Magneto

Origin

The man that would become known as “Magneto” was born Max Eisenhardt in Germany during the 1920’s to a middle class Jewish family. His father, Jakob Eisenhardt, was a World War I veteran and a proud German. The family struggled against discrimination and hardship during the Nazi‘s rise to power, the Nuremberg laws, and Kristallnacht. In the early 1930’s, the family fled to Poland, where they were captured during the Nazi invasion and sent to the Warsaw Ghetto. They managed to escape the ghetto, but were captured again. Max’s mother, father, and sister were executed, but Max survived (potentially thanks to an early manifestation of his powers) and was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

There, Max became a Sonderkommando, forced to dispose of gas chamber victims. While at the camp, Max was reunited with a girl he had fallen in love with during his school days named Magda. Max and and Magda escaped when Auschwitz was liberated and were soon married. They moved to the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia, where they started their new lives together. Max adopted the name “Magnus” and Magda gave birth to their daughter who they named Anya.

Magnus worked as a carpenter to support the family and for a time they lived happily. One night Magnus was attacked and instinctively lashed out with his mutant powers of magnetism (which had never surfaced before due to a bout of scarlet fever as a child), killing the attackers. Later that evening, he returned home to find his house on fire, with Anya trapped inside. Magnus rushed inside to rescue her but he was too late. Enraged at the death of his beloved daughter, he used his new powers to kill the surrounding mob that started the fire. Magda, terrified of her husband’s strange abilities, fled to the forest and never saw her husband again.

Magda made her way to Wundagore Mountain, where she gave birth to twins Pietro and Wanda (who would grew up to be Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, respectively). Magda later disappeared, presumed deceased. During the next few years Magnus had an identity forger named Greg Odekirk create him a new identity, reinventing himself as a gypsy named “Erik Magnus Lehnsherr”. It was while using this identity that he went to Israel to help at a psychiatric hospital. There, he met Professor Charles Xavier. The two became fast friends, playing chess and having intellectual debates about mutation and the future of mankind.

When Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker attacked a young patient named Gabrielle Haller, Xavier and Magnus used their powers in order to save her. Following the battle, Charles and Magnus realized they had very differing ideologies. Magnus disappeared and the two friends would not meet again for many years. During the next few years, Magnus worked for the CIA hunting Nazis, but this association ended when they murdered a girl he was becoming close to. Magnus would not be seen again until he became the mutant known as Magneto.

Creation

Magneto was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby in 1963. He made his first appearance in X-Men #1, becoming the very first foe of the iconic mutant team. Creator Stan Lee stated that he “did not think of Magneto as a bad guy. He was just trying to strike back at the people who were so bigoted and racist. He was trying to defend mutants, and because society was not treating them fairly, he decided to teach society a lesson. He was a danger of course, but I never thought of him as a villain.” Lee also explained that he originally planned for Magneto to be Professor Xavier’s brother rather than simply an old friend. His face without the mask was not shown until X-Men #62 drawn by Neal Adams and written by Roy Thomas when they penned the famous line, “perhaps clothes do make the man!”

Character Evolution

In his initial appearances, Magneto was portrayed as a would-be tyrant, who had a desire to punish all human and would often abuse his subjects (he physically abused Toad, one of the members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, while Scarlet Witch was psychologically tormented into obedience, as Magneto saved her life in the past). Eventually, (as Marvel did with many of their long-lasting villains over the years) Magneto was given a more humanized portrayal as a Holocaust survivor who wanted to ensure that mutants would not suffer the same fate his family did for being born different.

Magneto has long been the face of mutant separatism, in opposition to Charles Xavier’s ideal of coexistence with humanity. Believing that mutants are the next stage in human evolution, he sought to assert their dominance over the planet and its inhabitants. This was Magneto’s means of assuring the survival of his people in a world that hates and fears them for there very existence. Though not a hero, Magneto is charismatic, noble, and wise. His long and turbulent friendship with Charles Xavier has been a cornerstone for both men’s lives, as a rivalry that has lasted decades.

Major Story Arcs

War on Humanity

After years of lying low, Magnus eventually resurfaced, now using the identity of “Magneto” bursting into the public eye. He attacked Cape Citadel, but was stopped by the original X-Men, a confrontation that would spark a decades long rivalry. Some months later, Magneto was seen leading a team of mutants witch he mockingly named the Brotherhood of “Evil” Mutants. This group consisted of a few mutants including, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. These young mutants where actually his daughter and son, but none of them knew at the time.

Demanding not merely equal rights, the Brotherhood sought supremacy for mutant-kind. Their vicious attacks against humans led them to attract the attention of Professor Xavier and his X-Men, whom where often able to repel the group. Magneto did however not just fight against the X-Men but many other superhero groups such as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. During one of Magneto’s plans, Professor Xavier sought the help of the superheroes team known as the Defenders. Magneto had made a new mutant-like entity named Alpha the Ultimate Mutant.

This mutant was made by Magneto to help further his cause. The creature however turned on him and returned Magneto to the age of an infant. The child was brought into the care of Charles Xavier, who brought him over to his former lover Moira MacTaggert. She took care of the infant Magneto for some months before he was restored to his prime age as a young man by the Shi’ar agent Eric the Red. Although shaken by the events and perhaps changed for good, Magneto still sought out to win his war against humanity. Now once again in his physical prime (and stronger than before), Magneto battled the X-Men on Muir Island before disappearing. He would later return to capture the X-Men, but was badly injured after being attacked by Wolverine. The injuries forced Magneto to flee, allowing the X-Men to thwart his plan.

Reformation Period

During a particularly heated battle with the X-Men, Magneto wounds and nearly kills Kitty Pryde (then only fourteen). Stricken with the revelation that he’s become a horrific extremist, willing to murder even children to achieve his goals, Magneto renounces his terrorist ways. He seeks out his former wife Magda and learns of her death, but also the truth about Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver: that they are his children. While the pair accept that he’s their father, they reject Magneto’s leadership for his abusive treatment of them over their years in the Brotherhood.

Time would eventually heal their wounds, and they would come to a grudging acceptance of him. Magneto joins the X-Men after being persuaded to give human/mutant co-existence a chance by Professor Xavier. This comes at a time when Charles is badly injured in battle and Magneto takes over the reign of his school, teaching young mutants to control their powers and use them for the betterment of both humans and mutants. He started teaching the New Mutants and fought alongside the X-men. This, at first was very difficult for many of the team-members, since they had done battle against Magneto more then once.

However, Magneto proved to be a valuable ally and the X-Men started to trust him. Even Wolverine, previously extremely wary of the mutant leader, grew to accept him. It appeared Magneto was truly a changed man, and even allowed himself to be put on trial on France. However, the trial was interrupted by a battle before it could be finished.

When part of Magneto’s old Asteroid M base crashed down onto the Earth, he went to survey one of the impact sites and destroy any dangerous weaponry that might be inside. However, he was soon confronted by the Avengers, who mistakenly believed him to be there for sinister purposes. Despite trying to explain himself, Magneto ended up fighting against the heroes, which only got worse when the X-Men arrived to back him up. The situation would grow even more complicated when the Soviet Super Soldiers joined the fray, seeking to arrest Magneto for a volcanic eruption he’d previously caused in Russia. The X-Men themselves were concerned by Magneto’s actions, and Wolverine began to suspect that Erik might be returning to his old ways. After finding his old helmet in the ruins of Asteroid M, Magneto began to feel tempted by his past, believing that he could use the old mind control circuits within to brainwash the planet’s population so that all feelings of bigotry would be erased. When asked his thoughts on the situation, Captain America argued that using mind control to change minds was unethical, and something that would violate the very concept of freedom Magneto was striving for. After realizing that there was no anti-mutant bigotry in Captain America’s heart, Magneto surrendered himself to the Avengers and allowed himself to be put on trial once again. When Captain Marvel discovered that the head judge presiding over the case was revealed to be an anti-mutant bigot, Magneto decided to use his helmet to alter the man’s mind and remove his prejudiced thoughts. After finally destroying his helmet and being found innocent of his past crimes, a largely surprised Magneto now felt like a free man once more who had made a change for the good.

