As Magik of the X-Men, Illyana Rasputin learned sorcery while mastering her teleportation powers, rising to become Queen of Limbo. This, coupled with an extensive knowledge of legends, makes Illyana better able than most to handle a vampire invasion. However, even Magik’s powers are tested when she meets one of Russia’s greatest heroes in the X-Men Blood Hunt special.
Written by Ashley Allen, with art by Jesús Hervás, X-Men: Blood Hunt – Magik #1 finds Illyana returned to her hometown. Captured by vampires, the sorceress plays at being a mere mortal. This enables her to infiltrate her childhood village and set a plan for dealing with the vampires.
To Magik’s surprise, the head vampire is not as bloodthirsty as his minions. Indeed, he admonishes them for their “waste of good prey” in savage displays, saying they should live as hunters, not monsters. The fact that the leader is named Ilya, paired with his ancient armor, leads the X-Men’s sorceress to an intuitive leap as to who he is.
Magik fights her namesake, who is a vampire
When questioned about his name, the vampire leader confirms that he is Ilya Muromets. A legendary Russian folk hero, Ilya Muromets, was said to be sickly as a child and left unable to walk. He was miraculously healed by two pilgrims, to whom he had opened up his home. Afterward, Ilya Muromets possessed great strength, which he turned to the service of his nation’s defense. The legend was Illyana Rasputin’s favorite story as a child, partly because her name was close to that of the famous knight.
However, there was one important aspect of the story that legend got wrong. The pilgrims were truly vampires, who shared their dark gift with Ilya Muromets. He did indeed come to Russia’s defense, but he only slew monsters and invading armies so as to destroy his competitors in conquest. This leaves Magik facing a literal legend to save her hometown.
X-Men: Blood Hunt – Magik #1 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
