This page covers the Marvel comicbook hero Magneto also known as Erik the Red , White King , Magnus , The Grand Inquisitor , Erik Magnus Lehnsherr , The Mighty Magneto , Michael Xavier , White Pilgrim , The Creator , Master of Magnetism . If this is not the page you were looking for check here.

Origin

Magneto's family was killed by Nazis because of his Jewish heritage during WWII. He was sent to a death camp in Auschwitz. He survived by becoming a sonderkommando, one of the Jews that helped the Nazi's herd the Jews into the gas chambers then move the bodies to the crematorium. It was here that he met and fell in love with a gypsy named Magda. As the Russian troops advanced, they managed to escape the camp and fled into Russia where they married and had a baby girl, Anya. When Anya was four or five, she was trapped in a fire. Magneto used his new found powers to save his wife, but was beset by a mob while Anya burned to death before him. He lashed out in his grief and rage, using his newly-appeared mutant powers to kill the mob.

Magda, terrified of what she witnessed, fled. It is unknown whether or not she knew she was pregnant with Magnus' children the time, but Magnus did not. Months later she gave birth to Wanda and Pietro (who would grow up to be the mutants Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch) on Wundergore Mountain and then immediately fled into a blizzard where it is assumed she perished.

While trying to find his wife and elude from those hunting him for the deaths of the mob in Russia, he paid a forger to create a new identity as Erik Lehnsherr, a Sinte Gypsy. Years later he abandoned his search and emigrated to Israel (probably under this identity), finding work as a volunteer orderly in a psychiatric hospital where he first met Charles Xavier (Professor X). While becoming friends, the two had many discussions about humans coexisting with superhumans. They soon realized that their opinions differed and each could not be persuaded to agree with the other. Given his experiences, Magnus felt that humans would never be able to accept that which was different from them and saw mutants as being superior to humans. An encounter with the Nazi splinter group Hydra cemented these beliefs and Magneto disappeared for many years.

It is known that during this time period, Magneto hunted Nazi's for an intelligence agency, most likely CIA. However, he violently ended his association with them when they attacked him, slaying a woman he was growing close to, for hunting down and arresting one of the Nazi's America was using in their fight against the U.S.S.R. during the Cold War.

War On Humanity

When he finally did reappear in the public eye, he had turned to terrorism with the goal of mutant supremacy.

He went by the name Magneto and formed the Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants. His twin children also were part of this group (though all three were unaware of their relationship at the time). Attacking humans, the Brotherhood soon found themselves fighting against Xavier and his team of mutants, the X-Men. With or without the Brotherhood, Magneto would often face off against them or other superheros such as the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four.

Genetically experimenting with alien technology he had found near the core of the Earth, Magneto created a being he called "Alpha the Ultimate Mutant", wanting to use him to attack humankind. But the mutant rebelled against his creator and reduced Magneto to infancy. Xavier remanded the infant Magnus to the care of Dr. Moira MacTaggert. While under her care, Dr. MacTaggart discovered certain instabilities in Magnus' nervous system and experimented on him in hopes a way of finding a cure for her son Proteus. However, her experiments were unsuccessful. Later the Shi'ar agent Erik The Red re-aged Magneto "to the prime of his life" (younger than he was before) in an attempt to form an alliance with him against the X-Men. Magneto refused and returned to his life of terrorism.

The Reformation Period

During a battle with the X-Men, Magneto almost killed Kitty Pryde, then only 14. Realizing he had become what he hated Magneto renounced his life of terrorism. He disappeared for a time. In the course of making one final attempt to find Magda, he discovered that Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were his children. He told them immediately of his discovery, but while they accepted the truth, both still harbored great resentment against him for his treatment while in the Brotherhood and rejected him. Over the following years, they would waver between warily accepting him and rejecting him outright, never forgiving him for his treatment of them and his criminal actions in the past.

Eventually being persuaded by his old friend Charles to give coexistence between humans and mutants a chance, Magneto joined with the X-Men. Shortly thereafter, he submitted himself to authorities and underwent a trial in front of the World Court. While that trial was interrupted by an attack from Fenris, eventually Magneto would be acquitted for his previous crimes based on the idea that he had acted as a international entity, much as a nation would have done, and his terrorist acts qualified as acts of war. During Fenris' attack, Charles was severely injured and had to be taken to space to be healed by Shi'ar technology. He made Magnus promise to continue the dream of a peaceful co-existence and asked him to teach the younger class of students, the New Mutants.

Magneto became the Headmaster of the Xavier's school and fought along side the X-Men on a few missions, but mostly stayed close to the New Mutants. However, when Mutant Massacre occurred in the Morlocks Tunnels and one of his students, Douglas Ramsey (Cypher) was killed by a human, Magnus began to turn back toward his old path, alienating his students. He wavered for a long time between peace and violence until, finally growing weary of the strife, her retired to Asteroid M to live in seclusion.

Mutant Separatism

It was then he was approached by a group calling themselves the Acolytes led by Fabian Cortez asking for his leadership. Magneto decided that his best course of action would be to create a nation for mutants unto themselves and declared Asteroid M such a nation. He was viscously attacked by the X-Men and betrayed by Cortez, but he survived and tried again with the captured space station Avalon. After he used a planet-wide EMP to disable the U.N. defense satellite system activated to prevent him from using his powers to bring any more mutants from Earth to Avalon, the X-Men attacked. Magneto ripped the adamantium from Wolverines skeleton and Xavier wiped his mind, leaving Magneto in a catatonic state.

During this period, Gabrielle Haller discovered the "Erik Lehnsherr, a Sinte Gypsy" identity and revealed it to the world. However, Sabra discovered the I.D. was a fake and tracked the it down to a known forger, Greg Odekirk. Magneto killed the Odekirk before Haller and Sabra could reach him. Magneto's real name remains unknown.

