyline by Vita Ayala saw the classic and modern interpretations of Magik unified into a definitive vision as she finally conquers her past trauma. Sometimes she’s playful, snarky, and flirtatious; other times, she’s vengeful, battle-hungry, and tough-as-nails. Other times still, she’s compassionate, selfless, and hopeful. The Magik of the comics is one of the most nuanced and compelling X-Men of all, and it’s no surprise that she’s become such a massive fan favorite.
Unfortunately, much of Magik’s appeal wound up lost in adaptation with The New Mutants. On one hand, Anya Taylor-Joy is pitch-perfect casting for Illyana. Not only does she look the part, she has the range to pull off both Magik’s tough, rebellious facade and her vulnerable, insecure side. And indeed, Taylor-Joy does her best with the material she’s given, arguably delivering the strongest performance in the movie. However, that same level of effort is nowhere to be found in the script she has to work with.
For starters, Illyana is downright unlikable at the start of the movie. She’s clearly intended to be the film’s take on the “edgy loner with a heart of gold” archetype that’s found in so many teen movies — like Ally Sheedy’s character in The Breakfast Club, but with mutant powers. However, her dialogue isn’t so much aloof as it is needlessly cruel. She relentlessly bullies protagonist Dani Moonstar (Blu Hunt), with many of her insults being uncomfortably racially charged. At one point, she calls Dani “Pocahontas,” among other derisive references to her Cheyenne heritage. While Illyana has certainly been abrasive at times in the comics, she’s never made any bigoted remarks. This thread is thankfully dropped after the first act of the film, but it’s a horrible first impression and a truly confounding creative decision.
However, the real trouble comes with the matter of Illyana’s backstory. For starters, her relationship with Colossus is never even alluded to, completely eliminating a major aspect of her character. In addition, her abduction by Belasco is replaced by a more grounded origin, in which she was kidnapped by unknown captors who she dubbed the Smiley Men. While the nature of her captivity is never specified, it’s all but outright stated that she was trafficked as a sex slave as a child.
It should go without saying that this is incredibly bleak subject matter to include so casually in an X-Men movie. And while Illyana’s traumatic past with Belasco certainly carried subtext of sexual abuse and grooming, it was handled with enough subtlety and tact that it didn’t feel out of place or gratuitous. The same cannot be said of the film adaptation’s take on Magik’s backstory. Confusingly, the other supernatural elements of the character — namely, the Soulsword and even Limbo — are still present in the film. Limbo’s inclusion is particularly befuddling, as it’s implied that Illyana somehow created the hellish dimension with her powers in order to escape the Smiley Men.
It feels as if the filmmakers couldn’t decide if they wanted to retain the fantastical elements of Magik’s history or discard them for a grittier take, resulting in an interpretation that’s the worst of both worlds. Illyana is haunted by past trauma, but without the guilt and self-doubt coming from her connection to Limbo. And while Limbo is still there regardless, its presence is a completely superfluous one.
Despite Anya Taylor-Joy’s best efforts to capture the vibrant, nuanced characterization of the source material’s Magik, the film’s poor script nevertheless does an unbelievable disservice to one of the best-written X-Men characters throughout the comics. Let’s hope that Illyana Rasputin will eventually receive a more faithful adaptation once the X-Men inevitably enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And with any luck, Taylor-Joy will receive a much-needed second chance at bringing Magik to life.
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