Oh, oh, it’s Magik: Redesigning the X-Men’s resident demon sorceress taxicab

Welcome to Limbo! Our group chose Illyana Rasputina, the marvelous Magik, for this round!

Introduced as the younger sister of Colossus, Magik joined the ’80s New Mutants team as a teen and has since flourished into an A-lister in her own right. She’s been a member of the Phoenix Five, Cyclops’ renegade X-Men squad, the Krakoan New Mutants, a Krakoan War Captain, and the 2022 X-Men team, and will also be a member of Cyclops’ new X-Men team this summer under Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman.

Magik has several inspiration points for artists and redesigners to pull from. She’s most well known for her all-black 2012 look but has also sported demonic and fantasy influences as someone connected to the hellish Limbo and her malevolent alter ego, the Darkchylde. See what our enthusiastic and talented team of artists did this round, and make sure to follow them on social media for more fantastic art!

Léa dupic

@kimodraw on Twitter

I went full speed ahead into medieval land and dressed Illyana in a full metal shiny armor, putting emphasis on her sword-bearing arm with a biiiig spiky shoulder pad. I gave her a punk lesbian haircut while keeping her iconic bangs, because I think she should be allowed to be more of a punk lesbian. And I couldn’t resist adding a touch of demon form with the horns. She’s gloomy, she’s menacing, she’s spiky and shiny — she’s the girl of my dreams.

Giovanni Saroldi

@RaulGiova on Twitter

Just like matter, let’s give ‘Yana three states! Solid, liquid, gas? Kinda, but not quite! From angelic to demonic, with her main form being the in-between totality of herself, where she can draw whichever power she needs. It’s geometric, it’s chic, it’s retro-futuristic Terry Moore with the horns of Galaxy: The Prettiest Star meets Ludmilla from Bartok mid-transformation.

John Caden

@johncaden64 on Twitter

I’ve always felt the Chris Bachalo design was great but could get very male-gazey. I tried to make it more comfortable, while also keeping the same goth feel. I do feel she needs to just go all-in goth, so let’s shave her head, get some thick, black mascara and commit to the bit! 

Rake

@pastelrake on everything

What if Illyana had been a Russian figure skater?

Joe Pryde

@JoePrydeCosplay on Twitter and Instagram

My inspiration for this design came from the idea of “What if Magik was an elder emo” complete with Kristen Stewart fem mullet, high-waisted buckled tights and sleeveless crop top hoodie. I also wanted to pay homage to previous designs.

Haydn

@ThatsSoHaydn on Instagram

I had but one simple thought: What if the Soulsword was a rapier? And thus fencing Magik was born. I wanted the geometric shapes of the dark bodysuit to contrast with the curves of the golden armor, while still adding a little magic and mystery with her cloak and mask.

Dale Yaddow

@DaleYaddow on Twitter

Version 1: “The Savage Magik”

Having been stripped of her magical knowledge, Illyana Rasputina hunts down various enchanted artifacts to replace what she’s lost. Becoming desperate, she seems to be willing to steal and sometimes kill to get these talismans. Among these are the Soul Dagger of Pixie, the medallion of Daimon Hellstrom, holy bands from “Heven” and a cursed skull from an alternate version of Lockheed.

Version 2: “Mistress Magik”

This is an older, more seductive Magik who’s been corrupted by the influence of Selene and embraced her sensuality, opening up a whole new avenue of mystical arts that she hadn’t dared explore before. She now uses her Soulsword to capture the essences of her foes and much like

Selene feeds on them, keeping her young and vital.

Version 3: “Magik, Queen of Hell”

Many questioned the logic of Magik giving Limbo to Madelyne Pryor, but the end game has been revealed. Illyana allowed Madelyne to tether her magic to Limbo, knowing eventually “Maddie” would get greedy and begin bringing more power to that dimension. With a carefully hidden clause in the Limbo transference spell, Magik takes back Limbo and all the power

within it and successfully overthrows all the Hell Lords, unifying the many dreaded dimensions under one fearsome rule. Hers.

Anthony Ruiz

@thwwip_stickers on Instagram

Almost as soon as Magik was decided on for this design challenge, I had two ideas strike me simultaneously. The first of those ideas was the image of Illyana as a ’90s Riot(ish) Girl on the cover of a magazine. I wanted to give her an edgy, grungy vibe but still pay homage to her demonic nature.

Shortly after finishing my first design, I just knew I had to make my second idea come to life.

What if Illyana was an anime mech pilot and wore a Plugsuit. That’s it. That’s the idea. I really wanted to strike the balance between anime Plugsuit but still being noticeably Magik and X-Men.

I kept the bright yellow color scheme with hints of black and red and chose to interpret her armored arm into a mechanized, oversized cybernetic arm that helps fuel her plasma-powered Soulsword that springs forth from her gauntlet.

Isaiah Cox

@Isaiahbeenlost on Twitter

When designing my Magik look, I wanted to expand on ideas I had when drawing her a couple years ago by keeping her look sleek yet scary stylish! So I referenced a lot of Castlevania and Yoshiaki Kawajiri designs to get that cool anime look for her down. I plucked some fashion inspirations for the costume from places like Mugler, Alexander McQueen, LaQuan Smith, JRPG rogues and medieval accessories. And for her new Soulsword, I decided to give her an odachi because she already lived her Cloud Strife fantasy starting from the Brian Michael Bendis era, and I thought it was time for her to live her Sephiroth moment with this giant Japanese sword!

David Hughes

@0ddeity on instagram

I think with Magik I started out pretty traditional for her. Then I got to thinking our Russian Queen deserves a Mugler-esque fit. I wanted to go down the knight or warrior route, but then I thought “What If” this was an AU Illyana raised by Patch and she got all of Logan’s training rather than Kitty and Jubilee, or alongside them? So, bam, Oni-demon menpo mask and samurai elements on top of the Mugler flair.

Fleshmonk

@fleshmonk on Twitter

I went through a bunch of design iterations but settled on this cool, plasticky vinyl Plugsuit-like version of Magik. I gave her a bob to mature her a bit and to move her toward a new silhouette.

Joshua Bruckner 

@Joshington_bear on Twitter and Instagram

I took a bit from Magik’s more armored designs, which I’ve always liked the most, and her goth jock aesthetic, and blended them. I rejected the Bachalo booty shorts in favor of a skirt, which gives her a bit of a “cheerleader from hell” look.

Seye Sanyaolu

@seye_art on Twitter and Instagram 

My intention for this redesign was Magik in a very dystopian future, and so I imagined a 3/4 Darkchylde Illyana that is in control of herself and her powers (although she almost lost it). In this future, most of the X-Men are gone and Illyana keeps a worn and frayed X-jacket on for the nostalgia. :’) This look was very inspired by Nightmare from the Soulcaliber games!

SSTArtwork

@sstartwork on Twitter and Bluesky

My inspiration for this was moving into a more fantasy-style armor, while keeping subtle nods to her all-black design.