However, certain events would reverse a great many of those feelings soon. The Mutant Massacre occurred, in which many of the Morlocks would be killed by the mutant-hunting Marauders. Some months later, during the events of the Fall of the Mutants, Magneto’s star pupils, Cypher, was killed by a human. This incident and the fact that he could not have protected an innocent young mutant under his care, started breaking Magneto up. At this time, he also lost contact with the X-Men when the team went to Australia.

In finding security for his New Mutant students, Magneto went as far as joining longtime X-Men rivals the Hellfire Club in hope of providing the security for them that he could not give. The New Mutants, however, wanted nothing to do with Magneto anymore, feeling he had betrayed them. Magneto, now angry, left the New Mutants and, after this, many of his human-hating ways resurfaced. Ultimately, Magneto would view his role as leader of the X-Men and teacher of the New Mutants as a failure on his part and he retired to Asteroid M to live in seclusion.

Mutant Separatism

While living in isolation, a group of mutants led by Fabian Cortez calling themselves the Acolytes approached Magneto asking for his leadership. Magneto decided that his best course of action would be to create a nation for mutants unto themselves and goes so far as declaring Asteroid M such a nation. Magneto even made the move to defend himself against further attacks of the human race by taking up the armed missiles of a Russian submarine he sunk years ago.

The X-Men responded accordingly by assaulting Magneto and his group of mutants. While the X-man Rogue tried to bring peace between the former allies, it ultimately had no effect and he attacked her without remorse. Magneto turned his back on the X-Men for good, feeling they had not only betrayed him in not trusting his judgement, but also betraying their friendship. The X-men then assaulted the asteroid, with Cortez’ betrayal leading to Magneto’s ultimate defeat. Magneto retreated to his back-up space station Avalon where he grew even more bitter then before. Erik however soon encountered the X-men once again, during the X-Men’s siege on Avalon.

During this conflict, Magneto still held back against his former allies, until the X-Man Wolverine attacked him and almost gutted him. He then used his powers to rip the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton, almost killing him. An angered and furious Xavier lashed out, wiping Magneto’s mind and leaving him in a catatonic state. The X-man Colossus turned sides on the X-men and helped Magneto out of Avalon and returned him to a rebuild Astroid M.

Joseph

For months, the catatonic Magneto sat on his thrown on Asteroid M, being served by his Acolytes, but not being able to even utter a word. This all changed when an “Age of Apocalypse” refugee named Holocaust entered the base and brought it down around them. Magneto was saved by Colossus and found himself alone again back on earth. It was then that a mutant teleporter named Astra, as a way of revenge, restored Magneto’s memories (by an unknown method) and created a clone named Joseph from his DNA. It was her plan to kill Magneto after that, but the clone went out of control and during this scene, Magneto managed to escape. For some months, it was thought that Jospeh was actually Magneto. The clone even became an ally to the X-men. It took a few more months before Magneto finally made himself known to the world once again.

Disguised as a normal human, Magneto placed the fate of humanity in the hands of an average man name William Jones. William was a building-contractor and was investigating a freakish building collapse of the Center for Humanitarian Excellence in Los Angeles, which was suspected to be the work of mutants. Magneto, posing as a board member, engaged William in conversation. The two had a pleasant conversation until Magneto showed him his powers and told him who he really was. William became afraid and told him in all honesty that he would like him to be gone from this world, not because he hated him, but because of his overwhelming power and what he did with it.

Having perverted his supposedly objective experiment in human nature to his own ends, Magneto thanked William and left him to meet his cadre of robots at the magnetic north pole, where he began to manipulate the Polar magnetic fields. Only if the United Nations would meat his demands, Magneto would stop destroying the Polar magnetic fields. Luckily, the X-men intervened and managed to defeat Magneto, with Magneto’s clone Joseph dying in the process. His defeat was, however, not before the United Nations met his demands, giving Magneto his only island to rule, the nation of Genosha.

Leader of Genosha

Magneto was given full authority by the United Nation to become the leader of the Island nation of Genosha. A difficult task lay before him since the country was wrecked during the civil war between humans and mutants after the uprising of the former mutant slaves. Magneto however soon managed to establish a government and tried to bring order to the nation. Despite some difficulties, Magneto managed to pull it of. He even got help from his son and daughters, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Polaris, during this time. Genosha became a utopian nation for mutants where they could live in peace and freedom. Some months later however, Magneto kidnapped Charles Xavier in order to show him what he had achieved. A newly formed team of X-men managed to free Xavier, while Wolverine gutted Magneto badly and was left with serious injuries. Magneto however had full right to defend his nation from foreign diplomacy (being the X-men) and while Magneto was defeated in battle, he won the war when the X-men left the nation.

Destruction of a Nation

Some weeks went by and Erik was healing from his last battle against the X-men. It was at this time that a full frontal Sentinel attack was undertaken on Genosha by the menace known as Cassandra Nova, who now had possession over the Sentinels, only after killing Bolivar Trask’s nephew, Donald Trask and “gaining” his DNA. Magneto was seemingly one of the first to fall in battle. A giant airplane with the appearance of an iron fist entered the tower in witch Magneto was located. After this first attack, a huge Sentinel destroyed the entire city, leaving almost everyone dead in it’s wake. When the X-men came to investigate they saw the slaughter of countless mutants. A true new dark age for the mutants had begun. While investigating, the X-men found a tape that was made by Magneto a few minutes prior to his seeming death. He told his nation to never give up and be strong, even in the darkest of times. It seemed that Erik Lenhsherr, Magneto, had finally perished in battle.

Xorn and Excalibur

After believing Magneto gone for good, the newest teacher at the Xavier Institute, the enigmatic, masked mutant known as Xorn, revealed himself as Magneto in disguise to Professor Xavier. This “Magneto” told Charles he had been living under their noses the whole time. He quickly defeated the X-men and, along with several mutant-students he had been teaching the last months, staged an attack on the island of Manhattan. This included murdering numerous humans in crematoriums, mirroring his Holocaust persecution. The X-Men however doubted his legitimacy as the real “Master of Magnetism”. The X-men regrouped and fought Xorn. His addiction to the power-enhancing drug named “ Kick” however allowed Xorn to assault and kill Jean Grey by giving her a planetary-scale stroke. An enraged Wolverine decapitated the alleged Magneto, who was later revealed to be an impostor, actually Xorn under the influence of X-men enemy Sublime. The real Magneto had never left the island of Genosha after the attacks on it by Cassandra Nova.

Eventually, Charles Xavier contacted Magneto and went to Genosha to figure out what Erik’s next move should be. He was now the world’s most hated man, even though it had not been him that attacked humankind this time. Magneto was furious to think that people would actually think him able to do those horrible acts. Magneto and Xavier remained on the island for a longer period of time, in the meantime finding other survivors of the Sentinels attacks. The two became close friends once more over the period of time and Magneto finally seemed to have forsaken his more violent ways. Things all changed when Charles and Erik saw a news broadcast that showed images of Erik’s daughter, Wanda Maximoff (better known as the Scarlet Witch), to have suffered a nervous breakdown and hurt and killed many of her former Avengers teammates in the process. She had been taken into custody. Magneto donned his uniform once more and went straight to New York City, leaving Charles and his more peaceful life behind.

