Marvel Rivals: Magik lore, explained

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The version of Magik in Marvel Rivals has become Queen of Limbo / Image credit: Netease Games

TL;DR

Magik is a Duelist in Marvel Rivals who wields her Soulsword and is a melee fighter.

Magik in Marvel lore hails from Russia and was born a mutant, but her interactions with the demon Belasco and her time in Limbo led to her gaining magical powers, too.

The Soulsword was created with pieces of Magik’s soul, and she has a demonic side called Darkchylde.

In Marvel Rivals, Magik has fully embraced her Darkchylde persona and uses it for her ultimate ability.

In the game, Magik is Queen of Limbo and a general who fights for mutant survival.

Illyana Rasputina, known by her hero moniker Magik, is a mutant and sorceress from Marvel Comics who is part of the X-Men universe. She appears in a wide range of other media, including the live-action film The New Mutants, where she is played by Anya Taylor-Joy.

Magik is one of the playable Marvel characters in the 6v6 PvP team game Marvel Rivals, and she is a particularly popular and effective choice (when played well). As of the current Marvel Rivals season (season 6), Magik has a 54.63% win rate and a very high 16.48% pick rate. She is considered an S-tier Duelist, so it’s no surprise that her stats are so impressive.

In this article, we’ll be diving into Magik’s lore in Marvel Rivals and how it differs from her usual comic book lore. We’ll also take a closer look at her in-game abilities to see how they connect to her narrative in the game, as well as her general backstory from the comics.

Who is Magik in Marvel Rivals?

The image displays the character Magik, also known as Illyana Rasputin, an intimidating swordswoman and duelist from the game Marvel Rivals. She is shown in an action pose, wielding her signature Soulsword, a large blade that glows with fiery, mystical energy — Magik is a melee Duelist whose skill set revolves around getting close to the enemy / Image credit: Netease Games

In Marvel Rivals, Magik is a Duelist, a DPS character, whose role is to deal as much damage as possible while protecting the supports on the team. As in the comics, Magik in Marvel Rivals is best known for her huge sword called the Soulsword, which is literally made from a part of her soul. Her abilities are built around the Soulsword. Because of this, she is a melee Duelist who needs to get up close and personal with the enemy to deal significant damage.

Along with her Soulsword, Magik’s abilities in Marvel Rivals also focus on her connection to the demonic dimension Limbo, as she can teleport in and out of Limbo with ease due to being a leader within the dimension. Magik’s powers reflect this, as she can use her teleporting skills to manoeuvre through the battlefield in the game.

Marvel Rivals Magik lore, explained

The image displays the character Magik, also known as Illyana Rasputin, in her "Punkchild" outfit, an original cosmetic skin from the game Marvel Rivals — Magik’s Punkchild skin is a not so subtle nod to her rebellious teenage nature in the comics / Image credit: Netease Games

In Marvel Rivals, Magik’s lore revolves around the version of her that is caught up in the Timestream Entanglement, as is the case with all the heroes in the game. The Timestream Entanglement is the main narrative thread of the game that brings together various versions of Marvel characters from different universes and places in time.

The Magik that appears in Marvel Rivals has fully embraced her role to become the Queen of Limbo. She is also a key player in the timeline war caused by the Timestream Entanglement, as she is a general who fights demons as well as malevolent gods across a range of dimensions. Despite spending most of her time serving as Queen and a battle strategist in Limbo, she often visits Krakoa to meet with her fellow Mutants and ensure the survival of mutant kind.

Magik’s Marvel Rivals story shows a more battle-hardened version of her character, rather than the teenager who is still trying to find her place. Her relationship with her Darkchylde persona – the physical manifestation of the dark side of Magik’s soul – is often a cause of tension and a struggle in the comics, but in the game, she fully embraces it. In fact, in Marvel Rivals, Magik’s Darkchylde persona overtakes her physical form entirely when she uses her ultimate ability. At a surface level, though, she is still pretty similar to her comic book counterpart in terms of her tough and rebellious personality.

Magik’s in-game abilities

The image displays the character Magik, also known as Illyana Rasputin, in her demonic form as a special character variation or skin within the game Marvel Rivals. She is wearing an X-Men inspired uniform in yellow and blue, with gold armor pieces, large red horns, and a demonic tail — Darkchylde (in the comics) or Darkchild (in the game) is a physical manifestation of Magik’s dark side, and it is released in full with its own design when using Magik’s ultimate ability / Image credit: Netease Games

As mentioned, Magik’s Marvel Rivals abilities are strongly linked to her lore in both Marvel Rivals and the comics. Take a look at the table below for a more detailed look at Magik’s skill kit in Marvel Rivals.

