Supervillain Origins: Magneto (Redux)
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VOICE OVER: Dan Paradis
Script written by Clayton Martino.
Magneto is the anthesis to racial harmony between humans and mutants. The original X-Men villain and Founder of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Magneto's troubled past has made him one of the most dangerous mutant terrorists in the Marvel Universe. Tangling with not only the X-Men but the Avengers and Fantastic Four, Magneto will stop at nothing to achieve his ultimate goal, mutant superiority over homo-sapiens. His conviction has lead him to fighting with the good guys from time to time, but is violent and bloody past cannot be forgotten. Join http://www.watchmojo.com as we explore the comic book past of Marvel's Magneto!
Magneto is the anthesis to racial harmony between humans and mutants. The original X-Men villain and Founder of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Magneto's troubled past has made him one of the most dangerous mutant terrorists in the Marvel Universe. Tangling with not only the X-Men but the Avengers and Fantastic Four, Magneto will stop at nothing to achieve his ultimate goal, mutant superiority over homo-sapiens. His conviction has lead him to fighting with the good guys from time to time, but is violent and bloody past cannot be forgotten. Join http://www.watchmojo.com as we explore the comic book past of Marvel's Magneto!
Script written by Clayton Martino.
He is the X-Men’s greatest enemy! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Magneto.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginations and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen primarily to follow the original storyline which unfolded in 1982’s “Uncanny X-Men” #161 which was expanded upon in 2008’s “X-Men: Magneto Testament”.
Charles Xavier first met Magnus aka Magneto in Israel working as a volunteer at a hospital for Holocaust survivors. Charles soon discovered that Magnus grew up in a concentration camp in Auschwitz, and suspected that he may be a mutant because he was unable to read his mind.
Together, Charles and Magnus were able to help another Holocaust survivor, Gabrielle Haller, recover from a catatonic state. Charles and Magnus grew closer, but Magnus disagreed with Charles’ opinions about mutants co-existing with humans, believing that humanity would fear mutants and seek to destroy them.
Charles witnessed the true extent of Magnus’ abilities when Hydra soldiers attacked their hospital and kidnapped Gabby. In the ensuing chaos, transport ship full of Hydra soldiers came apart in a dramatic explosion, killing all the soldiers onboard but somehow not damaging any of the surrounding building or innocent bystanders. Charles immediately suspected this to be Magnus’ intervention, an accusation that Magnus did not deny. Charles disagreed adamantly with Magnus’ decision to use violence, but the pair was forced to stop their argument when they discovered that a Hydra soldier had been left behind and taken prisoner – and that he could help lead them to Gabby’s location.
Together, Charles and Magnus were able to infiltrate Hydra and find Gabby. During the struggle to escape, Magnus demonstrated his powers once again in order to stop a hail of bullets. This convinced Charles once and for all: Magnus was a mutant who could control metal objects.
While they were able to rescue Gabby, Charles and Magnus again disagreed on the role of mutants in society. Magnus left Charles and Gabby, claiming that mutants would not only fight for their place in the world, but that they would win.
Magneto’s origin story was expanded significantly in 2008’s “Magneto Testament”, a 5-issue miniseries that focused on Magneto’s childhood during World War II. In this version, Magneto was originally named Max Eisenhardt.
Max, a young Jewish boy living in Nazi Germany, witnessed the executions his mother, father, and sister. Max was sent to Auschwitz, where he survived by bribing guards.
Max became emotionally distraught when he discovered that Magda, a Romani girl he had fallen in love with when he was younger, was nearly killed during a mass Gypsy execution. Max planned on breaking out of the concentration camp, much to the chagrin of the other prisoners. Eventually, however, he was able to persuade them, and they were able to successfully break out of Auschwitz.
Following the war, Max changed his name to Magnus and had a daughter with Magda. An angry mob, however, discovered Magnus’ powers, burned down their home, killing their daughter in the process. Magnus would change his name to Erik Lehnsherr and relocate to Israel, where he would eventually befriend Charles Xavier. His past experiences would shape his outlook on life, however, and help to create his alter ego, Magneto, a mutant who would do anything to protect mutants from humans, even if it meant destroying humans in the process.
Magneto frequently came into conflict with the X-Men over the years, starting from the very first issue where he introduced as the “Earth’s Most Powerful Super Villain” and the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Right from the beginning, Magneto was focused on demonstrating how inferior humans were to mutants – even if the X-men foiled his plans at every turn.
Like all comic book characters, Magneto has gone through numerous re-imaginings, perhaps none more prominent than in the Ultimate X-Men storyline. In this series, Magneto’s background is much more unclear. He is also much darker and more ruthless, considering humans to be parasites that don’t belong on the same planet as mutants.
In this alternate storyline, Magneto is still the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, This time around, he was the one responsible for crippling Charles Xavier, and their relationship was nowhere near as complex as it is in the mainstream comics. In fact, at the end of the first issue, Magneto actually hired Wolverine to assassinate Charles.
Magneto has the ability to influence electromagnetic fields, and he uses this ability for a wide range of effects. Essentially, he has the ability to move and manipulate metal. This allows him to control almost anything, including a soldier’s gun.
