Illyana's Beyond(er) Mind Control

Today's entry comes from the nine month period every Marvel comic had to get involved with Secret Wars II, which meant guest appearances by the Beyonder.

Ahhh, the Beyonder...

More often than not, the involvement of the one from beyond added little to the story. Some writers, like John Byrne in Fantastic Four, used the entity to further the ongoing storylines.

Either way, the Beyonder is basically just a tool. And a big one at that.

Chris Claremont managed to get at least some mileage out of the Beyonder over in New Mutants. Take issue # 36, in which he paid a surprise visit to Illyana Rasputin who was riding the subway in New York right when he popped in.

"Hello Illyana."

Naturally, the teleporting ruler of Limbo was ready to attack... But she didn't stand a chance. Luckily for her, he didn't want to hurt her. No, quite the opposite: he came to help her.

"This part of your being... you call it evil. You fear it."

And with good reason... Illyana lost parts of her soul to Belasco's bloodstone ritual. This gave her incredible magic powers, but she also lost part of her humanity in the process. Now, the Beyonder undid Belasco's handiwork and made the young Russian mutant whole again. Gone were her eldritch armor, soulsword and beatrice medallion...

But magic is a form energy... And energy can't be destroyed, it just exists in another form. Or in this case, another host. When the Beyonder removed the magics from Illyana, all her trinkets appeared on a rather shocked Kitty Pryde who was doing a little studying in New York's public library. Immediately recognising the armor, sword and pendant as Illyana's, she didn't have much time to adjust when a demon popped out of thin air and attacked her.

"Where's a Ghostbuster when you really need one?"

Ah, don't you just love the mid 80s?

While Claremont has Kitty think to herself in full detail just what the soulsword is (you're welcome new readers!), artist Bill Sienkiewicz once again knocked over his ink well to give the demon a distinctive, creepy appearance. But Kitty wasn't the only one dealing with a sudden increase in demonic activity...

"Dani... a monster!"

... Said the werewolf girl.

The New Mutants quickly deal with their uninvited pool guest and then... Illyana comes home... Using the subway.

"Take my hand, dear friend. Let me teach you what I have learned."

Apparently, Illyana also learned how to lift an entire metro train into the air and fly it over 40 miles to Westchester. Still, ignoring this super power we'll never see again... Illyana shares her 'insights' with Cannonball and meets the others after landing the subway train on the mansion's lawn.

"Join with a universal consciousness called 'the overmind'."

Illyana tells the New Mutants she wants them to join the Beyonder's cause, after all he has the best intentions for mankind... But the team is a little more concerned with their unexpected demonic visitor. Especially after Illyana rather casually identifies it as part of a large scale demonic invasion... And to think Inferno was still at least two years in the future at that point.

Surprisingly enough, Illyana's response is a rather glib 'no big deal.' According to her, these demons pale in comparison to the Beyonder so who cares. She's far more concerned with recruiting the New Mutants for the Beyonder's cause. All she has to do is touch them to make sure they see the light...

"Y'all don't understand! We got no choice but to show you!"

None of the New Mutants were too eager to have Illyana show them this new truth of hers. Karma was especially vehement in her refusal, which is understandable considering she'd only recently regained control of her body after the Shadow King mind controlled her.

So if politely asking doesn't work, try using force...

"Alarm... fundamental alteration in prime circuitry nets! Cannot inhibit... perceptions changing... thoughts... beliefs... data twist loop scramble dump purge...*"

For those who aren't fluent in mid 80s made up computer lingo: Illyana was trying to mind control the techno organic mutant Warlock.... And she would have succeeded too, if not for the fact a giant black demon (there goes Sienkiewicz's ink well again) showed up at the mansion, carrying an old friend...

"Now, with her lifesoul... and one more besides... shall the gateway at last be open..."

Yeah, poor Kitty. Even though she had 'inherited' all of Illyana's magical artifacts, she lacked the necessary skills to use them effectively. Now, she'd fallen prey to the demons who were planning to finish Belasco's bloodstone ritual and merge Earth with their dimension. And of course the New Mutants tried their best to stop the creature...

Mutants, stop him! Shan, can he be possessed?!"

