Warning: minor spoilers for New Mutants #15!
When it comes to battling baddies, Illyana Rasputina aka Magik is one of the fiercest warrior's in the X-Men gallery, but now the magic-based hero is attempting to pass herself off as a Captain America type, and it doesn't quite match her style. While Steve Rogers was chosen for the Super Soldier Program based on his inherently virtuous nature, Illyana was shaped into a cold-blooded survivor as a result of being kidnapped and raised in a demon-infested alternate dimension. These two Marvel heroes couldn't be any less alike, but Magik is now attempting to channel some of Cap's all-American goodness by utilizing his most famous line in a preview of New Mutants' next issue, from Vita Ayala and Rod Reis.
"I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from." This character-defining quote that displays Steve Rogers' disdain for bullies memorably comes from his conversation with Dr. Erskine in Captain America: The First Avenger. It laid out exactly why the good captain was worthy of wielding the power of the Super Soldier Serum - because whether he was fighting a neighborhood bully in a back alley or thwarting an evil army, Cap is simply in it for the protection of anyone being pushed around or taken advantage of by the abuse of power.
In the brand new preview for New Mutants #15, Illyana tries Captain America's quote on for size in the name of looking out for a group of mutant youngsters. This short preview opens by revealing that the Akademos Habitat of Krakoa is now in complete ruin. The cause for the destruction of this housing and education area for young mutants is not yet revealed, but perhaps it has something to do with the reemergence of the Shadow King revealed last issue. Whatever the case, Magik is angered at the sight of the wreckage and demands the surrounding children provide an explanation. However, Illyana quickly discovers that these young mutants are terrified of whoever caused this demolition, so she vows to stop the person responsible just before clarifying why she's doing it: "I hate bullies," Illyana says. "So this is going to be fun."
Given that Magik and the rest of the New Mutants have recently taken it upon themselves to train young mutants with no incentivizing life direction, this moment in the upcoming issue feels like a further expansion of this concept. Now that all mutants are essentially living on an island paradise, a character like Magik only knows the language of war, so she sees teaching youngsters how to utilize their powers in battle as the best form of education. There's a reason she chooses "hate" when Captain America didn't.
Ironically, this might-makes-right way of thinking is very much in line with how bullies think. Having been indoctrinated in the ways of aggression by an evil tyrant during her childhood spent in Limbo, Illyana may be on the side of good, but the methods she utilizes are often unheroic; in previous issues, even alien assassins were scared by her propensity for violence, describing her as little more than an animal. In contrast, the comic-book Captain America is mostly depicted as a reluctant warrior; someone who doesn't look forward to violence, and only persists in battle because he remains uniquely suited to combat the threats in front of him. Magik may say the right words when heading off to hurt people, but even in her new role as a teacher, she's a long way from becoming the mutants' Captain America. Of course, that's what many fans love about her. New Mutants #15 is in stores and online January 27.