The year has barely begun, and Marvel Comics has already begun to set up what seems to be the next big event. The last few years have seen the Marvel universe in a state of flux, with Doctor Strange no longer Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme. That title was briefly held by Doctor Doom, but it has since been claimed by Scarlet Witch – chosen not by the Vishanti, but by the Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation. It’s a controversial choice to say the least, and the Vishanti have insisted Agatha Harkness is their pick instead of Wanda.
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Scarlet Witch’s tenure as Sorcerer Supreme has gotten off to something of a rocky start, to say the least. But attentive readers have also noticed that this coincides with a growing number of supernatural threats emerging in other comics, leading to speculation that we’re entering an age of magical instability. Now, Marvel has just dropped an important clue that suggests those theories are right.
The Age of Magic Has Returned
This important clue is offered in Colossus & Magik #1, by Ashley Allen and Germán Peralta, released under the “Shadows of Tomorrow” banner. A stunning character-driven issue, this sees Illyana and Piotr Rasputin return to their native Russia, where Colossus is targeted by a whole host of supernatural creatures. They have been sent by a mythical monster named Lady Midday, who reveals she and the other creatures of the night have been hiding for decades. Now, though, “the Age of Magic is upon us once more,” and they are emerging from the shadows.
This coincides perfectly with Uncanny X-Men #23 (another “Shadows of Tomorrow” book), where another team of X-Men in Louisiana encounter a similar problem; a group of supernatural entities represented by Elsa Bloodstone, who are tired of hiding. “We want ballrooms, nightclubs, opera houses,” she explains. “Our leader, she wants juke joints and elegant restaurants. But above all..? We want to be able to walk in the sunlight again. Like the kings and queens we were meant to be.” They want New Orleans.
Like Elsa Bloodstone, Lady Midday too is working on someone else’s behalf. She serves an unknown entity referred to only as “the Immortal,” who has given her power over all the farming villages in Russia, in return for offering up anyone with a magical power signature. It increasingly looks as though some powerful sorcerers – or, perhaps, beings – have decided now is their time to shine, each laying claim to different territories. The Immortal has claimed Russia, while someone else wants to build their own kingdom in New Orleans.
What Does the Age of Magic Mean for Marvel Comics?
We get another massive clue about what this Age of Magic will look like in Murewa Ayodele and Federica Mancin’s Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #1 (the third “Shadows of Tomorrow” book published this week). Yet again, this features supernatural threats, although this time spinning out of the recent “Thunder War” arc. But the common thread of magic is there all the same, and this time there’s one further twist; these particular supernatural events have drawn the attention of Scarlet Witch, the new Sorcerer Supreme.
To be fair, it’s pretty hard to imagine an “Age of Magic” story that doesn’t feature the current Sorcerer Supreme. But it’s also a thrilling prospect, because it suggests Scarlet Witch has taken on this role at a time of mystical instability, as supernatural forces step out of the darkness and into the light once again. Right now, it’s impossible to say whether this “Age of Magic” will manifest more in the X-Men books or whether it will be a line-wide event, but either prospect seems equally exciting… both for lovers of the X-Men, and for fans of Scarlet Witch.
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