Base statsHealth: 250Movement speed: 6m/s

Ability nameAbility typeAbility stats and details (regular form)Ability stats and details (Darkchild form)In-game descriptionChain of CyttorakTeam up ability with Doctor Strange. Damage to the link’s secondary target: 30.Link breakage distance: 30m.Link maximum duration: 4s. Max link generation distance: 15m.Projectile hit damage: 45.Projectile speed: 120m/s.Slow rate: Starts at 0%. Grows to 40% at 5m. N/ADoctor Strange shares his arcane mastery with Scarlet Witch and Magik. Scarlet Witch’s Chthonian Burst is replaced with Mystic Burst upon activation. Hold down the attack button to unleash a rapid, relentless salvo of magical missiles in the target direction. Magik can unleash a Chain of Cyttorak that links two enemies and slows them; the farther they are apart, the greater the Slow effect inflicted during the linkDarkchildUltimate abilityCasting: Transformation. Duration: 12s. Energy Cost: 3400Special Effect: When in the Darkchild state, all of Magik’s abilities are enhanced.N/ATransform into Darkchild, gaining enhancements to all her abilities.Demon’s RageSpecial abilityAttack speed: 0.25s per hit. Casting: A cuboid spell field in melee range. Damage: 20 damage per hit. Maximum duration for summons: 4s. Range: Height : 3m. Length: 6.5m. Width: 3m.Summons’ health: 100. Attack speed: 0.25s per hit. Casting: A cuboid spell field in melee range. Damage: 25 damage per hit. Maximum duration for summons: 4s. Range: Height: 4m. Length: 6m. Width: 4m.Summons’ health: 200. Summon a Limbo demon that attacks enemies after exiting a Stepping Disc.Eldritch WhirlSpecial abilityCasting: A cylindrical spell field in melee range. Damage: 50.Range: Cylindrical spell field with a height of 5m and radius of 6m. Casting: A cylindrical spell field in melee range. Damage: Deals 3 hits at intervals of 0.25s. Each hit deals 45 damage. Range: Cylindrical spell field with a height of 5m and radius of 12m.Spin while swinging the Soulsword after exiting a Stepping Disc.Limbo’s MightPassive abilityBonus max health: 150. Conversion rate: 30%Energy cost special effect: Convert damage taken into Bonus Health. N/AConvert damage inflicted on enemies into Bonus Health to herself.Magik SlashSpecial abilityCasting: Charged projectile that travels in a straight trajectory. Cooldown: 6s. Damage: 45-90. Maximum damage is achieved after 1.2s of charging. Maximum charge time: 2s. Projectile speed: 80m/s.Special effect: The projectile pierces enemies and reduces the cooldown of Stepping Discs by 1s with every enemy pierced. Casting: Charged projectile that travels in a straight trajectory. Cooldown: 3s. Damage: 90-180. Maximum damage is achieved after 1.8s of charging. Maximum charge time: 2s. Projectile speed: 100m/s.Strike forward with an air slash.SoulswordNormal abilityAttack interval: 0.83s per hit. Casting: Melee.Damage: 75. Damage falloff: Falloff begins at 4.5m and begins to decrease to 50% at 6.5m.Maximum distance: 6.5m.Attack interval: 1 hit per second. Casting: Melee.Damage: Deals 3 hits at intervals of 0.15s. Each hit deals 35 damage. Damage falloff: Falloff begins at 6m and begins to decrease to 25% at 10m.Maximum distance: 10m.Slash forward with the Soulsword.Stepping DiscsSpecial abilityAverage speed: 12m/s.Casting: Dash.Charges: 2.Combo ability casting window: 3s. Cooldown: 6s. Maximum distance: 10m. Special effect 1: Magik is invincible as she is moving. Average speed: 17m/s.Casting: Dash.Charges: 2.Combo ability casting window: 3s. Cooldown: 3s. Maximum distance: 10m. Special effect 1: Magik is invincible as she is moving. Jump through a Stepping Disc, teleporting a short distance in the direction of movement. Become Invincible while teleportingUmbral IncursionSpecial abilityAverage speed: 46m/s.Casting: Movement based damage ability. Cooldown: 8s. Maximum distance: 16m. Upward slash damage: 85.Average speed: 60m/s.Casting: Movement based damage ability. Cooldown: 6s. Maximum distance: 20m. Upward slash damage: 140.Dash forward and launch up enemies.

Conclusion

Magik’s Marvel Rivals story is directly linked to the Timestream Entanglement narrative that is unique to the game. She still has her strong-willed nature, but she has become more at one with the demonic parts of her personality. Magik is more willing than ever to let the Darkchylde come out to play in Marvel Rivals, as it is a key part of her skill kit. Her position as Queen of Limbo makes the Marvel Rivals version of Magik a particularly interesting version of her character.

FAQs

What is Magik’s backstory in Marvel Rivals?

Magik’s Marvel Rivals backstory seems to mirror the comics in that she was kidnapped as a child and forced to live in Limbo, leading to her creating a weapon out of pieces of her own soul. When the Timestream Entanglement occurs, Magik is the Queen of Limbo and a general.

How does Magik’s lore differ from comics in Marvel Rivals?

Magik is more accepting of her connection to Limbo and her Darkchylde persona in Marvel Rivals, which is understandable, seeing as she has had to build a demon army to survive the conflicts caused by the Timestream Entanglement.

Who recruited Magik in the Marvel Rivals story?

Magik is recruited by Scarlet Witch to aid in the conflict of the Timestream Entanglement in Marvel Rivals.

Who teams up with Magik in Marvel Rivals?

At the time of writing, February 2026, Magik only has one team-up with Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch called Chain of Cyttorak. She previously had a team-up with Black Panther called Dimension Shortcut, but this has been retired as of season 6.