What's the story behind the Marvel character Magneto?

[DodgerGirl]

Now that I got my Magneto plushie yesterday I decided to learn more about him and discovered he was a villain in the X-Men comics and movies and I want to know how Magneto got his start as a popular Marvel character? I found out that Ian McKellen played him in the X-Men movies and that Magneto can lift heavy objects with his hands like Yoda does. Was Magneto a popular villain who also made appearences in other Marvel heroes comics. And is Vision Magneto's former son-in-law because I do know that Scarlet Witch "Wanda" is his daughter?

 

[BrianL]

Magneto is the original X-Men villain and has the powers to control magnetism (so he can only lift magnetic items). He is a mutant supremacist and terrorist whose extremist views led him into conflict with the X-Men and other heroes. He led The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and other groups. He was a survivor of the holocaust (when he was first created in the 1960's) and felt justified in his hatred of humans. Sometimes he has been played as "sympathetic" in his motivations, though I firmly believe that he is evil and that the idea that "Magneto was right" forever ruined the X-men - he has at times been part of the team, though I might argue that the X-Men betrayed everything they ever beleived in to join him. When he is played is purely evil, he is a great villain and should always be kept that way.

His relationship with Wanda and Quicksilver is complicated. Originally they were his estranged children. They were used in his original Brotherhood, though they quickly turned on him to join the Avengers. In the movies, since there is no relation, it was revealed that he had lied about being their biological father. Basically, all of that is a mess.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Magneto is one of the best Villains ever written imho. Darth Vader will always be #1 in my eyes though.

I love the conflicted and troubled backstory as to why he hates humans so much.

 

[DodgerGirl]

I was surprised at Magneto's backstory when I found it on Youtube and it was an interesting story to learn about. I also saw clips of Ian McKellen playing Magneto in the X-Men movies and he played Magneto perfectly and I can see why they cast Ian for the role of Magneto because Ian McKellen knew how to make him look real and tough

 

[BrianL]

Magneto is one of the best Villains ever written imho. Darth Vader will always be #1 in my eyes though.

I love the conflicted and troubled backstory as to why he hates humans so much.

I agree that he's great when he is written as a villain! I absolutely hate him as a "hero" - the man's a monster who has murdered thousands. He should not just be accepted as if he did nothing wrong.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

100% agree. I feel like Hollywood today feels like all villains must be redeemable and have good inside them, but I don't think that is true at all. I think some people want to set fires, just to watch the world burn. Magneto is one of those type of characters to me.

I am growing tired of the everyone gets redeemed troupe.

With Magneto's backstory, I think it is perfectly acceptable that he would hate all humans and want to exterminate them, just like they exterminated those who he loved.

 

[BrianL]

100% agree. I feel like Hollywood today feels like all villains must be redeemable and have good inside them, but I don't think that is true at all. I think some people want to set fires, just to watch the world burn. Magneto is one of those type of characters to me.

I am growing tired of the everyone gets redeemed troupe.

With Magneto's backstory, I think it is perfectly acceptable that he would hate all humans and want to exterminate them, just like they exterminated those who he loved.

Absolutely. And that's not to say that a villain can't ever be redeemed or become heroic, but they'd have to show remorse, repudiate their past actions, and strive to do better. Magneto has never done that, and yet there is a contingent of writers and fans who really do believe that "Magneto was right" and justified in his actions. As faar as I'm concerned, those people are just as bad.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Absolutely. And that's not to say that a villain can't ever be redeemed or become heroic, but they'd have to show remorse, repudiate their past actions, and strive to do better. Magneto has never done that, and yet there is a contingent of writers and fans who really do believe that "Magneto was right" and justified in his actions. As faar as I'm concerned, those people are just as bad.

Exactly!

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

So, when is Disney going to get their act together and give us some good X-men stuff in the MCU?

Seems like there are way more popular characters than say a Ms Marvel or Ant Man, why not cash in on the popularity of Rogue, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto, Professor X and others?

 

[BrianL]

So, when is Disney going to get their act together and give us some good X-men stuff in the MCU?

Seems like there are way more popular characters than say a Ms Marvel or Ant Man, why not cash in on the popularity of Rogue, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto, Professor X and others?

Honestly, I am not sure there is sucha thing as "good X-Men stuff" anymore. I used to be a big fan, but at this point far more of their history has been awful rather than good. I simply don't believe in what they stand for now. I'd rather they just not have them. The entire concept can go away as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Brocktoon]

Absolutely. And that's not to say that a villain can't ever be redeemed or become heroic, but they'd have to show remorse, repudiate their past actions, and strive to do better. Magneto has never done that, and yet there is a contingent of writers and fans who really do believe that "Magneto was right" and justified in his actions. As faar as I'm concerned, those people are just as bad.

I believe Grant Morrison originated the 'Magneto was Right' on his 'New X-Men' run. Morrison has said in interviews that Magneto was basically an irredeemable hypocrite, who as a holocaust survivor acted just as bad as a modern day fascist dictator brainwashing young mutants into supporting genocide.

