The X-Men get darkly dreamy in AI generated art featuring Nightcrawler and Magik. The art itself has a haunting beauty, but it also stands as a commentary on how these characters are perceived and portrayed. By aggregating imagery associated with Kurt Wagner and Illyana Rasputina into unique new pieces of art, the AI has focused on an often overlooked part of mutant culture: its connection to the mystical side of the Marvel universe.
The usage of AI as a tool in generating digital art has grown in popularity as of late. Artists can use it to create original pieces as well as reference material for their other works. Programs like DALL•E and Midjourney have made the technology for AI art generation more accessible than ever. Even TikTok now has filters that allow users to generate AI art while in-app. It was only a matter of time before X-Men fans took the opportunity to see how AI would visualize their favorite mutants, and the results are mesmerizing.
Shared on Twitter by The Claremont Run, the images of Kurt and Illyana were generated by Midjourney back in August. Both renderings have abstract elements, but there's no question as to which image features Magik and which one focuses on Nightcrawler. Surrounded by fiery colors under a black sky, it would seem Illyana's image finds Magik in the depths of Limbo or some other nether-realm. Similarly, the artwork depicting Kurt shows him on the precipice of a dark passage, perhaps to the supernatural Brimstone Dimension his powers rely on.
Limbo and the Brimstone Dimension are just two of the many mystical forces mutantkind has come into contact with. The X-Men's connection to the magical side of Marvel is often downplayed. However, these art pieces are a reminder of the important role that magic plays in the story of the X-Men. It seems the current comic creators are making special note of this connection. Between the recent Excalibur, Knights of X, Legion of X, Midnight Suns, and New Mutants, it is clear that Marvel is reaffirming the connection between mutant and mystic; not to mention Illyana seems to be starting her own Strange Academy branch on Krakoa.
Just as the rest of humankind in the Marvel Universe has its own connection with magic, so do the mutants have their own unique relationship with mystical forces. Even if the connection between mutantkind and magic has not been emphasized enough in the past, the threads to weave magical mutant stories are clear enough for an AI to pick up on. Kurt and Illyana seem to be proof of this, as this dreamlike AI art shows Nightcrawler and Magik play with the X-Men's mystical side.
Source: The Claremont Run