It's a quintessential panel of Claremont's New Mutants and the way they approached a combat situation. Wolfsbane's on the frontlines clawing away at the demon's foot, while Dani Moonstar and Xi'an 'Shan' Coy Manh use their mental powers to inflict their own particular brand of mental domination.

While way in the back, Doug 'Cypher' Ramsey is feeling useless and a bit scared because a) he's halfnaked and b) being a mutant universal translator make him pretty much worthless in actual combat... a cipher if you will... 

In the end, the demon appears impervious to the New Mutants's powers. How can one scare, scratch or burn a creature from a hellish dimension, after all. No, it's up to Illyana to save the day by willingly embracing her evil once more...

"To save her, I've got to take them back. Become evil.
If I let her die though how can I call myself 'good'?"

Chris Claremont confronts Magik with an interesting no win situation. Illyana truly wants to do good, but what does that mean in this case? Either she embraces her demonic side in order to save her best friend, or she lets Kitty die so she won't be the 'Darkchylde' anymore... But can anyone who stands idly by and watches a fellow human being die truly be considered good?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

In the end Illyana took back what was hers, cast aside the Beyonder's gift of a 'normal' life and rescued both Kitty and every single person on Earth from getting devoured by demons... And all it took was her own life and personal shot at happiness...

"Hey why so glum, roomie? I knew you'd save the day".

With one demon invasion stopped and one best friend saved, it would seem Illyana made the right choice. Even though 'right' is all but relative. Considering what happened in New Mutants # 71...

Would the life of Kitty have been worth preventing Inferno, the demonic infestation of New York city that killed dozens of innocents?

Discuss amongst yourselves...

Mind Controlling Magik part IV: Salvation Is But A Stepping Disc Away

Part three of Mind Controlling Magik ended with Belasco finally 'liberating' Illyana Rasputin from her protectors, Storm and Cat. Now she could at last start her apprenticeship at the feet of the demon lord.

Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch... The price for Belasco taking you under his wing is literally your soul. When they first met, Belasco took part of Illyana's soul to create the first bloodstone, now she has to repay him by creating the second stone herself... willingly sacrificing herself even more. And that was just the first day! 

Belasco's teachings focused on Illyana warping life to its most darkest possible outcome, as this unfortunate 'Squidge' showed. Despite having three chunks of her soul corrupted by evil, Illyana still felt bad about what she had become... let alone about what she still was to do.

Alone in her appartments, Illyana realised she was more than just Belasco's demonic sorceror apprentice... Just like her brother Peter, she possessed certain mutant abilities. While she couldn't turn to solid steel like Peter, she was however able to control the light circles that plagued Limbo, circles of energy that teleported people caught in them all across space and time... Quickly mastering them, she teleported both herself and her bedroom...

 However, fate and interdimensional crosstime *can* be a cruel mistress as Illyana's initial attempts at teleportation caused a rather interesting run in with her future teammates... the New Mutants.

However, as Illyana teleported away, that scene would appear rather differently from the New Mutants' point of view. 

For some reason, their appearance in Magik # 3 was little more than a stop along the way to appear in New Mutants # 14, cover dated April 1984... close to two months ahead of schedule. A nice piece of foreshadowing and a prime example of making interlocked continuity work for you. But what had happened to Illyana after her blind jump?

Well, seconds after her jump Illyana learned another aspect of her powers. Not only was she able to teleport across space, time also seemed to be a factor as she arrived in Belasco's demonic lore library. Her destination was right on the money, the timing could use a little work. She arrived decades in the past, just as a still relatively young Storm faced off against Belasco.

After using her mutant abilities to kill Belasco, Storm underwent a sudden change... her innocence giving way to a new form, more atune to Belasco's demonic tendencies. Which is odd, after all, she just killed the demon lord of Limbo, right?

Fraid not... Belasco had used a cheap parlor trick and replaced himself with an innocent man. By attacking and killing him, Storm unwittingly lost most of her humanity, causing her to revert to a demon... Much to Belasco's pleasure.

However, this sojourn into the past was nothing but a warning about things occuring in the here and now. An enraged but ancient Ororo was attacking Belasco, ready to take Illyana back again but already convinced she was no match for him. As the old woman lay dying, Belasco forced Magik to kill her, thereby revealing his secondary motive... the creation of the third bloodstone.