Magneto is also able to resist almost all telepathic attacks, including those from his friend/enemy Charles Xavier. While a number of explanations have been given to explain this power, one of the more popular theories claims that it is because he has special technology wired into his helmet – an explanation that carried over into the film franchise.
Aside from comics, Magneto has appeared in various media. He was voiced by David Hemblen in the popular 1990’s animated series “X-Men”. He is perhaps best known, however, for playing a major role in the X-Men film franchise, where he is played by Sir Ian McKellen in the “present” and Michael Fassbender in the “past”.
Are you a fan of Magneto? For more comic book origins, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
Supervillain Origins: Magneto - Redux
He is the X-Men’s greatest enemy! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Magneto.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginations and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen primarily to follow the original storyline which unfolded in 1982’s “Uncanny X-Men” #161 which was expanded upon in 2008’s “X-Men: Magneto Testament”.
Charles Xavier first met Magnus aka Magneto in Israel working as a volunteer at a hospital for Holocaust survivors. Charles soon discovered that Magnus grew up in a concentration camp in Auschwitz, and suspected that he may be a mutant because he was unable to read his mind.
Together, Charles and Magnus were able to help another Holocaust survivor, Gabrielle Haller, recover from a catatonic state. Charles and Magnus grew closer, but Magnus disagreed with Charles’ opinions about mutants co-existing with humans, believing that humanity would fear mutants and seek to destroy them.
Charles witnessed the true extent of Magnus’ abilities when Hydra soldiers attacked their hospital and kidnapped Gabby. In the ensuing chaos, transport ship full of Hydra soldiers came apart in a dramatic explosion, killing all the soldiers onboard but somehow not damaging any of the surrounding building or innocent bystanders. Charles immediately suspected this to be Magnus’ intervention, an accusation that Magnus did not deny. Charles disagreed adamantly with Magnus’ decision to use violence, but the pair was forced to stop their argument when they discovered that a Hydra soldier had been left behind and taken prisoner – and that he could help lead them to Gabby’s location.
Together, Charles and Magnus were able to infiltrate Hydra and find Gabby. During the struggle to escape, Magnus demonstrated his powers once again in order to stop a hail of bullets. This convinced Charles once and for all: Magnus was a mutant who could control metal objects.
While they were able to rescue Gabby, Charles and Magnus again disagreed on the role of mutants in society. Magnus left Charles and Gabby, claiming that mutants would not only fight for their place in the world, but that they would win.
Magneto’s origin story was expanded significantly in 2008’s “Magneto Testament”, a 5-issue miniseries that focused on Magneto’s childhood during World War II. In this version, Magneto was originally named Max Eisenhardt.
Max, a young Jewish boy living in Nazi Germany, witnessed the executions his mother, father, and sister. Max was sent to Auschwitz, where he survived by bribing guards.
Max became emotionally distraught when he discovered that Magda, a Romani girl he had fallen in love with when he was younger, was nearly killed during a mass Gypsy execution. Max planned on breaking out of the concentration camp, much to the chagrin of the other prisoners. Eventually, however, he was able to persuade them, and they were able to successfully break out of Auschwitz.
Following the war, Max changed his name to Magnus and had a daughter with Magda. An angry mob, however, discovered Magnus’ powers, burned down their home, killing their daughter in the process. Magnus would change his name to Erik Lehnsherr and relocate to Israel, where he would eventually befriend Charles Xavier. His past experiences would shape his outlook on life, however, and help to create his alter ego, Magneto, a mutant who would do anything to protect mutants from humans, even if it meant destroying humans in the process.
Magneto frequently came into conflict with the X-Men over the years, starting from the very first issue where he introduced as the “Earth’s Most Powerful Super Villain” and the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Right from the beginning, Magneto was focused on demonstrating how inferior humans were to mutants – even if the X-men foiled his plans at every turn.
Like all comic book characters, Magneto has gone through numerous re-imaginings, perhaps none more prominent than in the Ultimate X-Men storyline. In this series, Magneto’s background is much more unclear. He is also much darker and more ruthless, considering humans to be parasites that don’t belong on the same planet as mutants.
In this alternate storyline, Magneto is still the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, This time around, he was the one responsible for crippling Charles Xavier, and their relationship was nowhere near as complex as it is in the mainstream comics. In fact, at the end of the first issue, Magneto actually hired Wolverine to assassinate Charles.
Magneto has the ability to influence electromagnetic fields, and he uses this ability for a wide range of effects. Essentially, he has the ability to move and manipulate metal. This allows him to control almost anything, including a soldier’s gun.
Magneto is also able to resist almost all telepathic attacks, including those from his friend/enemy Charles Xavier. While a number of explanations have been given to explain this power, one of the more popular theories claims that it is because he has special technology wired into his helmet – an explanation that carried over into the film franchise.
Aside from comics, Magneto has appeared in various media. He was voiced by David Hemblen in the popular 1990’s animated series “X-Men”. He is perhaps best known, however, for playing a major role in the X-Men film franchise, where he is played by Sir Ian McKellen in the “present” and Michael Fassbender in the “past”.
Are you a fan of Magneto? For more comic book origins, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
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