Warning: SPOILERS for Thor #27!Since relinquishing the title of ‘God of Lies,’ Loki is an honest enough person to admit that one of the X-Men is better than them at magic. Due to the recent destruction of the Bifrost, All-Father Thor enlists his sibling to help him open up new forms of transportation to and from Asgard. Loki’s first attempt involved a mystical realm that fans of the X-Men’s Magik will recognize: Limbo. In fact, Loki even admits that Illyana Rasputina is a sorcerer better suited for this mission than her. Given the results of his efforts, Loki was right to say so.
Thor’s tenure as All-Father of Asgard is one that has been marked by trials and tribulations. Thor #27 from Al Ewing, Donny Cates, Salvador Larroca, Edgar Delgado, VC’s Joe Sabino, and Wil Moss explores the fallout from Banner of War, the Thunder God’s recent crossover arc with the Hulk. Briefly transformed into a Hulk himself, Thor’s rage granted him the strength to shatter the Bifrost in the heat of battle. With the rainbow bridge out of commission, part of Thor’s duty to his people is to ensure that safe modes of travel in and out of Asgard remain available. With Doctor Strange currently dead, the God of Thunder called upon the most powerful sorcerer that he could rely on: his brother Loki.
As the Goddess of Stories, Loki often operates somewhere between a chaotic neutral and a chaotic good these days. Calling on them for help is not necessarily a bad idea, but it’s not surprising that his attempts can lead to unforeseen consequences. After brainstorming with Loki and the All-Seeing Sif, Thor ultimately decides that he would prefer a magical replacement for the Bifrost, as Asgard is already well practiced at maintaining mystical transportation on its own. Loki acts on this directive by trying to summon a stepping-disc from Limbo. As she opens a portal to Limbo, Loki admits, “I’m no Illyana Rasputin, but I think I can cast one without any major—.” Perhaps Loki should have called on Magik for assistance rather than just name-drop her, because chaos immediately ensues.
Loki Has Good Reason to See Magik As a Superior Sorceress
While opening portals is indeed Magik’s mutant power, it’s still saying something that Loki will freely admit she’s better at something than he is. More than just being instinctively gifted through the use of her X-gene, Illyana trained in the mystic arts for years. This resulted in her ruling Limbo for years as well as operating as its Sorcerer Supreme. On top of this, Magik has been a candidate for Sorcerer Supreme of Earth before as well, whereas Loki’s vast powers only made him Sorcerer Supreme by cheating. The fact that Loki has no qualms about giving Illyana credit about being better at this kind of magic shows Magik is genuinely respected even by those characters who seemingly respect no-one.
Magik’s most recent feat of sorcery was actually severing her ties from Limbo, to the point that her mutant gift of teleportation no longer manifests as Limbo stepping-discs. Her final New Mutants arc before being elected to the X-Men this summer saw Illyana cede her rule and her role as Limbo’s Sorcerer Supreme over to Madelyn Pryor. The seeds of this action will bear fruit in this winter’s Spider-Man/X-Men crossover Dark Web. Madelyn should be wary to risk crossing the X-Men when Magik, a sorceress even more formidable than Loki, is at their side.
Thor #27 is available now from Marvel Comics.