"Splendid. Some of your soul still remains to be corrupted."

After being forced to kill her former mentor Storm, Illyana goes on a bit of a rampage. Using her stepping discs to escape, darting across Limbo with Storm's body to give her a proper burial in the glade the former weather witch had created. However, seconds after the funeral a zombified Storm popped up from the rocks that made up her gravesite, followed by the long dead form of her brother Colossus.

A panicked Illyana instinctively calls upon her powers to take her home... Unfortuately for her, home isn't exactly the safe haven she was used to as she manifests in front of her parents' farm in Russia's Ust-Ordinsky collective. Knocking on the door to greet her parents, Illyana is only met with outrage and dismissal when she exuberantly approaches to hug her mom and dad. They are understandably confused and dismissive. How can this teenage girl possibly be their tiny snowflake?

Demoralised, Illyana doesn't even put up a fight when Belasco and his minions arrive to claim and torture her.

Of course, this punishment also involves a little bit of mind control for the heck of it... 

After draining the third bloodstone from her, Belasco decides Illyana ought to languish in exile for a while before he summoned her to create the fourth stone. This basically meant Illyana was allowed free reign, which isn't the smartest decision considering how devilishly devious Belasco had been making her for years now...

A drained and starving Illyana picked herself up for a little road trip on foot across Limbo, travelling towards Storm's abandoned glade. There, she sits by Ororo's ancient oak tree, the symbol of the wind rider's white magic. Trying a few of the white magic cantations Storm taught her, Illyana soon realised she had been irrevocably corrupted by Belasco's deviltry. However, she also made a discovery that would allow her ultimate freedom... something that had been there all along...

Finally attaining a weapon capable of dealing Belasco some serious damage, Magik teleported to his inner sanctum and fought the lord of Limbo. Her sword, capable of breaking any and all magic spells, soon gave her the upper hand, causing a remarkable change to take place between her and Belasco...

In Limbo, even winning is losing... As Illyana proceeded to beat Belasco, she turned more and more into the person she hated all along... Belasco's demonic features transferred to her, grooming the girl to be the next ruler of the demon realm... If only she'd deliver the killing blow!

In defeating Belasco, Illyana also drove him from the throne of Limbo... In effect making her the new ruler of the realm. But other matters weighed heavily on the young demon sorceress' head... as she decided to fulfill the promise of a seemingly unavoidable timeloop as best she knew how...

"I used my powers to dress for the occasion. I hope they like it."

... Well, Illyana, for my money... I know the mind control fetishists sure as Limbo liked it!

Mind Controlling Magik part III: Meanwhile In Between Time.

When we last left Illyana in 1982's Uncanny X-men # 160, she was about to fall prey to Belasco in spite of the X-men's best efforts. She only disappeared for a second or two before Kitty Pryde managed to pull her free from the demon lord Belasco's grasp. However,those scant seconds in Limbo added at least 5 years to little eight year old Illyana's life...

Yeah, Limbo will do that to ya...  An hour of our time could seem like a decade, century or even an instant there. So it would make sense Illyana could have gained all those extra years within the space of a few of our heartbeats. But, what had happened to her in Limbo during that time?

That particular question would be answered in December of 1983 with the release of Magik: Storm and Illyana # 1, a four part limited series by Chris Claremont and John Buscema that set out to tell Illyana's lost years in Limbo. 

In Uncanny X-men # 160, this particular scene ended with Illyana in Kitty's hands... However, Illyana didn't simply hang there for five years before getting pulled out. Belasco actually pulled her in and closed the portal, but the time that took in Limbo was less than a second on Earth. So, this entire series takes place during that brief moment...

Mindboggling, to say the least. Or in the case of Illyana: mind controlling. Belasco had something very special planned for the lil' one.

Ah, yeah, quick reminder, Belasco might seem like a pretty potent baddie all by himself, he was actually a high priest of even badder people known as the Elder Gods. These ancient terrors were ready to invade Earth and Belasco figured Illyana would serve as the ideal gateway.

The best conduit for evil is sacrificing innocents. That's why Belasco actively used his magic to corrupt the soul of poor, innocent Illyana. Lobbing off a piece of her purity, Belasco magically converted it into a ball of, as he claims, gorgeous energy. Let's see how he uses it.

