Among the seemingly infinite cast of Marvel's comic book universe, some characters never get their chance to shine on the big screen. Others, however, suffer the possibly worse fate of appearing only in one terrible film and subsequently being buried along with their source material.
Released in 2020 after some substantial delay, The New Mutants took one of the best premises in superhero film history and managed to completely mangle the execution to impressively sad results. Its central characters were an entirely new team of superpowered teens who each deserved much better than they got, but one member of the group stood out.
Illyana Rasputina was technically first introduced by Len Wein in 1975 but remained a background character for the following eight years until granted powers and the alias Magik by Chris Claremont. Illyana is X-Men mainstay Colossus' younger sister, he actually first manifested his metallic power while saving her from a farming disaster. Born with the ability to teleport, Magik is dragged to an alternate dimension called Limbo, where she is embroiled in the machinations of an evil sorcerer.
Whilst there, she is trained in the use of magic, as well as in the ways of combat, by alternate versions of X-Men Storm and Shadowcat. She forges an immensely powerful weapon called the Soulsword from her own lifeforce and takes over her new home. Illyana returns to her homeworld and joins a variety of superhero teams, battling villains with her magical talent. Magik appears as a powerful hero throughout numerous X-Men series and has retained a strong following of devoted fans. After 45 years, Magik finally made it to the big screen but didn't exactly land as well as expected.
The New Mutants introduces Illyana Rasputina as portrayed by beloved actor Anya Taylor-Joy. Amongst the largely poor reviews, the one aspect of the film to receive near-universal praise is Taylor-Joy's performance. Illyana is cruel, strong-willed, and aggressive. She's the powerful mean- girl amongst the teen mutant team, transitioning quickly from a hateful bully into a domineering hero. The writing was not always ideal, most prominently the script allows Illyana's cruel jabs to turn racist, an obviously stupid decision that hurts the character overall. The character shines amongst a cast of new heroes for Taylor-Joy's excellent performance, her dynamic screen presence, and her engaging power set. The character was not the lead of New Mutants, and the film's failures do hurt her presentation, leaving Magik an obvious candidate for a bigger and better role in future films.
The New Mutants was the last X-Men film to be mostly created before Disney acquired the brand, which provides a partial explanation for its bizarre problems. It's a foregone conclusion that Disney will bring the X-Men to the screen once again in a new form, but fans are always wondering what existing media will make the transition. Given the disastrous reception of The New Mutants, any fan would likely guess that the film will be comfortably forgotten the instant its release window closed. While that should absolutely be the film's fate, the characters contained within deserve better. Frankly, this is true of the entire New Mutants team; Mirage, Wolfsbane, Cannonball, and Sunspot should all get a second chance somewhere within the franchise. But Magik was the clear favorite, a diamond in the rough who, with better writing, could clearly work in the context of a bigger project.
If Disney has no intention of reviving the New Mutants team, Magik could be a staple member of the central X-Men team. Her unique power set and backstory make her a connection to the magical side of the universe, an aspect of the narrative that often doesn't connect to the more mutant-centric series. Magik regularly teams with Doctor Strange in the comics, she fills a similar role in Limbo that Strange does on Earth. In addition, she happens to be a relative of a fan favorite. Colossus was not a fixture of the X-Men movies early on, but his straight-man role to the merc with a mouth in both Deadpool films made him a fan favorite. His connection to Negasonic Teenage Warhead also shows off the fact that fans love the dynamic of pairing the metal man with a severe young lady. Of course, if Disney didn't want Magik on the main roster, there's an obvious alternate idea.
The X-Men franchise has managed to pull off solo outings for exactly two of their characters; Wolverine and Deadpool. Despite their best efforts, Gambit never made it and the Origins brand fell flat almost immediately. Magik's backstory, personality and power set are strong enough to make her the star of her own story. The simple tale of a young woman, trapped in a reality far from her own, gradually learning to control her gifts and escape her capture, even while under threat of death could be a fantastic superhero origin story. With strong performance, better writing, and the courage of its convictions, Disney could bring a brilliant Magik movie to the big screen, and give this character the second chance she deserves.
