Summary
- This X-Men cosplay perfectly captures the moral complexity of Emma Frost, Magik, and Psylocke through their dark heroism and villainy.
- Each character's morality remains fluid and complicated, shaped by different writers and stories over decades of evolution.
- The cosplay reflects the intricate, multi-faceted nature of these iconic characters, showcasing their ever-changing heroic and dark sides.
The X-Men are one of the most morally complex superhero teams out there, and one cosplay has brought together several of their darkest for an amazing team featuring Emma Frost, Magik and Psylocke. These three characters run the gamut of morality, shifting between heroism and villainy over decades, and they show exactly why the X-Men franchise thrives on complicated, multi-faceted stories full of twists, turns and so, so many retcons.
MindFall Media (@mindfallmedia) has shared their photography of this incredible cosplay which brings three of the X-Men’s most complex heroines to life.
As Emma Frost, cosplayer @odfel is wearing a modified version of Chris Bachalo’s costume designed for Uncanny X-Men vol 3. Meanwhile, @sulkysiren also uses Bachalo’s design from that same series for their Illyana Rasputin, Magik, complete with her signature glowing Soulsword. And finally, @lilmoonnn stuns as classic Psylocke, rocking Jim Lee’s iconic ‘90s design for the character and holding up her trademark psychic knife. Special credit is also given to @patloikaphotoworks, whose editing enhances the piece’s ambience and brings the heroes’ powers to life.
Uncanny X-Men vol 3, originally drawn by Chris Bachalo, was Emma Frost’s first major appearance featuring a black costume, a motif that persisted on and off throughout the 2010s.
Psylocke is Quicker to Kill Than Most Heroes
This choice of heroes is perfect for a 'Dark X-Men' team because each of them has a complicated history with their personal morality. As an assassin, Kwannon was a killer, but became a reluctant ally to the X-Men during her initial stint in the 1990s where she swapped bodies with Betsy Braddock.
Only in the recent Krakoan era has Kwannon been given more interiority, especially in Zeb Wells’ Hellions, which further established her as a hero in her own right. The cosplay by @lilmoonnn perfectly captures Psylocke’s most famous look from her '90s appearances, and whichever version is being cosplayed, they’re still a dark hero.
Emma Frost is a Supervillain Turned Hero
Emma Frost, in contrast, started as a straight-up villain. As the Hellfire Club’s White Queen, she was instrumental in the Dark Phoenix Saga, and it took years of evolution for her to become a fully-fledged hero. In New Mutants vol 1, Emma was the villainous counterpart to the New Mutants’ leaders, leading her own team of students, the Hellions. After the Hellions’ deaths, Emma became more nuanced as teacher co-leader in Generation X vol 1.
It wasn't until the 2000s, in Grant Morrison’s New X-Men, for her to fully the X-Men, after she experienced the genocide of Genosha. Bathed in the spotlight as she often is, @odfel’s Emma rides the line between these interpretations, sporting her Bachalo heroic look, but also her classic evil era hairdo from her time in the Hellfire Club.
Magik Has Always Struggled with Her Darker Side
Magik has had an even more complicated relationship with morality, constantly fighting her inner demonic self, the Darkchylde. It was this conflict that spurred the New Mutants side of the mega-event Inferno. That event ended with her self-sacrifice and rebirth as an innocent child version of herself, who would also tragically die of the Legacy Virus several years later (later returning with no morality whatsoever, a fact kept hidden from her teammates).
No-one’s favorite hero will ever be consistently written as regards their line between 'good' or 'evil', and the convoluted snare of inconsistency, whether it be fascinating or frustrating, is part of the experience of being a comics fan. Characters like Magik, Psylocke and Emma Frost remain so popular because they mean different things to different fans; fans like all those involved in this jaw-dropping X-Men cosplay.
Source: MindFall Media (via Instagram)
