Who is Marvel Rivals' Magik? Get to know her story, powers and more

Marvel Rivals pitted our favorite Disney-published heroes against each other in a frenetic Overwatch-style combat that has been a hit among fans of multiplayer and competitive games, guaranteeing thousands of downloads and, possibly, will be a long-lasting and profitable game.

But you can't have a game like this focused only on the heroes featured in the movies, and the company has to bring some of its obscure or little-known characters into combat. Some of them are not so famous or were not properly presented in the game, so let's talk about a few. We even have an article focused on characters who should appear in the game.

After telling the story of Squirrel Girl, in this article we’ll talk about the mutant Magik and, if you have any questions, leave a comment.

Magik was born Illyana Rasputin, the younger sister of Piotr Rasputin, also known as Colossus from the X-Men. She first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1, in May 1975, created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum.

She was an ordinary, quiet child, with a potential X gene just like her brother, and her life took an unexpected turn when she was kidnapped and taken to the demonic dimension of Limbo by the sorcerer Belasco

Over time, Illyana learned to wield the dark magic of Limbo with the help of twisted versions of Storm and Shadowcat, and eventually defeated Belasco, taking the throne of Limbo for herself. Although she regained her freedom and returned to Earth, Limbo's influence remained with her, permanently affecting her personality and powers.

Illyana had her childhood restored after returning from Limbo, but this only made her a target for the Russian government, who kidnapped her to use her against the mutant threat called "Soul Skinner". To control the girl, the government ended up killing her parents. She was rescued by Colossus and taken to the USA, but there, Illyana fell ill with the Legacy virus, a deadly plague that afflicted mutants. Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert tried to save her, but to no avail.

Her death in Uncanny X-Men 303 represented the loss of his innocence in the comics, leading a furious Colossus to betray the X-Men in his grief.

Magik resurfaced in the House of M saga, where the Scarlet Witch altered reality, bringing her back. The demon Belasco, realizing this, attempted to regain his control over her by stealing her essence, resulting in the creation of the somber Darkchylde. Over time, Magik regained her essence, trained with Doctor Strange, and absorbed the Limbo to increase her powers, but this left her vulnerable.

Eventually, she became a centerpiece of the X-Men, although she faced periods as Darkchylde. In the relaunch of X-Men, in stories written by Jonathan Hickman, Magik returns after a mysterious time jump, and it’s still uncertain whether her humanity has been restored or whether there’s more than one version of her linked to Limbo.

Despite her dark past and struggles with the demonic forces within her, Magik consistently uses her powers to protect her allies and defend the Earth from supernatural threats.

One of Magik's most iconic abilities is the creation of Step Discs, which allow her to teleport herself and others through space and time. When she absorbed Limbo, these discs disappeared, and now she travels through Limbo and an image of hell and demons appear when she uses her powers.

During her time in Limbo, she honed her magical abilities, becoming a powerful sorceress. There, she forged the Soul Sword, a mystical weapon that can neutralize magic and is effective against supernatural entities. When she uses this sword, she also forges armor which appears around her arm. Furthermore, Illyana has the ability to transform into Darkchylde, a demonic form that further amplifies her powers, in addition to demonic armor, horns and tail.

Other abilities include the basic package of strength, agility and endurance superior to that of an ordinary human being, and she’s also capable of shielding her mind with a psychic shield capable of preventing the mind reading of even powerful telepaths such as Professor Xavier and Jean Grey.

Among her notable feats, Magik assumed the title of Sorceress Supreme of Limbo, completely dominating this infernal realm. She also played a crucial role in several of the X-Men's battles, using her teleportation discs to move entire teams across dimensions and surprise opponents.

Her mastery of magic led her to train with Doctor Strange, further expanding her mystical abilities. In significant confrontations, Illyana faced powerful demonic entities and was instrumental in defeating mystical threats that endangered both the physical and spiritual worlds.

Magik's journey as a character has been one of constant growth and struggle. From her childhood imprisonment in Limbo to her eventual control over her magic, she became one of the most powerful sorceresses in the Marvel Universe. Her complex relationships with her teammates, her brother Colossus, and the forces from the Limbo add layers of depth to her character, making her one of the most fascinating heroines on Marvel's roster.

Although she’s not the most popular Marvel character and her main appearance was in a very problematic film, Magik has already been adapted into some media, such as the animations "X-Men: The Animated Series" (1992-1997). In it, Illyana makes a brief appearance in the episode "Red Dawn", where she’s portrayed as Colossus's younger sister. Although her participation is limited, she is central to Colossus' motivation in the episode.

In X-Men 97', she makes a quick appearance as Magik and Darkchylde. Morfo, a mutant capable of transforming into other mutants, including the ability to copy abilities, transforms into her to face the Black Queen, an evil version of Jean Grey.

In "Wolverine and the X-Men", Illyana is mentioned during a conversation between Colossus and Kitty Pryde.

In Electronic Games, in addition to Marvel Rivals, she appears in:

• "Marvel: Avengers Alliance" (2012): Magik is a playable character in this strategy game. She utilizes her teleportation and magic abilities in combat.

• "Marvel Heroes" (2013): In this MMORPG, Magik is a playable character which can be unlocked. Her powers include the use of the Soul Sword and teleportation abilities.

• "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2" (2017): Magik is an unlockable character, with teleportation abilities and use of the Soul Sword.

• "Marvel Future Fight" (2015): Available as a playable character in this action RPG for mobile devices.

• "Marvel Strike Force" (2018): Magik was added as a playable character in this strategy RPG for mobile devices.

• “Marvel Midnight Suns” (2022): She appears when the characters visit Limbo, talking to the demon Mephisto.

However, her main appearance was in the 2020 film "The New Mutants", where she was played by Anya Taylor-Joy.

In the film, Illyana is portrayed as a young mutant with a traumatic past, who developed a tough and sarcastic personality as a defense mechanism.

She has the ability to create portals to Limbo, a hellish dimension that she controls, and manifests the Soul Sword, a powerful mystical weapon. Throughout the plot, Illyana faces her own inner demons and collaborates with the other New Mutants to confront a supernatural threat that haunts them.

The film went through several reshoots, cancellations and cancellations of those cancellations until it finally reached theaters, practically at the end of Fox's life, which has been purchased by Disney and is currently part of Marvel Studios. It was a relative success, although it did not have the financial return that Fox expected, and still makes a strange connection with the box office hit movie Logan.

Considering this, it's unlikely we'll see the actress playing the character again.

Now, leave it in the comments: do you play as Magik? Did you know her story? Talk to us in the comments and take the opportunity to also read our Marvel Rivals game guides.