Black Magikal Mind Control part II: Fiery Faux Felines

"I have restored her, Piotr Nikolaevitch... to the life and future that are rightfully hers!"

When we last left the alternate X-men series X-men Forever, a creepy Russian demon worshipper known as Cossack kidnapped Colossus' young sister Illyana and freed the demonic elements that were locked deep within her soul. Now she was Black Magik, heir to Belasco's throne in Limbo. 

And while those dark influences might have controlled Illyana's mind, she still longed for a connection with her past life... And she'd found it in her former best friend Kitty Pryde. But before we get to that, Cossack called in his lupine henchmen to deal with the X-men. 

Kitty was ordered to keep little 'Ro safe, but as she took the tiny Storm away from the battle she also ran into Black Magik who was ready to make her move.

"As soon as Cossack and I are finished with Shadowcat... It'll be your turn."

So, just what was Illyana planning to do to Kitty, you ask? Well... Magik had revealed she wanted Kitty as her companion for a long time, and now she finally had the means to do so. 

So, just what cán she become? The opening page of X-men Forever # 14 holds the tantalizing answer...

"You chose the name Shadowcat as the true expression of your soul, Kitty. But now behold that soul made flesh: You are not a mere "shadow", my heart... You are my FIRE-CAT!"

While that is a pretty speech and Kitty's new fiery, feline form is a wonder to behold... the transformation isn't quite complete. Not until she sheds blood, that is... But with all those X-men ready to oppose her, that only seems a matter of time. Especially when Illyana offers a little more moral support, swaying the rather confused Kitty to their side even further.

"Embrace who you are, stop being afraid of what you can become."

Ignoring the rather obvious lesbian undertones of this scene, Illyana does make a valid point. In the past few issues, Kitty has lost pretty much everyone she shared a special or even an emotional connection with. Storm betrayed the team, killing Kitty's father figure and mentor Wolverine... Add to that  Colossus shacking up with the Black Widow... who's left for Kitty? The answer might surprise you...

"I fought Ogun, I fought the Shadow King, I'll fight Cossack... and I'll win!"

Gosh, such a pretty little rhyme. Wolverine's presence served as a reminder to who she really was and forced Kitty to fight back, eventually succeeding in breaking the spell Illyana and Cossack put her under. But that didn't keep the ol' purple haired russkie to try the same with 'Ro...

"It will take but a moment to catalyze the darkness in the child's soul..."

Yeah, fraid not Cossack... There's far more to little Ro than meets the eye, as we'll cover in a future entry. She's able to withstand his transformation attempt, leaving him powerless in the process.

With the werewolf sidekicks dealt with as well, Illyana's defeat seemed imminent, especially because the other members of Russia's sanctioned superhero team the Winter Guard had arrived to help out Colossus and the Black Widow... But Black Magik wasn't quite ready to give in.

"You taught me well, X-men. Next time, you'll find out how well."

Unfortunately, the X-men Forever series was cancelled well before Black Magik could make good on her threat... but hey, how can you even top trying to mind control two X-men and killing your own brother in a first appearance?

Black Magikal Mind Control part I: In Soviet Russia, Mind Controls You!

When Chris Claremont launched X-Men Forever in 2009, there were some initial doubts about how viable a nostalgia act would be... Let alone if Chris would be able to resist indulging in his love for all things mind control.

But fair's fair, Claremont managed to refrain from any obvious forms of sultry seduction, unleashing dark alter egos or even enthralling the innocent for nearly 12 issues. Considering the book's biweekly schedule, that's almost six mind control free months. Good for him... But then X-Men Forever # 11 came around and this happened...

"A glorious destiny awaits you, young lady. The time has come for the rebirth of MAGIK!"

Continuitywise, the history of the alternate reality of X-men Forever is the same as the 616's, including the moment in Inferno when the teenage Illyana Rasputin encountered her younger self, still trapped in Limbo as Belasco's unwilling apprentice. The Darkchilde teleported the young girl home, sacrificing her own existence in the process. Lil' Illyana moved back home with her parents in Russia... In our reality, she would eventually die of the Legacy Virus, but here... she fell prey to the villain called Cossack, a servant of Belasco. 

"I want you to be all you can be."

When an old man with purple hair and a skull cane wants you to achieve your full potential, you just know it's not going to end well. But as luck would have it, a team of X-men happened to be in Russia, checking in on Illyana's big brother Peter...

"And I can assure you, Ms. Pryde, that Peter is just fine."

Yeah, in this reality Colossus and Natasha Romanova are lovers, despite her codename 'The Black Widow'. They joined Colossus in the investigation of Illyana's disappearance and when they located her and Cossack in an abandoned factory near Moscow, they were greeted by a rather hauting sight...

"But now you face... Black Magik!"

Lazy codenames aside, Cossack had managed to release Illyana's demon soul which changed her back into a teenage succubus style bad guy. It goes without saying that seeing her former best friend twisted back into an evil creature has a profound impact on Kitty Pryde... 

Who was already more than a little shaken by the loss of Wolverine, gaining one of his claws in the process, the discovery her surrogate mother Storm was responsible for Logan's death... and now her first love Peter was shacking up with the Black Widow... Talk about being put through the emotional wringer. 

"Whatever Cossack's done, you can fight it. You're so much stronger..."

Them's fighting words, but what Kitty and Little 'Ro (aka: Tiny Storm) don't realise... Illyana's not exactly suffering from mind control. 

"Don't you get it, Kitty? When you pulled me out of Limbo you didn't 'save' me...
I was supposed to pull you in."

... Well, that certainly puts a new spin on this classic scene from X-men 160...

So... This Black Magik was actually the real Illyana finally being allowed free reign? A fascinating twist, which would lead to far more mind control as we'll see in part II of Black Magikal Mind Control: Fiery Faux Felines