"She is bound to me... body and soul... and through me, to my dread lords. Forever."

Yes, it *is* 1983, which means Chris Claremont favorite mind control related staple is over three decades old. It's withstood the test of time, but then again master Chris wás talking about *forever*, right?

So, where was the elderly Storm while all this went down? Having a lie down, actually... sending the X-men home while holding of Belasco and his forces proved too much for her. She was forced  to look on as the demon lord defiled Illyana's innocence in creating the first bloodstone.

Summoning up her last reserves of strength, she grabbed Illyana and teleported them back to her sanctum, a Belasco-free pocket of Limbo that Storm had turned into a lush, gardenlike glade.

There, Storm tried to teach Illyana the power of white magic in an attempt to train the young girl in fighting the dark side Belasco had awakened within her after consuming part of her soul. Alas, Storm was too old and feeble to undo Belasco's mark on Illyana. Luckily, she had an ally in Cat, better known as 'our' Kitty Pryde. However, decades spent in Belasco's realm had changed her considerably.  

Belasco had subtly used his control over Limbo to influence and change the X-men that had been trapped there trying to get Illyana home. They all had pretty much fallen prey to Belasco's domineering presence. Wolverine and Colossus died fighting, while Storm and Cat managed to break free... And as for Nightcrawler? Well, we'll get to that...

Cat had her own ideas about how to deal with Illyana...

Offering a way home, Cat took the young Illyana on a journey of discovery, unaware this was all part of Belasco's bigger plan, Cat dropped them off in a desert like part of Limbo. There, she decided to teach the young girl some crucial survival skills, often getting quite a kick out of watching how her young ward humiliated herself by failing over and over again.

Over the course of her training, Limbo's warped temporal laws cause Illyana to age... Now at least 14 years old, she reaches Belasco's citadel headquarters in the heart of Limbo, just in time for Cat to explain her plan to return home.

Y'see, Belasco built his keep on the exact spot the dimensional barriers between Earth and Limbo are the weakest. Cat figures that she can reach Earth by using her phasing powers, because, well, just cos, sheesh...

Before she was able to execute her plan, Cat had to deal with her former teammate Nightcrawler. After getting stranded in Limbo, Kurt Wagner ultimately succumbed to his dark side and became Belasco's merciless, depraved servant. However, Cat knew how to take care of him...

Seconds after Kurt's killing, Belascos shows up to take matters in his own, erm, hand... That is, not before he allows Cat to try her phase & escape plan which fails horribly... Just like he'd planned. Belasco had planted the illusion of hope in Kitty's mind, only to yank her proverbial chain back to him so he could exact vengeance on the Cat who cost him a pet.

Changing Kitty into an actual, unthinking cat thing, Belasco focussed his attentions on Illyana. It was time for a new bloodstone ritual, after all... But why not have a little more soul corruption while we're at it?

Just read those lines... Belasco revels in debasing Kitty Pryde to her most primal urges, while the young Illyana looks on. A little scared, yes, but also quite excited about the prospect lord Belasco is offering... Hopes and dreams that become even more alluring after Belasco corrupted another part of her soul while creating the second bloodstone.

Luckily, the already cursed child still had an ally in Limbo...

More on the corruption of the innocent and the imminent vengeance of the elderly in part IV of Mind Controlling Magik: Salvation Is But A Stepping Disc Away

Mind Controlling Magik part II: Into A Limbo Far & Wide

When we last left the X-men, they were in the middle of Uncanny X-men # 160, an issue that pretty much exploded with sexual innuendo involving innocent young girls like Illyana Rasputin and Kitty Pryde.

Here's a little recap...

Yes, that is a twisted and perverted version of Nightcrawler getting a little too familiar with little 8 year old Illyana. But who is responsible for bringing her here? Why, he'll tell you himself...

"Oh, yes, child... that is Nightcrawler... reshaped body and soul in the image of his true lord... Belasco!"

A powerful sorceror banished to the interdimensional realm known as Limbo, Belasco had quickly emerged as ruler of the demon hordes that resided there. But in order to regain favor with his masters the Dark Ones, he had a plan to allow them access to Earth via a special sacrificial ritual involving the innocent. And wouldn'tchaknow it... Illyana fit that bill nicely.