House of M

After Wanda devastatingly, but accidentally, disbanded the Avengers and was rendered unconscious, Magneto appeared and demanded to have his daughter remanded to his care. The Avengers and the X-men at this point found out that Magneto was still alive and that he was not the one responsible for the attacks on New York City, which where actually Xorn’s. The Avengers accepted a grieving father’s demands and gave Wanda, somewhat reluctant, over to Magneto. Magneto then returned back with Wanda to the island of Genosha where he and Charles Xavier had spent their last months. Magneto watched over his sleeping daughter, kept unconscious by Xavier. However, both the X-men and the newly formed Avengers saw Wanda as a threat and where planing to bring Wanda in, or even have her killed should that be necessary. Magneto’s son, Pietro (Quicksilver) demanded that Magneto saved her. Magneto responded that it was out of his hands and there was nothing he could do. On the one hand Wanda was indeed his flesh and blood and he would give his life for her, but on the other hand, she clearly had a mental breakdown and was dangerous.

It was then that the combined forces of the X-Men and the New Avengers arrived on Magneto’s doorstep. Before they could act however, the world flashed white and when it returned, reality had been remade as a world where mutants where the dominant species and humanity was on the decline. Magneto was now ruler over the sovereign nation of Genosha, the dominant superpower in the world, and mutants held almost all worldwide positions of power.

The world has been reversed: mutants now subjugate and legislate against humans, waiting for them to die out over the natural course of their existence. When Wolverine and a mysterious girl named Layla Miller begin restoring the memories of the heroes, they staged a daring coup against Magneto’s headquarters where Wanda was kept. The revelation came out that it was actually Pietro, not Erik, who convinced Wanda to remake the world in this image. As the world crumbled around them and returned to normal reality, Wanda utters three simple words: No more mutants. When everything returns to normal, 99% of the world’s mutant population has been depowered, including Magneto. This day would be known as M-Day

The Master Returns

For more information: Manifest Destiny

For the following months, Magneto wandered the Earth. He then contacted his old friend Xavier, leading them both ino trouble when Magneto’s old soldiers, the Acolytes, showed up to kill Xavier. They no longer listened to Magneto, because he wasn’t a mutant anymore. By teaming up, Magneto and Xavier managed to break free of the Acolytes and stop them from further pursuit. The two then went their separate ways again. Some months later, Magneto contacted the High Evolutionary, who managed to return Magneto’s lost mutant powers. This all happened during a ruse where he attacked the X-Men once again. He was now the only mutant to regain his powers after losing them on M-Day.

Nation X

Magneto, with his powers back, stood for a choice, returning to his old ways or now join the X-men on their homebase known as Utopia. Since no more then 200 mutants remained after M-Day, Magneto thought the few that where still there should stand strong together. He embarked on a journey to Utopia where he was met with anger by the X-men. When he arrives, Xavier demands he leave, but Cyclops overrules him and allows Magneto to state his business. Magneto then fell down on his knees and praised Cyclops’ leadership and asked him if he could join them.

Xavier refused to accept Magneto’s suspicious acts and change of heart and telepathically attacks him, but Cyclops stops the attack and orders Xavier to leave. Magneto laments the future of their race, but Cyclops assures him that Hope Summers, the Mutant Messiah is alive and well. Magneto swears fealty to the X-Men and is made a senior member of Cyclops’ cabinet. He’s still not fully accepted, however, as Cyclops reprimands him for taking what he believed to be too much initiative by constructing a giant support column to not only support Utopia, but house the Atlantean refugees, calling the structure New Atlantis.

To finally atone for his past sins, he journeys to the top of a mountain to reflect and finally realizes what he can do: bring Kitty Pryde back to Earth. He saw the massive bullet she was trapped in when he was in the High Evolutionary’s space station and uses his abilities to bring her back, but he lapses into a coma.

Second Coming

Magneto comes out of his coma right after Hope was teleported into Utopia by a dying Nightcrawler. With the Nimrod Sentinels laying siege to Utopia, Magneto stopped Hank McCoy from leaving his patients as he stated that he had made certain promises to himself, which precluded him from laying in bed while his people were in danger of genocide. Magneto prepares for battle and manage to hold off a squad of Nimrods by attacking them with electrical blasts before finally dismembering the robots by pulling shards of iron from the core of Utopia through them. The wounded but victorious Magneto then gave a speech to the awed young mutants that surrounded him that it was their destiny to inherit the world. On one day, Magneto receives a lead from X-men teammate Dr. Nemesis on one of his old Nazi tormentors. Erik reveals to Wolverine’s X-Force that he is aware of their existence, and trades his silence for the murder of the Nazi officer. Wolverine takes the task on alone and completes it.

Schism

Magneto appears alongside Emma Frost, Colossus, Namor, and Iceman at the unveiling of a mutant museum in San Francisco under orders from Cyclops. The highly publicized event is attacked by the new Hellfire Club. Each of the X-Men present are taken down one by one through technology specifically designed to defeat each of them. Magneto is shot with a miniaturized neutron star. The Hellfire Club then attaches brain slugs to the X-Men to keep them unconscious. Idie, the only mutant left in the museum unscathed, kills the remaining Hellfire members to save everyone.

The Hellfire Club unleashes a giant Sentinel, charged with destroying Utopia. Cyclops and some of the younger mutants prepare to stand their ground, while Wolverine demands that the children run and save themselves. The Sentinel winds up being defeated. However, the X-Men are split between Cyclops and Wolverine. Magneto remains loyal to Cyclops and stays on Utopia.

Regenesis

Magneto is later assigned to Cyclops’ new “Extinction Team”, which also consists of Namor, Danger, Magik, Colossus, Storm, Hope, and Emma Frost. In a training exercise between the Extinction Team and Hope’s Lights, Magneto is attacked by Zero and reacts by brutally by ripping him in half with his magnetic powers. Zero is able to pull himself back together (which Magneto knew he was capable of doing), but Magneto is harshly reprimanded by Hope and Cyclops for attacking so harshly during a training exercise. After the apparent death of Jocasta, Hank Pym calls for Cyclops, Emma Frost and Magneto to aid him in his investigation. Upon their arrival to the West Coast Academy, Magneto agrees to assist so long as Quicksilver refrains from involving himself in any mutant affairs. He claims that Pietro coerced his sister into the events that led to her breakdown and cites his misuse of the Terrigen Mists and the war that was caused due to it.

Magneto is also faced with a ghost from his past in the form of his clone, Joseph. Disguised as Magneto, Joseph kills a group of anti-mutant protesters witch causes a conflict between Magneto and the authorities and the Avengers. The Avengers claim Magneto to be the perpetrator. However, Magneto soon found out that the mutant teleporter Astra, an old nemesis to Magneto as well as the person who created the original Joseph, was to blame for the new Joseph and the murders. Eventually Magneto managed to clear his name and defeated Astra while Joseph was brought over to Cyclops where he was imprisoned.

Avengers vs. X-Men

When Captain America arrives on Utopia to discuss Hope and the returning Phoenix Force, the two teams can not come to an agreement. This causes a rift between the two superhero teams. Where most of the X-men believe the Phoenix Force to be a force that can re-spark the dying mutant race, the Avengers believe it will cause nothing but harm. During this, Magneto stands with the X-men’s Extinction Team lead by Cyclops and helps him gain the advantage during the first fight that breaks out as a result of the difference in opinion. Magneto also helps the X-men and Avengers during the following days in search of Hope and later when five of the X-men gained the Phoenix’s powers.

