The X-Men's Magik is about to form her own mutant team - the Dark Riders. Illyana Rasputin is one of the most powerful and dangerous mutants on the planet. Taken by the demonic Belasco to the Hell Dimension of Limbo as a child, she grew up to become a skilled sorceress - ultimately taking on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme of Limbo itself. She may be young, but Magik has earned the respect of even Doctor Strange, and currently teaches at Marvel's version of Hogwarts' School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Now it seems Magik will need to step up to resolve the Curse of the Man-Thing. A monstrous being who serves as the guardian of the Nexus of All Realities, the Man-Thing was once a man named Dr. Ted Sallis who subjected himself to an experimental serum. 2021 is the 50th anniversary of the Man-Thing, and Marvel has announced a three-part story called Curse of the Man-Thing that will run through a number of one-shots.
According to Marvel Comics, even the mutant nation of Krakoa will not be spared from the curse of the Man-Thing - and it will fall to Magik to lead the official response, as she puts together a whole new team called the Dark Riders. Here's the full teaser:
"Man-Thing’s tragic curse has finally been revealed… but it’s under new management! Years ago, Dr. Ted Sallis was ready to give up anything to crack the SO-2 serum and deliver success to his growing family. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world... he did. Today, as cities spanning from the U.S. to Krakoa are besieged by fear-driven blazes, the Man-Thing must reckon with his past deeds if he hopes to emerge renewed and rescue a world on fire. But fighting from his lowest means that Man-Thing can rise to his highest, especially with the unexpected help of the X-Men’s resident sorceress Magik and her debuting team of monstrous mutants known as THE DARK RIDERS! Magik will lead one of the most eclectic group of mutants ever assembled, a fearsome mix of fan-favorites and obscure delights: Marrow, Forearm, Shark-Girl, Wolf Cub, and Mammomax!"
It's certainly an esoteric team, consisting of a range of Z-level mutants who will only really be known to diehard X-Men fans. The role call is actually rather amusing, because every single one of them has a codename that's fairly on the nose; Magik is a mutant sorceress, Forearm has four arms, and so on. With the exception of Magik, each one of these mutants possesses a physical mutation that makes them a hard fit in human society, and indeed several of them have considered themselves monsters at one time or another. Magik is hardly the most moral - she grew up in a Hell Dimension, and occasionally transforms into a demonic form called Darkchylde - but she's now hanging out with former terrorists like Forearm and Marrow, too.
The Curse of the Man-Thing does look like an interesting event; but it's also particularly exciting to see a ragtag team of Z-list mutants like the Dark Riders come together. Any character has the potential to be a breakout character with the right creative team behind them, and this book features the stellar team of Steve Orlando and Andrea Broccardo, which means it's particularly promising. Readers will meet this new group in May, and hopefully the Dark Riders will establish themselves as a major X-Men team in their own right, jumping from this event into other comics, too.