I've seen people at my local comic shop wearing 'Magneto was Right' t-shirts and think ... they really don't get it do they?

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Honestly, I am not sure there is sucha thing as "good X-Men stuff" anymore. I used to be a big fan, but at this point far more of their history has been awful rather than good. I simply don't believe in what they stand for now. I'd rather they just not have them. The entire concept can go away as far as I'm concerned.

Really? The X-men Comics of the 80s were incredible!

 

[BrianL]

Really? The X-men Comics of the 80s were incredible!

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That was the 90's - but, yes, that was the era. But, when you compile their entire publishing run, you basically have a couple years of the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby stuff, the insurmountable Claremont/Byrne/Cockrum stuff in the early 80's, the Jim Lee era in the early 90's for a few years, and that's it. The later 80's weren't that special, and basically it's been nothing but junk since about 1995. They have lost the heart of what they were.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I just find the whole mutation of the species angle to be much more believable than a character like Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel seems like Marvel's politically correct answer for an overpowered Superman like character in the MCU. With a stupid backstory to boot.

 

[BrianL]

I believe Grant Morrison originated the 'Magneto was Right' on his 'New X-Men' run. Morrison has said in interviews that Magneto was basically an irredeemable hypocrite, who as a holocaust survivor acted just as bad as a modern day fascist dictator brainwashing young mutants into supporting genocide.

I've seen people at my local comic shop wearing 'Magneto was Right' t-shirts and think ... they really don't get it do they?

Yes, it's Grant's stupid fault, and while I have issues with his X-Men run, I do understand that he didn't mean that slogan to be literal, but rather misguided. But so many people don't understnad subtext, and embraced that. Look at the X-Men now - they are basically racial supremacists, just like Magneto was, letting the villains lead their country and finding no fault with them simply becaus ethey are mutants. It's a sick concept.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Have you seen the image from the set of Deadpool 3 with a 80-90s looking Wolverine Costume on Hugh Jackman. Looks freaking incredible!

Bottom like is that character will sell, and sell big. If the MCU is smart that is the direction they will run to after all these recent MCU flops. Maybe when the Marvels crashes and burns they will finally course correct.

 

[Brocktoon]

That ws the 90's - but, yes, that was the era. But, when you compile their entire publishing run, you basically have a couple years of the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby stuff, the insurmountable Claremont/Byrne/Cockrum stuff in the early 80's, the Jim Lee era in the early 90's for a few years, and that's it. The later 80's weren't that special, and basically it's been nothing but junk since about 1995. They have lost the heart of what they were.

Marvel has been struggling with the X-men since Lee's 90s stuff (and I wasn't much of a fan other than Lee's art). I liked a lot of Morrison's New X-Men, some of Whedon's run, and some of the ideas from Hickman's recent era ... but nothing has really stuck.

Marvel currently has Hickman rebooting a new Ultimate universe, supposedly for a 'new era'. The Ultimate line started out great, but devolved into a mess (much like could be happening with the MCU). I'm curious as a lot of the Ultimate and Hickman stuff ended up influencing the MCU. A possible relaunched 'Ultimate' X-Men or F4 may give some hints at to what they may do in the MCU.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I hear that Deadpool 3 is going to throw some serious shade at the multiverse and the fact that the fans don't much care for it. That could be pretty funny in a way that only Deadpool could pull off effectively.

 

[Kennywood]

"Magneto was right" reminds me of the "Thanos was right" mantra. Thanos destroyed 1/2 of all life throughout the universe because of limited planetary resources. People will point to the scene in "Avengers: Endgame" where Captain America tells Black Widow that he saw a pod of whales in the Hudson River. It's said that this shows that Thanos was right. By reducing the human population, Earth is beginning to heal.

With very few exceptions (Catwoman, for one), I do dislike the redeemable villain. Like the parable of the scorpion, evil is in their nature (at least in comics).

 

[BrianL]

Marvel has been struggling with the X-men since Lee's 90s stuff (and I wasn't much of a fan other than Lee's art). I liked a lot of Morrison's New X-Men, some of Whedon's run, and some of the ideas from Hickman's recent era ... but nothing has really stuck.

Marvel currently has Hickman rebooting a new Ultimate universe, supposedly for a 'new era'. The Ultimate line started out great, but devolved into a mess (much like could be happening with the MCU). I'm curious as a lot of the Ultimate and Hickman stuff ended up influencing the MCU. A possible relaunched 'Ultimate' X-Men or F4 may give some hints at to what they may do in the MCU.

Lord, I hope not! Let's keep Hickman far, far away from anything - everything. To me, his current X-Men run isn't jsut bad, it's actually offensive. I simply will not support him. That said, much of the MCU was based on the early Ultimate stuff (which I did not like) with a lot of the Bendis era 616 stuff (which I didn't love), but somehow the MCU has done it better.