The Mutant Revolution

Magneto helps break Cyclops out of prison and joins his group of rogue X-Men. Magneto’s powers are broken due to a blast from the Phoenix Force, as well as the rest of the team’s due to their exposure. With their broken abilities, the team have searched the planet for new mutants due to the re-igniting of the mutant gene. Magneto seemingly betrays the X-Men in order to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. and tell them what Cyclops’ team is up to. He reveals himself to the rest of the X-Men that he did so in order to act as a double agent since the team is on the run. Magneto helps build the New Charles Xavier school from the remnants of an old Weapon X facility. He also helps in recruiting new mutants in a girl that can control time, a healer, a boy who can project golden balls, a chameleon like mutant, and even visits the Jean Grey Institute to recruit some of their students in the form of the Stepford Cuckoos, and the time-displaced Angel of the original X-Men. Magneto is now Limbo with the team to fight the threat of Dormammu and his demons. Magneto and the team hold out long enough for Magik to absorb Limbo, defeat Dormammu and cast them out back to their dimension. Scott confronts Magneto about his loyalties, but Magneto wants the end goal to be the same as Scott and the two have a conversation to further strengthen their relationship and come to terms with their standings in regards to each other. Magneto is there with the rest of the team when Emma is helping the new mutant David Bond, control his powers to show off what he can do. Magneto and the rest of the X-Men help rescue Fabio from S.H.I.E.L.D..

Magneto gets a message from Maria Hill so that they can meet up and talk. Hill tells Erik that if he wishes to continue talking with her he will have to talk to Dazzler, the new mutant liaison. Magneto ends up returning to the X-Men’s hideout, where he watches a pro-mutant rally supporting Cyclops with the team. Magneto shows up late to help battle Blockbuster sentinel, and he delivers the final blow before the sentinel is called back by its master.

Magneto ponders his current situation and what his direction is. Mystique posing as Dazzler reveals herself to him and invites him to come to Madripoor. He finds that Madripoor has been made into a new safe haven for the mutants. He finds there is the drug kick being made, but he ends up meeting up with the Blob. Fred takes him to the skyscraper where Mystique is at with Sabretooth and the new Silver Samurai, where they have reformed the Brotherhood of Mutants. Erik snaps at what has happened, saying this isn’t a dream but a nightmare. In his rage he attacks the team and ends up making the skyscraper collapse before riding away in a helicopter, heading off on his own.

AXIS and Time Runs Out

Magneto again appears on the scene during the events of AXIS, in which the Red Skull had taken the brain and telepathic powers of the deceased Charles Xavier, one of Erik’s oldest friends. In his quest for revenge against the Red Skull, Magneto found out that Red Skull had used his new powers to wreck havok among the world and even founded his own concentration camp for mutants on the island of Genosha, Magneto’s former base. As many of the heroes whom apposed the Red Skull in the initial assault fell, Magneto sought out a group of relunctant villains whom helped him fight the Red Skull. Eventually, Magneto and the rest of the heroes and villains where succesfull in taking out the Red Skull, after which Magneto took his rightfull place in Genosha, helping out the mutants that had been captured by the Skull some weeks before.

Although Magneto started rebuilding Genosha, all seemed for nothing when the Universal Incursion started happening. The multiverse had began to unravel, as each time, two planet earth’s from two different universes collided, ending both universes. While many of the Marvel heroes tried to stop these incursions, Magneto also did his best in stopping the incursions. He, as well as all other heroes however failed, and the Marvel universe was seemingly destroyed forever.

Leading the X-Men

After the events of Secret Wars, reality was brought back thanks to Doctor Doom and Reed Richards. We see that Magneto is now leading a team of X-Men consisting of Psylocke, M, and Sabretooth. They are trying to find a cure for the Terrigen Mist when they discover that someone is gunning for healers. The Dark riders are their opponents, but they appear to being controlled by a unknown source.

Personal Information

Physical Attributes

• Height: 6’2″
• Weight: 190 lbs.
• Eyes: Bluish-grey
• Hair: Bald (formerly silver, originally black)
• Distinguishing Features: Appears to be a man in his physical prime, and roughly half his much greater chronological age, as a result of being rejuvenated by the High Evolutionary

Status

• Identity: Publicly known
• Occupation: Adventurer, mutant rights activist; former would-be conqueror, sovereign ruler of Genosha, teacher of the New Mutants, headmaster of Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, terrorist, secret agent, Nazi-hunter, volunteer hospital orderly, carpenter
• Citizenship: German; formerly Genoshan
• Place of Birth: Germany
• Education: Some public schooling, unspecified advanced training in genetic engineering and robotics
• Marital Status: Widower
• Known Relatives: Jakob and Edie Eisenhardt (parents, deceased), Erich Eisenhardt (uncle, deceased), Ruth Eisenhardt (sister, deceased), Magda Eisenhardt (wife, deceased), Anya Eisenhardt (daughter, deceased), Zala Dane (Zaladane, alleged daughter, presumed deceased), Lorna Dane (Polaris, daughter), Joseph (clone)

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Magnetic Field Manipulation

Magneto’s mutant power gives him mastery over all forms of magnetism. He can perceive the magnetic forces of the Earth as well as the bio-electrical patterns of all living beings. He can draw on and use the magnetosphere of the planet, which extends far into space. Magneto can use his vast power to reshape even the most indestructible metals, including the adamantium in Wolverine‘s skeleton. He’s been shown controlling the most insignificant magnetic particles in both the atmosphere and in living beings, reversing their blood flow or ripping out any ferrous elements through their tissues.

Magneto can create electromagnetic fields strong enough to manipulate non-ferrous items, though he may be using anti-gravity fields to do this. He has demonstrated the ability to lift thousands of tons with his magnetic powers, although the greater he exerts himself the greater the physical and mental stress he undergoes. Magneto has the ability to increase his physical attributes by directing his magnetic powers inward. He has been seeing increasing his physical strength and durability, as well as his speed and reaction time.

Magneto can create powerful magnetic force fields for personal protection, project blasts of electricity or magnetic energy, and generate powerful electromagnetic pulses. He can also assemble complicated machines within seconds through the use of his powers. Although Magneto’s primary power is the control over magnetism, he can also manipulate any form of energy from the electromagnetic spectrum. This includes visible light, radio waves, ultraviolet light, gamma rays, and x-rays. It is more difficult for Magneto to manipulate other forms of energy, so he predominately only uses magnetism.

After his exposure to an attack from the Phoenix Force, Magneto’s powers have been greatly reduced. He has shown limits in only being able to dismantle a few sentinels at a time, and has been forced to become more precise in his attacks, resulting in him using metallic objects as projectiles more frequently. Magneto has also shown he can overexert himself rather quickly, resulting in physical harm. Despite these limits, Magneto has still shown the ability to fly and use his powers in a precise and accurate manner. Recently, in a fit of rage, he made a skyscraper collapse. Perhaps this shows his powers are returning to their once former glory or that in cases of extreme emotion, his powers get stronger than their current state.

Abilities

Mental Resistance

Magneto has trained himself to defend his mind against even the strongest telepathic attacks. Due in part to his long history with Charles Xavier, he possesses a great deal of knowledge in devising technology to block psychic assaults. Magneto’s helmet greatly augments his already immense mental fortitude, and even without it he has been shown resisting the intrusion of immensely powerful psychics such as Xavier and Emma Frost (whose telepathy Magneto resisted even when she possessed the Phoenix Force, though with great effort).

Genius-level Intellect

Magneto is a genius with competence in various fields of advanced science, especially genetic mutation, particle physics, engineering, and robotics. His intellect has allowed him to create many advanced and complex machines, most of which are well beyond the scope contemporary science. He has engineered advanced robots, space stations, devices capable of nullifying mutant powers except for his own, devices that generate volcanoes and earthquakes, and devices that block telepathy. He can create artificial living beings (such as Alpha the Ultimate Mutant) and fully-grown adult clones, as well as mutate humans in order to give them superhuman powers.

