Marvel faces criticism following the release of a controversial X-Men comic, stirring backlash on social media that included death threats against author Tim Seeley. Seeley subsequently quit X in response. Many fans have a problem with the portrayal of the character Magik in a new issue written by Seeley, but the extremity of the ensuing discourse has been significant.
BleedingCool.com reported about Seeley’s departure from X following aggressive negative comments about X-Men Age Of Revelation Marvel Infinity Comic #4, a digital tie-in to the Age of Revelation event series.
Critics quickly cited the issue’s treatment of main character Magik as inappropriate. While some made their cases eloquently, others hurled harsh comments at Seeley, forcing his exit from the platform.
Author Tim Seeley Driven Off X By Death Threats In Response To His Latest “X-Men” Comic
Readers Found The Latest Portrayal Of Magik Upsetting
In Age of Revelation, the character Magik was killed during a mission gone wrong, and subsequently resurrected as her infernal alter-ego, the Darkchild. X-Men Age Of Revelation Marvel Infinity Comic #4 shows the mission, and digs deeper into Magik’s traumatic time in Limbo. This is where the story became problematic for some readers.
For years, Magik was marginalized as an X-Men character and defined by her trauma. This situated her in a long line of female mutant heroes who have been subjected to degradation and harassment for the sake of drama. Magik has become a powerful protagonist in the last several years, making X-Men Age Of Revelation Marvel Infinity Comic #4 a regression.
A share of readers reacted poorly to the creative decision to return Magik to the setting of her abuse, and some of them took their opinions out on author Tim Seeley directly. BleedingCool’s report includes screenshots of threats made by users. It’s a harrowing escalation, one that highlights how social media warps vital conversations like the one surrounding this issue.
Online Rhetoric Escalates After The Controversial Portrayal Of Fan-Favorite Hero Magik
Marvel Didn’t Anticipate This Level Of Backlash
At this time, Marvel has not commented on the controversy surrounding X-Men Age Of Revelation Marvel Infinity Comic #4. Clearly, it didn’t expect the level of intense backlash that the issue, an online-only supplemental to the Age of Revelation event series, would receive for its portrayal of Magik and the circumstances surrounding her latest Darkchild transformation.
There are legitimate grounds to criticize X-Men Age Of Revelation Marvel Infinity Comic #4 on. At the same time, violent language and abusive rhetoric obscure the valid critique of the story being levied by more levelheaded voices only. It’s an unfortunate chapter in Magik’s story as a Marvel hero, and perhaps the most unexpected comic controversy of the year.
- Movie(s)
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X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- First Film
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X-Men (2000)
- TV Show(s)
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X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men ’97 (2024)
- Video Game(s)
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X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine’s Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
- Character(s)
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Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
- Comic Release Date
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213035,212968