X-Men: Age of Revelation Infinity #4 was released yesterday, and it's sent social media into a frenzy. In the comic—which is set in a possible future—Magik loses control and kills Maria Hill; Nick Fury then kills her, sending Illyana Rasputin's soul to Limbo, where the demon Belasco claims her soul.
She's tormented and abused by Belasco and the other demons in Limbo, which ultimately corrupts Illyana and leads to her becoming their servant. That doesn't sound too bad, right?
Well, there are sexual undertones in the comic that imply the demons have sexually abused Magik. X-Men: Age of Revelation Infinity #4 doesn't depict rape, but demeaning remarks are made about her body, and two of the hero's tormenters, Belasco and S'ym, were previously revealed to have abused Magik as a child.
When Magik arrives in Limbo, she's in her underwear, and as Darkchild, she thanks her abuser—in an admittedly sexualised pose—for "sating [her] pathetic needs." While some read that as a reference to sexual assault, Belasco is actually making her beg for food.
Sexual assault has frequently been used as a plot device for female characters in comics, so it's easy enough to understand the outrage. It may not have been the intention here, but the issue can be read in that way, and therein lies the problem.
The backlash was so vocal that writer Tim Seeley, who faced abuse and death threats (which is obviously unacceptable), has deactivated his X account and gone private on Instagram. On Bluesky, he wrote, "Welp...I had to finally deactivate twitter because that was just a touch too much death for me and the family. It was a sh*t 16 year run! F**k everybody!"
Marvel Comics hasn't addressed the backlash, and X-Men: Age of Revelation Infinity #4 remains available to read on Marvel Unlimited.
You can see some of the panels causing controversy in the X post below.
Perdition Lost Part 1. Magik is sent on a rescue mission to liberate mutant Fabian Cortez from S.H.I.E.L.D., but does her demonic side have the same goal?
X-MEN: AGE OF REVELATION INFINITY #4
Written by TIM SEELEY
Art & Cover by PHILLIP SEVY
Available Now on Marvel Unlimited