Master Combatant

Magneto has some military training in hand-to-combat and is capable of holding his own in a fight, though he prefers the use of his mutant powers in most combat situations. He is an able athlete despite his age, and keeps himself in excellent physical condition.

Master Tactician and Strategist

Magneto is an excellent strategist, both in actual battles and games of chess, and has extensive combat experience. He has successfully held his own in combat against entire groups of superhuman adversaries, such as the X-Men and the Avengers.

Multilingual

Magneto is a polyglot, fluent in English, German, Polish, Yiddish, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Hebrew, and Arabic. He has even managed to decipher the ancient language of a lost civilization.

Paraphernalia

Magneto’s Armor

Magneto’s helmet is designed to prevent telepathic intrusion or psionic attacks. This is accomplished via technology of Magneto’s own design wired into the helmet itself. The helmet has become something of a symbol, an integral part of Magneto’s persona. When Magneto was thought dead after the sentinel attack on Genosha, t-shirts adorned with the image of him wearing his helmet and featuring the slogan “Magneto Was Right” started being worn by disenfranchised mutant youth as a symbol of rebellion.

The costume that Magneto wears is actually a type of armor that he has created through the use of his magnetic powers. The costume is an amalgam of various lightweight, but highly durable, metallic alloys that further protects him from many forms of physical injury.

Utility Belt

After losing most of his power due to exposure to the Phoenix Force, Magneto has resorted to donning a new outfit, including a utility belt. He has shown to keep small, metallic objects, such as nails, in his pouches to use as weapons. In times of being out of his suit, Magneto carries knives and bullets on his person.

Alternate Realities

Age of Apocalypse (Earth-295)

In a world where Charles Xavier died before ever forming the X-Men, it was up to Magneto to create and led the team against the ruler of this desolate future, Apocalypse and his Horsemen. In the Age of Apocalypse Magneto found this world’s X-Men after the death of his friend Charles Xavier, at the hands of Xavier’s own son David who traveled back in time to kill Magneto hoping to fulfill his “father’s greatest wish”. In honor to his friend´s memory, Erik decided to fight Apocalypse and his twisted plans. Magneto and the X-Men fought against the forces of Apocalypse who, without the interference of Xavier was able to take over North America. In the first mission as X-Men in Cape Citadel, Magneto´s daughter Wanda was killed provoking his misery and anger. For years the X-Men opposed Apocalypse´s forces.

Holocaust, Mr. Sinister, Mikhail Rasputin and Abyss are the final Apocalypse’s horsemen, and while Magneto’s team was composed not only of X-Men but also of standard “evil” mutants from traditional time-lines, including mutants such as Sabretooth, other individuals who were “heroes” in Earth 616 serve Apocalypse in this timeline. In this time-line, Magneto was married to his former protege Rogue, and being able to touch due to his magnetic mastery over his own bio-aura, were able to have a son together who they named Charles, in honor of Xavier.

Magneto and Charles are later personally captured by Apocalypse himself, though they are rescued by Rogue and the other X-Men, including X-Man, who raid Apocalypse’s citadel in a desperate final attempt to save all of reality from M’Kraan crystallization. In this final confrontation, Magneto uses his maximum magnetic power to destroy Apocalypse once and for all. When the world is about to end a shinny power stopped the nuclear bombs and saved all humanity. All people assumed that Magneto stopped the bombs and made him a global hero, nevertheless Magneto knows that he didn’t stop the bombs.

A year later had passsed of Apocalypse´s defeat and Magneto had created the Bureau of Mutant Affairs in order to capture all former allies of Apocalypse, focusing on Sinister´s trace. It was revealed that Magneto knew that Jean Grey was the mutant who stopped the bombs but he keept the secret so he could create a new world based on confidence on mutants and humans alike. But later Sinister appeared with Jean Grey and a group mutants brainwashed named as Sinister Six, who revealed the truth about Magneto. In the confrontation many mutants died of both sides, incluiding Magneto´s son Pietro, but Magneto managed to free Jean from Sinister´s influence and finally killed the villain. Due to his false heroic acts Magneto get imprisoned. Some years later he is killed by Weapon X who was became the new Apocalypse.

For more information see: Age of Apocalypse

Magnus Reality (Earth-27)

Like is mainstream counterpart, Magneto was fighting against humanity. However, he eventually found peace when he married Rogue and had a son named Magnus. Magnus inherited his father’s powers and was well on his way of becoming even more powerful that Magneto, until one day he disappeared. In truth, he was taken away from this reality by the Timebreakers and was placed in the new Exiles team. Magneto was sure that his son had just left home to start his own life until his burned corpse was sent back. Magneto was left with only a small note explaining what happened to his son.

Big Town (Earth-110)

Magneto lead the Brotherhood of Mutants who included Storm, Havok, The Scarlet Witch, Quicksliver and Wolverine. He worked along side many villains which included Doctor Doom, Ultron, Namor and the Hulk to attempt to kill Reed Richards but were thwarted by the combined powers of the Avengers, Fantastic Four and the X-Men. Magneto was ultimately killed by Mockingbird who was enraged by the death of Hawkeye.

Brother Mutant’s Reality (Earth-127)

Magneto was a female in this reality and lead the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Along with her Brotherhood, she attempted to take over the world by making herself more powerful. In a attempt to fuse together each others powers, Magneto was fused together with the Brotherhood members and they became the new entity known as Brother Mutant, who possessed their combined powers.

1602 (Earth-311)

Magneto was Enrique, Grand Inquisitor of the Catholic Church. He is charged with hunting down “Witchbreeds”, what the church termed mutants in this universe. What the church did not know was the Enrique, assisted by his children Petros and Wanda (though they were not aware he was their father), was smuggling mutants who could pass for human out of Europe while burning only those that could not, such as Angel, at the stake. When his secret activities were discovered by the church, he, along with Wanda and Petros, were forced to flee to the New World to the colony of mutants he had secreted out of Europe. After he assisted in helping return Steve Rogers to the proper time stream, he left Wanda and Petros in Carlos Javier’s care with the instruction that Carlos was not to tell them he was their father. He then left, sailing north for the colony of his “Brotherhood”.

For more information see: 1602

Days of Future Past (Earth-811)

Magneto is confined in a wheelchair and is being held in one of the concentration camps by the Sentinels. When Franklin Richards was able to set free all mutants in the camp, Magneto stayed behind to stall the Sentinels long enough to escape. He was subsequently killed.

For more information see: Days of Future Past

Mutant X (Earth-1298)

Magneto is the leader of the X-Men which consists of himself, Polaris, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Mystique.

Ultimate (Earth-1610)

Character Evolution:

Ultimate Magneto’s background differs greatly from his mainstream (616) counterpart. Here he was born Erik Lensherr. Erik killed his mother (his father’s fate is unknown) when he found out that his mother was a project manager of the Weapon X program and had kept and tortured Wolverine, Erik freed Logan and then fought his way out. Magneto’s mother had wanted to “cure” mutants, and her son. However, it has also been alluded to that he is from a very wealthy and well-connected family that he has parted ways with. His wife’s name was Isabelle, and he is aware from the beginning of his familial relationship with Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. It is also noted that he verbally mistreats them, hinting that he regards them as a living reminder of having an inter-species relationship. This version of Magneto is significantly darker and more cynical than the mainstream version, regarding all humans with utter and unwavering disdain and likening them to “insects”.

