The mutant world has seen better days. Following the catastrophic fall of the island-nation of Krakoa, the survivors of the X-Men have scattered, each dealing with the trauma of their loss in different, often self-destructive ways. In the issue “Magik & Colossus #1 (2026)”, writer Ashley Allen and artist Germán Peralta take us on a haunting journey back to the motherland as the Rasputin siblings, Illyana and Piotr, attempt to find a sense of peace that has eluded them since childhood.
The Weight of Heritage
The story opens with a poignant title page followed immediately by a flashback to the Rasputin family’s roots. We see a young Piotr and Illyana under a vast, starlit sky. Piotr is sharing a family legend about the “Little Bear” constellation (Ursa Minor), explaining that the star at the end of its tail will always point north if one ever gets lost. It is a moment of pure, innocent sibling bonding—the kind of normalcy that would soon be shattered by their mutant manifestations.
The dialogue here is bittersweet. When a young Illyana asks Piotr if he will stay and not leave like their brother Mikhail, Piotr promises he would never leave her because it is his “job to protect” her. However, the perspective shifts to the present, where a grown Illyana reflects on the irony of that promise. Mikhail wasn’t the only one who left; she was taken away to the hell-dimension of Limbo, a separation that defined their lives for years.
Ghosts of the Past
As the narrative shifts to the present day, we find Piotr Rasputin, the mighty Colossus, in a state of psychological ruin. While Illyana has found a measure of contentment serving on Cyclops’ team and taming her inner “Darkchild,” Piotr is drowning in guilt. On Krakoa, he was mind-controlled by Mikhail into spying on his friends and was even forced to kill his lover, Kayla. Though he eventually broke free and killed Mikhail, the blood on his hands has left him haunted.
Story depicts a visceral nightmare where Piotr is confronted by the spectral image of Mikhail. In the dream, Mikhail mocks him, asking, “What’s one more dead mutant to you, brother?” while standing amidst a field of corpses. Piotr wakes up screaming in his sleeping bag, alone in the snowy woods near Lake Baikal, Russia. He has retreated to his homeland not just for a break, but as a form of self-imposed exile, believing that he must protect his people to atone for his sins.
The Guardian of Baikal
Piotr’s “retirement” is short-lived. He quickly finds himself acting as a lone guardian for local villagers fleeing from monstrous threats. We see him protecting a woman and her young son, Alek, as they flee through the forest toward a town. The villagers refer to him as the “Metal Man,” a mythic figure who has been following the trail of destruction through various towns.
A monstrous entity confronts Piotr, accusing him of bringing this chaos with him. The creature claims that the towns are only dying because Piotr is there, and it offers him a grim bargain: give up his life, or the town will be destroyed. Piotr, ever the martyr, is prepared to sacrifice himself, telling the monster he would “even make it quick” if it meant the village was spared.
A Sister’s Tracking Spell
Just as Piotr is about to make a potentially fatal stand, a familiar teleportation disc appears. Illyana Rasputin, Magik, steps through, having tracked her brother’s magical signature after he went off the grid for weeks. Her arrival is characteristic of their relationship: she is annoyed by his “death wish” and his tendency to take everything on himself.
Piotr tries to brush her off, claiming he is fine and that he needs to stay to ensure everyone’s safety. He reveals a heartbreaking truth: every town he has visited since returning to Russia has been plagued by monsters. He believes he is the cause of this chaos—that the monsters are hunting him specifically. Illyana sees through his exhaustion and offers him a ride back to their childhood home, insisting that they need to handle this together.
Returning to Ust-Ordynsky
The siblings travel to the Ust-Ordynsky Farm Collective, the place where they grew up. The art beautifully captures the stark, frozen landscape of their youth. For a moment, they reflect on the time before they were “Magik and Colossus”—when they were just a boy and a girl on a farm.
Illyana’s internal monologue highlights the deep disconnect between them. They spent so much of their lives apart—she in Limbo, he with the X-Men—that “it feels like my brother and I spent longer apart than we ever did together”. While Piotr looks at the dilapidated farm with a sense of duty, Illyana feels like a stranger. She notes the “hopelessness that threatens to drown” Piotr and realizes she cannot let him face this alone.
The Ghost Town
The duo heads into the nearby town looking for food—specifically the “vatrushka” (cheese pastries) from a local Mrs. Agapov. However, the town is eerie and deserted. The shops are shuttered, and the streets are empty. Illyana notes that the residents must be hiding from something far worse than just the cold.
When they finally encounter a local man, he is terrified. Seeing Piotr’s massive, metallic form, the man screams for them not to hurt him. This reaction deeply wounds Piotr, who feels it is a “commentary on the state of [his] soul”. Illyana, ever the pragmatist, tells him to stop overthinking—the man is just scared of a giant metal stranger in the middle of the night.
The Heat of Lady Midday
The source of the town’s terror finally reveals itself: Lady Midday (Poludnitsa), a demon from Russian folklore who causes heatstroke in farmers. She is not just a myth, however; she is a powerful magical being who has been “operating” in farming villages across Russia.
Lady Midday reveals she is working for a mysterious master known as “The Immortal”. Her mission is to offer up anyone with a magical signature to her master, and Magik’s presence has just given her a prime target. The demon mocks the siblings, calling them “mere humans,” to which Magik dryly reminds her that they are mutants who have faced far worse than a folklore spirit.
The Darkchild vs. The Demon
A fierce battle erupts. Lady Midday displays her elemental power, splitting into multiple forms to “level the playing field”. Magik draws her Soulsword, which is specifically designed to cut through magic, while Colossus uses his brute strength to protect his sister.
The tension between them flares during the fight. Piotr is so focused on protecting Illyana that he gets distracted, leading her to shout at him to “get your head on straight”. The most chilling moment comes when the pressure of the fight forces Illyana to tap into her Darkchild persona. Her horns manifest, and her power becomes more demonic. Piotr’s reaction is one of wariness, which hurts Illyana deeply. She can’t stand that her own brother looks at her with the same fear he has for Lady Midday.
The Trail of The Immortal
Despite the emotional friction, the siblings coordinate a desperate plan. Magik uses an invisibility spell to trick Lady Midday while Piotr acts as the decoy. They manage to disrupt the demon’s physical form, but she isn’t dead; her magical signature retreats back to her master.
The issue concludes in Saint Petersburg, where we finally see the villain behind the curtain: The Immortal. He stands over the weakened Lady Midday, disappointed by her failure but intrigued by the siblings. He realizes that with both Piotr and Illyana back in Russia, he has the perfect opportunity to finish what he started. His cold decree ends the issue: he intends to wipe out the full Rasputin bloodline once and for all.
TO BE CONTINUED!
