Warning! Spoilers ahead for X-Men: Age of Revelation!

The X-Men franchise’s scariest hero, Magik, is going full villain in the upcoming Age of Revelation crossover. The bleak future storyline turns several notable mutant heroes into antagonists, but few are already more acquainted with evil than Magik, who has struggled with her dark alter-ego, the Darkchild, for much of her Marvel tenure.

In an interview with AIPT, author Jed McKay spoke about Magik’s role in his upcoming Amazing X-Men series with artist Mahmud Asrar, in which she will serve as a central villain.

McKay teased that in Age of Revelation, Magik’s Darkchild persona will have to become “a monster in a world of monsters” to survive.

Magik’s Dark Alter Ego The Darkchild Takes Full Control In The Dark “Age Of Revelation” Event Series

Amazing X-Men #2, Written By Jed McKay, Art By Mahmud Asrar, Available November 2025 From Marvel Comics

Though she’s been around for decades, it is fair to categorize Magik as a rising star in the X-Men franchise. Only in the past decade has Marvel truly begun to embrace Magik’s full potential as a hero, and one of the team’s heavyweights, an ongoing project that continues in Jed McKay’s current X-Men run.

Now, the publisher is hitting pause on that in order to embrace the flipside: Magik’s villain potential. Magik has broken bad before, but this time, things are different, thanks to the context of the Age of Revelation dystopian future. As McKay explained:

Magik and the Darkchild have always had a push-and-pull relationship, most recently identified as the Darkchild wanting to protect Illyana. In Age of Revelation, we’re going to see what happens when the balance in that relationship no longer exists, and the Darkchild must be a monster in a world of monsters.

In other words, Magik’s condition is a harsh reaction to the world around her.

In a way, this has always been the case with the character, who, despite developing a reputation as one of Marvel’s most powerful mutants, also remains one of X-Men’s most long-suffering characters. Her actions in Age of Revelation might be a defense mechanism, essentially, but if she goes too dark, that won’t absolve her entirely.

Magik’s Heroic Journey Is On Pause As She Becomes A Central Villain In X-Men’s New, Dark Future

X-Men Fans Are Already Concerned About The Long-Term Implications

Fans’ first glimpse of Age of Revelation Magik comes in the form of the cover for Jed McKay’s Amazing X-Men #2, in which the red-skinned demonic Darkchild is depicted with characters like Psylocke and Beast in her thrall, while the synopsis for the issue refers to Juggernaut as her “demon knight.”

McKay’s comments about Magik and the Darkchild in Age of Revelation suggest a new evolution of the character’s internal dynamic, as the forces of good and evil feud over her soul once more. Beyond that, it remains a wide-open question what her villainous arc in the crossover will ultimately look like.

The other looming question about Magik that X-Men readers will have to wait to learn the answer to is how this dark turn will impact her heroic trajectory, if and when X-Men returns to its pre-Revelation status quo. Considering her fan-favorite status, Marvel should be weary of doing lasting damage to her heroic reputation.

Amazing X-Men #2 will be available November 5, 2025 from Marvel Comics.

Movie(s)

X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

First Film

X-Men (2000)

TV Show(s)

X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men ’97 (2024)

Video Game(s)

X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine’s Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)

Character(s)

Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23

Comic Release Date

213035,212968