An arrogant fantasist who gradually sank deeper and deeper into his self-proclaimed role as Mutant Messiah, Eric Lensherr eventually reinvented himself as Magneto, the leader of the Brotherhood Of Mutants and a ruthless terrorist who is willing to kill hundreds in the name of mutant supremacy. On several occasions Magneto has attempted to implement unflinchingly genocidal plans on humanity. He commands a noticeably larger Brotherhood than his mainstream counterpart and has displayed enough power to defeat the Ultimates.

Additionally, he was the one to cripple Professor X. Before the end of their association, Xavier and Magneto shared a very intense intellectual friendship. Using his knowledge of technology and genetics, Magneto helped Xavier to create the Savage Land as a mutant utopia. He also created an artificial language called Epsilon-Omega, based on Esperanto and featuring its own script, for mutants to use in the Savage Land, as a rejection of human languages. They even have plays, poetry, and songs in this language.

The Tomorrow People

Magneto is the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants and they are based out of the Savage Lands. Magneto originally sends Wolverine to infiltrate the X-Men and kill Professor X. While with the X-Men, Wolverine joins them for an attack on the Brotherhood. Magneto appeals to them with his own ideals of mutant superiority. When they refuse, he dismisses the X-Men however Cyclops returns later after a fight with Professor X. Magneto asks Cyclops to address him as father when in front of Quicksilver and tells him that his daughter is attracted to him. He seems to like the idea of Wanda being with Scott.

Due to the US government spotting the Blackbird leaving when the X-Men rescued the president’said daughter, the government now knows the location of the Savage lands. They send all their remaining Sentinels after Magneto, but he takes control of them and rewires them to hunt humans. Cyclops has second thoughts about joining the Brotherhood and warns the X-Men that Magneto is on his way to Washington DC. Magneto is about to crush the President between two cars but is stopped in time by Professor X. Wolverine stabs him in the chest from behind and Quicksilver takes off his helmet. Professor X is able to take control of Erik’s mind and turns him into a super magnet, seemingly killing.

Return of the King

After his defeat at the hands of the X-Men, he was brainwashed by Xavier. He lived a normal life thinking he was just a normal human until he is freed by the Brotherhood. After gaining his consciousness back, Magneto devises a plan to make the X-Men and the Ultimates fight each other. When coming into contact with the Ultimates, Magneto shoots his son, Quicksilver, in the kneecaps. He says that it is not for betraying hjm, but instead for working with the humans. He has a plan to reverse the earths magnetic poles and hires the mutant Forge to make a machine that will amplify his powers. Eventually the X-Men come together and defeat Magneto, where this time he is imprisoned by SHIELD.

Magnetic North

Magneto later devises a plan where he has Polaris framed and imprisoned with him. Forge builds a machine that can Mimic Magneto’s and Polaris’ powers and uses it to frame Polaris. During this time Mystique come to the prison and trades places with magneto. Forge uses the machine again later in to make it look like Mystique has Magneto’s powers when fighting the X-Men where she is defeated and imprisoned in Magneto’s place while he escapes.

Ultimatum

After the death of his daughter, Magneto uses a machine built by Forge to amplify his powers and reverse the magnetic poles. For some reason, this causes a great flood, killing millions. Magneto then kills his long time enemy, Charles Xavier. The X-Men and the Ultimate team up and defeat him. Magneto is killed when Cyclops decapitated him with his optic blast.

Marvel Zombieverse (Earth-2149)

When turning an asteroid away from the Earth, the Sentry had come in contact with a disease that turned normal people into flesh craving zombies. The majority of Earth’s superheroes had become infected, and in turn ate virtually all of the human population. Magneto alone remained, and sought to protect the few remaining humans that also survived. When Mr. Fantastic from the Ultimate Universe came to the Zombie Universe Magneto takes him in, and then offers to stay behind when Reed left in order to destroy the device that linked the two worlds.

For more information see: Marvel Zombies

Earth X (Earth-9997)

Magneto is the ruler of Sentinel City, a city made out of mutant-hunting robot Sentinel in the Savage Land.

For more information see: Earth X

House of M (Earth-58163)

When the Scarlet Witch reforms reality she creates the House of M, a world where mutants rule under Magneto and humans are the oppressed minority.

For more information see: House of M

Wild West

In an Old West version of the Marvel Universe, Magneto is the leader of the Magnus Gang, a notorious band of outlaws who have taken over a small town. Years prior, Magnus murdered King T’Chaka while raiding Wakanda in search of treasure. In the present, he and his gang begin kidnapping visitors so the victims can be controlled by a crazed version of Professor X known as Pastor Xavier. After abducting Nocturne and Morph, Magneto and his crew are confronted by the Exiles. They quickly overpower the heroes, and capture Iron Lad in order to take him to Pastor Xavier. However, Magneto secretly colludes with Blink so that everyone can escape from the mad Xavier, who has been forcing the Magnus Gang to do his bidding. While the rest of the Magnus Gang members flee, Magneto is confronted by T’Challa, the son of the murdered Wakandan ruler. Now a gunslinger known as the King, T’Challa has been hunting Magneto for years in order to avenge his father. The two engage in a gunfight, and Magneto is killed after the King shoots him with special vibranium bullets.

Other Media

Animation

Fantastic Four

Magneto appears in the episode “The Menace of Magneto,” voiced by John Stephenson. The episode is infamous for the ending, where Mr. Fantastic defeats Magneto by tricking him with a wooden gun.

Spider-Man (1981)

Magneto appeared as a villain in the episode “When Magneto Speaks….People Listen,” voiced by Michael Rye. Initially using the alias “Mr. M,” Magneto uses his powers to shut down Earth’s communications satellites and cause a blackout in New York City, resulting in chaos. He attempts to use this to extort the people of the world into paying him $100 million dollars in gold. His plot is ultimate thwarted by Spider-Man, who manages to turn Magneto’s own powers against him by using a microwave relay. Though the world’s communications are restored, Magneto manages to escape. He is last seen vowing revenge against Spider-Man for foiling his plan.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

Magneto was an antagonist in the episode “The Prison Plot,” with Micheal Rye returning to voice him. Posing as an escape artist called Proton the Great, Magneto infiltrates a convention for America’s prison wardens and police chiefs and takes all of the attendees hostage. With the guests at his mercy, he demands that the members of his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants be released from the various prison where they are held. Unfortunately for him, it turns out that Spider-Man, Iceman and Firestar were all present at the convention in their civilian identities, leading to a showdown with Magneto. The heroes manage to overload Magneto’s powers, which temporarily shorts them out and renders him unconscious. Magneto also makes a cameo appearance in the episode “A Firestar is Born” as part of a flashback.

Pryde of the X-Men

Magneto is the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutant Terrorists. He plans on stealing a power circuit from the X-Men and attempt to wipe out humanity. The cartoon opens with him already apprehended by the military, but Emma Frost breaks him out to resume the attack. Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde, a young teenager, is arriving at the Xavier Institute to learn about the strange powers plaguing her.

He was voiced by Earl Boen.

X-Men: The Animated Series

Magneto is one of the primary antagonists through most of the series’ run. Though he is mostly villainous, he retains much of his tragic back-story and maintains his turbulent friendship with Charles Xavier.

He was voiced by David Hemblen.

X-Men: Evolution

Magneto again returns as the primary antagonist of the series, though he’s cast in a much more mysterious role for the first portion of the series. He is against humans and believes that the Mutants or Homo Superior should replace humans as the dominant race. He has Mystique and numerous other similar minded mutants working for him and also attempts to recruit some of the X-Men to his cause.

He was voiced by Christopher Judge.

Wolverine and the X-Men

Magneto controls the island nation of Genosha in this series, using it as a haven for any mutant who desires sanctuary from the persecution of humanity while plotting against the X-Men.

He was voiced by Tom Kane.

