Fans finally got to see Anya Taylor-Joy’s Magik replacement in the MCU, as the character will be featured in an upcoming project and will be the first version of Magik to appear on-screen since Taylor-Joy’s in The New Mutants. The X-Men are here to stay in the MCU. Multiple versions of the Mutant team will be showcased in different projects throughout the coming years, and they will only grow to be more and more integral to the overall franchise and story.
Marvel Animation recently released a brand new trailer for X-Men ‘97 Season 2, and the footage included a first look at Magik. Notably, this will be the first time Magik has shown up since Anya Taylor-Joy played Illyana Rasputina (Magik’s real name) in 2020’s The New Mutants, one of the most poorly-received comic book movies of all time.
Specifically, Magik was featured in two separate scenes in the new X-Men '97 trailer, and both of them were extremely revealing.
First, a quick shot on Genosha showcased Colossus kneeling down and holding Magik’s body. Now, Colossus (whose real name is Piotr Rasputina) is Magik’s brother, and the scene is pretty clearly revealing that Magik is lying dead in Colossus’ arms.
A few moments later, some of the X-Men visit what appears to be a memorial or a shrine of some sort for fallen heroes and friends, and Magik's picture is right up at the very top for everyone to see, confirming that she is dead during the events of X-Men '97 Season 2.
It is worth noting that there is also some dialogue in the trailer where Rogue says, "This isn't just about us. It's about everyone we've lost." Notably, these lines are said as that shot of the memorial pops up, reinforcing the idea that Magik and some other characters close to the X-Men are truly dead.
Technically, this is the first time that Magik has actually been showcased in X-Men '97, and the first time that the character has appeared since Taylor-Joy played her in The New Mutants.
Some fans may remember Magik showing up in the show's first season, and that is true, in a way. Yes, a version of Magik was showcased fully, but it wasn't actually her.
Instead, it was Morph transformed into the adult version of her. So, that doesn't really count as an appearance from Magik herself, since it was a different character making themself look like her.
It is worth pointing out that a picture of Magik was featured in Season 1 on Forge's board of X-Men members. Specifically, Forge had a board made up of the members of the X-Men in an attempt to map out where each one was, and if they were alive or dead. Magik's face was shown on that board, and it implied that she was alive.
So, based on that scene and the recently released trailer for Season 2, where Magik can be seen in Colossus' arms, it appears as though she will die sometime very early on in Season 2, or possibly even between the events of the two installments. For instance, it is possible she died at an earlier time, and that Season 2 will just flash back and prove that she died to help further Colossus' character arc.
It is also worth noting that it seems as though Marvel Animation is keeping the same character design for Magik (who could be appearing in the MCU's upcoming X-Men film) that it used in Season 1.
As mentioned, that wasn't really Magik that appeared, and was instead Morph transforming into her, but his transformation was seemingly extremely accurate, as she looks essentially the same between the two seasons.
X-Men '97 is also staying extremely consistent with the comics with Magik's design, as any fan can look at her and undoubtedly identify who she is.
Notably, The New Mutants did a fairly good job at Magik's design in that movie, despite it having a lot of other flaws. Anya Taylor-Joy's version of the character wasn't extremely accurate to the comics when it came to her design, but she was still obviously Magik and had a lot of similar features to the animated version of the character that will be in X-Men '97 Season 2.
The full trailer for X-Men '97 Season 2 can be seen below:
Will Magik Be Resurrected in X-Men '97 Season 2?
Magik has become an increasingly popular character amongst Marvel fans over the past 30 or so years, and she is arguably at the height of her popularity right now, largely thanks to the Marvel Rivals video game, in which she is a playable character.
Luckily for Magik fans, the character has a lengthy history of dying and being resurrected or brought back in the comics, so there is no reason to believe that she will stay dead in X-Men '97. The most notable example of Magik dying and coming back came when she perished from the Legacy Virus and was then resurrected by a demon named Belasco, who brought her back in a different form known as Darkchylde.
It is entirely possible that Marvel Animation could take some inspiration from that comic story and bring Magik back in a similar manner. However, it could be much more beneficial for her to remain dead (at least for a little while) in order to further Colossus' character. Colossus has a lot of love for his sister, and losing her could make him a much more interesting person, especially if he ended up tapping into a darker side of himself and presenting himself as a bit of an antagonist, or at least an anti-hero.
However, X-Men '97 is going to continue after Season 2, so most likely, Magik will be returning at some point. As mentioned, she is an extremely popular character, but has never really had a lot of screen time throughout the history of the X-Men, so many are ready for her to take on a more full-time role in X-Men '97.