Yes, that *IS* Kitty Pryde's actual skeleton waving at her trapped form. Never let it be said Belasco is without a sense of humor, wickedt though it may be. Kitty looks on in horror as Belasco offers Illyana an empty medallion that will soon house five bloodstones... mystic gems created from parts of her soul that hold enough power to open a bridge from the Dark One's realm to Earth itself.

But salvation seems close at hand, as from a distance 'our' Nightcrawler watches the events and swears to avenge both the missing X-men and Belasco's captives. Little did he know the others were still alive. The light circles that brought them to Limbo separated them, but they were all relatively okay... Even though Storm was about to face no less than two of Claremont's other pet peeves: tentacle pornography and forced transmogrification of the female form...

Judging from the copy, the suddenly transformed Storm easily escaped the writhing, dominating tentacles by using the mutant powers and abilities of her teammates. However, this is how Ororo appears next...

"But what power can mold and shape me in the blink of an eye, as if I was little better than a lump of sculptor's clay? It was terrifying... yet I cannot deny that transformation saved my life."

Let's assume that whatever power shifted her form, also controlled her conscious mind so she was able to use the other X-men's powers effectively enough to escape. Waking up in a peaceful, green glade Storm looks around to see who's responsible for rescuing her.

Finding no one, she takes a refreshing dive in the lake as she prepares to get underway. Unfortunately, her costume is ripped to shreds so she is forced to wear the clothes she found in her room. As she flies off, she muses her savior must be a woman. And she's not too wrong, as a mysterious female figure watches on.

Meanwhile Nightcrawler is finally ready to confront his counterpart. It could have gone smoother.

Poor Kurt. But kudos to Claremont for using Limbo's unique relationship with time and space. Linear time has little meaning there, which allowed for delicous little twists like the alternate Nightcrawler and Wolverine and Colossus discovering their own corpses, while none of them had been there before.

Wolverine and Colossus square off against S'ym, Belasco's head demon and enforcer. He proved to be more than a match for the two X-men, until the same mysterious woman that had aided Storm used Limbo's ever present light discs to teleport him away.

Grateful, the two heroes wanted to know who saved them, but she sent them straight to Belasco's throne room the minute Storm also appeared. Their sudden appearance gave Kurt the chance to drop the act and reveal he had been 'our' Nightcrawler all along. A shocked Belasco actually fled the scene, allowing the X-men a few vital moments of exposition.

The woman saving their bacon was actually an elderly Storm, trapped for decades within Limbo her weather control powers had waned, but her inherent magical abilities had more than made up for the loss of her mutant gifts. She had been fighting Belasco ever since and tried to get the X-men to leave Limbo before history would repeat itself. She had forced the team to chase after Belasco once, thereby condemning them to a lifetime of misery and pain inside the nether realm.

Determined to have things end differently this time, Storm the elder invoked seniority and forced the X-men to return home with Illyana just as Belasco and his reinforcements attacked again. Her magics proved more than a match for his followers, but as it turns out Storm couldn't keep Belasco himself at bay which caused this awkward situation...

"Piotr Nikolievtich... help me! He's... hurting me!"

Belasco tried with all his might to keep Illyana for himself... After all, he had big plans for her. But this is still a comic from 1982, which means a happy ending is pretty much a guaranteed safe bet, right?

"We DID it!!"

And so you did, but erm... isn't Illyana a little big for her eight years?

In the blink of an eye, the innocent little child had aged into a blossoming teenage girl who had trouble recognising her own brother. It seemed Limbo time had played a rather cruel trick on Illyana. Yet, in spite of the many questions surrounding her astounding growth spurt, Colossus was just happy to have his sister back in one piece... 

When sleep finally claims her, Belasco's medallion opens up as proof all is anything but right with not quite so little Illyana. The presence of no less than three bloodstones prove her soul had already suffered incredible and possibly irreparable damage... the image of a gloating Belasco ripping Illyana's toy bear to shreds remains a potent allegory for innocence lost.

But, what really happened to Illyana during her extended stay in Limbo? Claremont answered that question in the four part 1983 limited series Magik: Storm and Illyana, which we'll cover in part three of Mind Controlling Magik: Meanwhile In Between Time.