Super Hero Squad Show

Magneto appears in several episodes of the series, voiced by Maurice LaMarche. He is an ally of Doctor Doom and is shown trying to train his children to follow his legacy.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures

Magneto is seen targeting a mutant girl, Annie Claremont, in hopes of recruiting her to help him to wage war against the humans, he eventually crosses paths with Iron Man and War Machine.

He was voiced by Ron Halder.

Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers

Magneto appears in an arc of the show, voiced by Banjo Ginga. He attempts to sway a young Japanese mutant named Noriko Ashida to his side, but is opposed by the heroes.

Film

X-Men (2000)

Magneto’s desire for mutant supremacy stems primarily from his time in a concentration camp in World War II. He brings together the Brotherhood of Mutants consisting of Mystique, Sabretooth, and Toad and plans to use a machine that turns people into mutants against a UN summit so that the world leaders will have to acknowledge the persecution that mutants endure.

X2: X-Men United (2003)

Magneto is left to rot in a plastic prison in which not one scrap of metal is permitted. He is periodically visited by an anti-mutant military extremist named William Stryker who uses a strange chemical to force Magneto to tell him about Xavier’s institute. Magneto is eventually able to free himself when Mystique concocts a plan to smuggle metal inside the bloodstream of one of the security guards. On the loose, Magneto launches a counter-attack against Stryker using his insulated helmet to block out Stryker’s manipulation of Xavier’s mental powers.

Also, Magneto’s name is listed in William Stryker’s files on Lady Deathstrike’s computer.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Magneto and Xavier are shown visiting Jean Grey when she’s very young, wanting to help her harness her powers before they become too volatile. Fast-forward to the present where Magneto is once again plotting against the X-Men and humanity at large for introducing a mutant “cure” into the world. At the end of the film, Magneto is stripped of his powers after Beast forcibly administers the cure to him, though it is hinted his powers may someday return.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

In the prequel to the X-Men film trilogy, the origins of how Erik Lehnsherr becomes Magneto are explained. Erik meets a young mutant, Charles Xavier, and together they form the X-Men. He initially begins as a protagonist, but ultimate leaves the X-Men after killing Sebastian Shaw. He goes on to form the Brotherhood of Mutants by using the remaining members of the Hellfire Club. In the film, Magneto is played by Irish-German actor Michael Fassbender.

The Wolverine (2013)

The elderly Magneto (once again played by McKellen) makes a cameo at the end of the film, where he recruits Wolverine for a mission against the Sentinels.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Both McKellen and Fassbender reprise their roles in the sequel, with Fassbender playing the young Magneto in 1973, and McKellen playing the older Magneto in 2023.

In the future, Magneto (who has regained his powers after the cure from The Last Stand faded) is one of the last surviving mutants in a world dominated by the Sentinels. He has reconciled with Charles and allied himself with the remaining X-Men. He and Charles devise a plan to have Kitty Pryde send Wolverine back in time to prevent the assassination of Bolivar Trask, whose death led to the creation of the Sentinels in the first place.

Back in the 1970’s, the young Magneto is shown imprisoned in a plastic cell underneath the Pentagon after being convicted for the murder of John F. Kennedy. Magneto claims to have been framed for the crime, but it is left ambiguous as to whether or not this is true. Charles, Wolverine, Beast, and Quicksilver spring Magneto from his prison, and ask for his help in convincing Mystique to spare Trask. Erik agrees, and initially seems to genuinely wish to repair his friendship with Charles, but this proves to be a ruse. He attempts to murder Mystique, but is stopped by Beast and flees.

Erik later hijacks Trask’s prototype Sentinels in a plan to kill President Richard Nixon and conquer the world, and ends up battling the X-Men. Back in the future, the heroic Magneto is mortally wounded while trying to protect the temple where Kitty is enabling Wolverine’s mental time travel. As he dies, Erik apologizes to Charles for all of the bloodshed he had caused over the years, and states that he wishes he and Charles could have put aside their differences all those years ago.

In the past, the young Magneto is ultimately defeated after Mystique knocks him unconscious, saving the President’s life on national television. She subsequently agrees to spare Trask, preventing the Sentinels from ever being created and changing the future for the better. At the end of the movie, Charles allows the young Erik to flee, realizing that he will be executed if he is taken into custody.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Michael Fassbender once again reprised his role. In this movie, Magneto was one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen.

We see a more humbled Magneto in X-Men: Apocalypse. He is living in Europe and has a wife and daughter. He keeps his identity as the mutant terrorist, Magneto, a secret.

One day at work Magneto saves the life of one of his co-workers, revealing his powers. He goes to his family and tries to run, but he doesn’t make it in time. The military shows up at his home, and in a freak accident, both his wife and children are killed. Erik kills the humans afterwards.

Magneto returns to his place of work where he plans on killing his co-workers. Apocalypse meets him there and convinces him to join him as one of his Horsemen and bestows even more power upon him, giving Magneto the power to move the Earth’s core.

Charles Xavier discovers what happened and tries to reach Erik, but it was to late. Magneto leaves with Apocalypse and attempts to destroy the world. While trying to damage the Earth’s core, he is confronted by Mystique and Quicksilver. Together they manage to convince him to join them and fight against Apocalypse.

Dark Phoenix (2019)

Michael Fassbender reprises his role for the final time in the last Fox X-Men movie. Set years after Apocalypse, Magneto has retired from his villainous ways to found a mutant haven called Genosha. After the Phoenix accidentally kills Mystique, Beast approaches Magneto to seek his help in getting revenge by killing Jean Grey.

Video Games

• Magneto is the final boss of the NES game Marvel’s X-Men. However, players could only access his level via a special code input at the level selection screen.
• Magneto was one of the main villains in X-Men: Madness in Murderworld .

• Magneto is the final boss of the X-Men arcade game. He kidnaps Professor X and Kitty Pryde during the first two stages, prompting the heroes to go on a rescue mission as well as welcoming them to die.

• Magneto is the final boss of the Sega Genesis game, X-Men . However, after defeating Mojo, players must softly press the reset button on the console to delete a computer virus emitted on Mojo’s level before time runs out, in order to face him.

• Magneto appears in the fighting game X-Men: Children of the Atom. He is the non-playable boss of the game whom the players must defeat at his space station Avalon. He is voiced by George Buza.
• Magneto returns in Marvel Super Heroes, the sequel to Children of the Atom. He is a playable character character this time around, and has Asteroid M as his stage.
• In X-Men 2: Clone Wars , Magneto served both as a boss and, for the first time in X-Men video game history, as a playable character. Upon defeating him in the third level aboard Asteroid M, Magneto joins the X-Men when he discovers that his entire crew had been assimilated by the alien Phalanx invasion.

• In Marvel Super Heroes and X-Men vs. Street Fighter he returns as a playable character, toned down from his appearance in Children of the Atom .

• In the Quake conversion X-Men: The Ravages of Apocalypse , the player played a cyborg created by and working for Magneto.

• In Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Magneto was a partner assist.

2000s

• Magneto is a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes .
• Magneto appears as a boss character in the fighting game X-Men: Mutant Academy.
• Magneto returns as a playable character in the sequel, X-Men: Mutant Academy 2.
• Magneto is a playable character in the fighting game X-Men: Next Dimension.

• Magneto appears as a boss in X2: Wolverine’s Revenge voiced by Fred Tatasciore. He is shown as a prisoner of The Void (a mutant prison) until he is released by Sabretooth.
• Magneto is the main antagonist in X-Men Legends voiced by Tony Jay. Like the other characters in the game, he appears in his Ultimate costume, though his personality and his relationship with Xavier is more similar to his 616 incarnation.

