Content warning for discussions of rape and abuse.
The fourth issue of X-Men: Age of Revelation Infinity dropped yesterday, and it’s quickly spawned a controversy that has seen its writer lock down his social media accounts. X-Men: Age of Revelation Infinity #4 centres around Magik, and readers have accused the short story of using a sexist trope that comics have often relied on in the past.
Specifically, readers claim that the comic depicts Magik being sexually abused until she becomes a villain. This is perceived as a resurgence of the trend in which female characters are sexually assaulted for shock value and receive a disproportionate amount of violence, something Marvel is no stranger to.
Magik Fans Are Not Happy With Her Latest Comic Appearance
The story opens with Magik on a mission. During which she loses control and kills Maria Hill, and is in turn killed by Nick Fury. This sends her to Limbo, with Belasco claiming her soul and trapping her. It is implied that she is tormented and abused by Belasco and the other demons in Limbo, which corrupts her and turns her into their servant.
This alone attracts controversy, due to the implied violence and the fact that it puts Magik into a subservient role. However, it is the sexual undertones that have sparked most of this backlash.
It is worth mentioning that there is no depiction of rape in the issue, but it can be inferred from a few of the panels. For instance, the demons that Magik meets make crude, demeaning remarks about her body, and two of her tormenters – Belasco and S’ym – had previously abused her as a child. She also spawns in Limbo in only her underwear, with the way she is depicted invoking the imagery of sexual assault. Another panel after she has become Darkchild shows her thanking her abuser for “sating [her] pathetic needs”. Some have taken it to be in reference to sexual assault, but this is actually the abuser making her beg for food, which, of course, is still a clear form of abuse which can be sexual in nature.
The story has been described as sexist, particularly by those who interpret the abuse as rape. Many feel that the way the abuse was depicted fetishised the act, and is reductive to Magik’s character when her backstory already revolves around abuse, making her an important character to other survivors.
It is worth putting this all in context; sexual abuse and violence against women are often used in comic books without much consideration. There’s a reason the term “fridging” originates from a Green Lantern comic, as it’s clear that female characters face a disproportionate amount of violence compared to their male counterparts.
However, amidst the genuine criticism of this writing, there is abuse directed towards those who worked on the issue. Writer Tim Seeley has deactivated his Twitter account and has gone private on Instagram. Seeley has faced criticism for being dismissive towards the criticism, but some messages clearly cross the line into being abusive.
On the whole, many are unhappy to see Marvel greenlight this storyline when Magik’s character is seeing a resurgence in popularity, thanks to her appearance in Marvel Rivals. It remains to be seen if anyone from Marvel comments on this backlash.
