The scarlet-caped metal manipulator debuted in 1963 in X-Men #1. Magneto gave the brand new X-Men team their very first battle as he attempted to take over a military base and thusly solidifying his presence as the X-Men’s arch nemesis.
Magneto Origin
Magneto, like the X-Men team members such as Wolverine, Beast and Cyclops, is a “mutant.” However Magneto’s tormented past led him on an alternate path than the X-Men’s noble leader Professor X.
Comparable in age and power, Magneto and Professor X differ vastly in their philosophy of integrating mutants with mankind. Professor X believes mutants can co-exist harmoniously with the rest of humanity, while Magneto takes on the pessimistic view that man will never accept mutants. Magneto wants to beat humans to the punch by securing a position of power over them, before the general population either banishes mutants or exterminates them all together.
Master of Magnetism: Magneto and the X-Men
Magneto’s fear and mistrust of humans is explained in his origin stories. Before he was dubbed the Master of Magnetism, Erik Lehnsherr spent his childhood in Poland where he and his family were victims of the Nazi Holocaust. Because they were Jewish, Magneto’s family was killed and he was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp, as shown in Uncanny X-Men #274.
There young Magneto saw the worst of humanity, and it largely jaded his view of the world. Magneto’s story is one of many thinly-veiled social criticisms that the X-Men stories portray about the damage that prejudice and ignorance cause.
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
After escaping Auschwitz and developing his magnetic manipulation powers, Magneto set his sights on world domination. Magneto formed the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, a team of fellow mutants determined to take over mankind. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants clashes often with Professor X’s X-Men, whose philosophical mission directly opposes that of Magneto’s villain team. Members of the team include Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, who are his daughter and son.
Asteroid M and Genosha
Magneto’s cunning skill and determination aren’t all that make him a formidable opponent. Magneto’s base of operation is Asteroid M, an orbiting space station. Magneto also controls the island of Genosha which he has dubbed a mutant save haven. At one point, the island held 16 million mutants.
Magneto is a complex X-Men villain. He is capable of extremely malicious acts, such as the time when Magneto used his metal manipulation powers to extract Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton by drawing it through his pores in X-Men #25.
At the same time, Magneto is capable of compassion and mercy, such as when he re-evaulates his morals after nearing killing X-Men Kitty Pryde in Uncanny X-Men #150. Despite being occasionally introspective and remorseful, Magneto never ceases from his quest to secure domination over homo sapiens by what he dubs homo sapiens superior.
Magneto is not afraid to team up with other Marvel/X-Men universe groups to accomplish his mission. He’s worked with the Hellfire Club, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the acolytes, among other notable teams.
Magneto Fun Facts
- He is capable of manipulating not only metal but any kind of magnetic radiation including the electromagnetic spectrum
- He once had a younger, long-haired clone named Joseph
- Magneto recently lost his powers following the events of Marvel story arch House of M
- A feature-lenth film called X-Men Origins: Magneto is slated for 2009 release and is a prequel to the X-Men series of films.
Sources
Uncanny X-Men #1-470, X-Men series, X-factor, Giant Sized X-men by Various Artists, Marvel Comics
Unauthorized X-Men Biography by Various Artists, Benbella Books Inc
Read about DC comics most notable villain, the Joker.
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