• A cape-less and non-helmeted version of Magneto was a playable character in the game Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.
• In X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse , Magneto (voiced by Richard Green) was made the main playable character as part of the game’s Brotherhood. He and his Brotherhood of Mutants sided with the X-Men when Apocalypse kidnapped Quicksilver when rescuing Professor X and fighting the forces of Apocalypse. He has special dialogue with Zealot.

• Magneto also appeared in X-Men: The Official Game voiced by Dwight Schultz. Magneto is only playable in the DS version of the game. In this game (which is set between the X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand films), Magneto teams up with the X-Men to battle the Sentinels, and also sends Sabretooth in the Master Mold to retrieve Jason Stryker to make him a member of his Brotherhood. His plan was foiled by Wolverine.

• Originally, Magneto made a brief appearance in a cut-scene in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance lying on the floor next to Professor X, both having been defeated by Doctor Doom. However, the new Xbox 360 downloadable content features him (with his classic costume, 80’s costume, Ultimate costume, and Xorn as alternate costumes) as a playable character with Richard Green reprising his role. Magneto has special dialogue with Professor X and Fin Fang Foom.

• Magneto appears in the Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable versions of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 . He and Quicksilver have become victims of The Fold and will fight the heroes within a Repeater Tower in Reykjavík, Iceland. After he and Quicksilver are defeated and cured, Magneto uses his magnetism to help the heroes get to the top of the Repeater Tower. He appears as downloadable content for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. The DLC also includes an extra mission where the player fights Magneto.

• Magneto appears in the Marvel Super Hero Squad video game voiced by Tom Kane. The players fight him on Asteroid M.

2010s

• Magneto appears in the Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet video game voiced by Maurice LaMarche. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver appear on Asteroid M in order to confront Magneto who mentions that the message they received is for them to contain the Space Infinity Stone which had been shattered following an attack by Doombots. When Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver reassemble it, Doctor Doom arrives and reveals that his attack on Magneto was just a ploy so that he could get the Space Infinity Gem. When Doctor Doom ends up defeated, he tricks Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch into swiping the Space Infinity Gem. Doctor Doom’s attacks on Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch cause Magneto to use his magnetic abilities on Doctor Doom who reveals that he had placed Asteroid M on self-destruct. Magneto sends Doctor Doom flying where the Space Infinity Gem transports Doctor Doom to a cage. Magneto then gives his children the Space Infinity Stone. After Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver leave, Magneto claps off the self-destruct sequence.
• Magneto appears as both a playable character and a boss in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.

• Magneto once again appears as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, voiced by Tom Kane. Alternate colors include Ultimate Magneto and Mutant X Magneto.
• Magneto has been confirmed to be in the game X-Men Destiny which allows players to take control of one of three character’s fate. The game is set for release in fall of 2011. He is a non-playable character, voiced by Bill Graves.
• Magneto is available as downloadable content for the game LittleBigPlanet, as part of “Marvel Costume Kit 4”.
• Magneto appears as a playable character in the 2012 fighting game Marvel Avengers : Battle for Earth.
• Magneto is a villain in the social media game Marvel: Avengers Alliance, and is also a playable character
• Magneto appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Nolan North.
• Magneto appears in Marvel Heroes, an MMORPG, where he is a boss fight villain who has taken William Stryker hostage. He is playable in later iterations of the game, with his Marvel NOW! costume as DLC for the Marvel Heroes 2015 relaunch.
• Magneto appears as a boss and a playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, voiced again by Tom Kane.

Mobile Games

• Magneto appears as a playable fighter in the Marvel Contest of Champions mobile game. An alternate version of Magneto, based on his white-costumed Marvel NOW! incarnation, is also playable.
• Magneto was eventually added to the Marvel Future Fight mobile game as a playable character.
• Magneto appears as a playable character in the Marvel Strike Force mobile game. He can be unlocked after completing the Asteroid M event.

Merchandise

Marvel Legends

• Magneto was featured in Series III of ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends action figure line. The figure came packaged with a destroyed Sentinel display base and a removable helmet. A variant of this figure with a new head was later released as part of the X-Men Legends box set.
• Once Hasbro took over the Marvel Legends license from ToyBiz (who subsequently went out of business) one of their first waves was the Blob Build-a-Figure wave. The wave included a figure of Xorn, whose helmet could be removed to reveal a Magneto face underneath.
• Magneto was featured in
• Magneto was featured in the 12-inch Marvel Legends Icons line from Hasbro.
• Magneto was featured in Hasbro’s Jubilee Build-a-Figure wave, which was available exclusively at Toys R Us.
• Magneto was featured in his black Marvel NOW! costume as part of the Marvel Legends Apocalypse Build-a-Figure wave from Hasbro.
• The 3.75 inch Marvel Legends line (actually a rebranding of Hasbro’s earlier Marvel Universe line) featured the Age of Apocalypse version of Magneto.
• A classic version of Magneto was featured in a special box set (dubbed Family Matters) alongside Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. It was only available from Amazon as a website exclusive.
• In 2020, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first X-Men movie, Hasbro released a special Marvel Legends two-pack depicting the movie versions of Magneto and Professor Xavier from X-Men: Days of Future Past. The Magneto figure came with swappable heads depicting both Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender’s respective portrayals of the character.
• Magneto was featured in his white Dawn of X costume as part of the Marvel Legends Tri-Sentinel Build-a-Figure wave from Hasbro.
• The Age of Apocalypse version of Magneto was featured in the AOA Colossus Build-a-Figure wave.

Other figures

• Mattel created the first ever Magneto figure for their Secret Wars toy-line. Decades later, Gentle Giant made a recreation of the figure as part of their Secret Wars anniversary line.
• Toy Biz’s first attempt at making a magneto action figure was in 1991 with a 5″ action figure that featured magnetic hands, cloth cape, and removable helmet; In 1992, Toy Biz released their “Super Spark” Magneto figure as a follow up.
• Magneto is included as one of the four villains featured in Toy Biz’s X-Men: The Movie line. This Magneto sports an arm raise action feature, removable satin-cloth cape, removable helmet, and a magnetic action base.
• Magneto is the only villain in Toy Biz’s X2 line. This highly detailed figure features sculpting by Gentle Giant Ltd., a removable helmet, and 29 points of articulation.
• Toy Biz produced a Magneto figure for their X-Men toy line in 2006.
• Magneto is the fifth figurine in the Classic Marvel Figurine Collection.
• A Magneto action figure based on his Wolverine and the X-Men appearance was released.
• A Mighty Mugg version of Magneto was released sometime in 2010-2011 along with Iceman as Target exclusives.
• A Magneto action figure is being sold on the My Little Pony store by Hasbro, after an ad about Magneto appeared in a livestream of the show.
• A Magneto action figure became the 26th figure in Series 3 of Marvel Universe from Hasbro.
• Magneto is the fifty fourth figure in Diamond Select Toys’ Marvel Select Series.
• A Magneto minfigure was created for the LEGO Marvel Superheroes line, which was released in April 2012.
• Magneto was featured in Kaiyodo’s Revoltech line.

Statues and other collectibles

• Bowen Designs created busts and statues of Magneto.
• Kotobukiya released a statue of Magneto in his classic costume, followed by an ARTFX + statue of Magneto in his black Marvel NOW! costume. A variant of him in his white outfit was later released.
• Sideshow Collectibles released a Magneto statue, as well as a maquette.
• Gentle Giant Studios released an X-Babies Magneto statue, based on the art of Skottie Young.
• Iron Studios released a diorama depicting a battle between Magneto and a Sentinel.
• One2One Collectibles produced a Magneto statue based on his appearance from the Wolverine and the X-Men animated series.
• Diamond Select released a Magneto statue as part of the Marvel Premier collection.