After the destruction of Avalon, Magneto recovered his memories through the work of Astra, who was creating an altered clone of Magneto to revenge herself on him. Magneto fought the clone successfully and escaped. He took control of the Acolytes once more and blackmailed the world one last time with a machine that could destroy the Earth's magnetosphere. The X-Men, including Magneto's clone, now called "Joseph", attempted to stop him. In the ensuing battle while trying to keep the EM field together, Joseph lost his life and Magneto over-extended his powers to the degree that he burned out his nervous system, leaving his powers very weak. In response the U.N. handed him to war torn island of Genosha, hoping that the civil war between mutants and humans there would keep him too busy to cause them trouble. They were wrong. Despite having to rely on Cortez and Polaris to manipulate EM forces, Magneto had defeated the Magistrate-led forces in six months. At the end of this war, Magneto found the equipment the Magistrate regime had used genetically modify mutants and used it on himself to repair the damage to his nervous system. He was completely repowered once again and rebuilt Genosha into a mutant paradise.

This unfortunately, was not enough. After declaring war against humans once again, the X-Men were forced to oppose him and Magneto's spine was severed by Wolverine, leaving him paralyzed. When Genosha was attacked by a Mega-Sentinel sent by Cassandra Nova, Magneto was too weak to stop it. The island population was almost obliterated and Magneto was believed to be dead, again.

It appeared that Magneto was still out for vengeance when the mutant Xorn, part of the staff at Xavier's, "revealed" himself Magneto in disguise. This Magneto along with some powerful mutants under his care attempted to attack and destroy Manhattan, including herding 5,000 human people into crematoriums. When the X-Men arrived to stop him, he killed Jean Grey by giving her the equivalent of hundreds of strokes at once with a lethal electromagnetic pulse at point blank range. Enraged, Wolverine attacked and beheaded Xorn.

New Excalibur

It turned out that the real Magneto was still recovering on Genosha. Charles traveled to Genosha with Xorn's body were he met up with Magnus who was horrified at what had been done in his name. They formed a new Excalibur with some other mutant survivors of Genosha. Things were once again looking positive as old friends were able to come together once again to do something good, but the blissful existence rebuilding Genosha was short lived. When Magneto heard word of his daughter Wanda's breakdown, he used his immense power to open up a wormhole to take him to her. Bringing her back to Genosha again, Magneto became reclusive, excluding anyone except himself and Xavier from his home while she recuperated.

House of M

While Magneto waited with his daughter, a group of the worlds most powerful heroes consisting of the X-Men and the Avengers gathered in New York to discuss Wanda's fate. Assuming that the group would soon decide to kill his sister rather than let an emotionally disturbed reality warping mutant run around, Pietro sought out Wanda first and coerced her into reforming reality. The world flashed bright white, and then the entire reality of Earth-616 was reborn into the House of M. This new earth was no longer a place where mutants were hated and feared, but instead had dominated and risen to power over the human population. Various continents were now ruled by superhumans, with Magneto and his family at the head in Genosha.

This world was short lived as a small group of the same heroes that sought to deal with Wanda prior to the House of M began to realize what had happened. Eventually gathering enough heroes together, they stormed Magneto's palace and battled with Magneto's family, guards and guests, assuming that Magneto had been responsible for convincing his daughter to make the transformation. Dr. Strange visited Wanda and discovered the truth. Brought to the realization of what had happened, Magneto was horrified with what his children had done in his name. He slew Pietro in a fit of rage. After Wanda brought her brother back to life, she exacted revenge on her father by uttering the words, "No more mutants". The world flashed white again and reality was restored almost to normal, save for the depowering 98% of the world's mutants' powers and the removal of the X-Factor gene from the general population. Magneto himself was among the mutants now forced to live as a human. Crushed, Magneto remained on Genosha a broken man.

After M-Day

Quicksilver arrived on Genosha with the Terrigen Mists which he had stolen from the Inhumans. He had taken the sacred relic with the plan to repower the mutant population. He enticed many of the former members of the Genoshan Excalibur team with the power of the mists. Magneto refused the mists, distrusting of his son's treachery and the two had a violent encounter stopped only by Magneto's granddaughter Luna. The mists had disastrous results on the depowered mutants increasing their powers until they were out of control, killing one of them. The last of the depowered mutants were removed to the mainland for medical treatment and Magneto was left on Genosha alone.

Shortly afterwards, The Collective, a being made up of all the energy of the depowered mutants came together and possessed random mailman Michael Pointer. It returned to Earth as an unstoppable force. The Canadian super team Alpha Flight were apparently killed and the New Avengers were unable to stop it. The Collective sought out Magneto on Genosha and repowered him, revealing it's dominant personality to be Xorn who wanted use Magneto because he knew other mutants would follow him. Not in control, Magneto was forced to fight the New Avengers and SHIELD. Not wanting to be used, Magneto begged the New Avengers to kill him as he fought them. He and Xorn were defeated by a direct tremor sent by SHIELD agent Daisy Johnson into his brainstem, separating Magneto from the Collective. Xorn, with the rest of the Collective, was forced into the sun and the unconscious Magneto was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. However, the helicopter carrying Magneto exploded and his body was not found among the wreckage.

Soon Magneto reappeared behind the scenes. He was seen visiting graves of his former followers and attempting to contact Masque, a Morlock who had gathered a cult of followers and was committing terrorist acts in Magento's name according to a book of prophecy left behind by a precognitive Morlock named Qwerty. Magneto has not displayed any powers and even referred to himself as "a cripple". This would seem to indicate that Magneto is depowered once again. However, when Skids, a former Acolyte and now S.H.I.E.L.D. agent sent to investigate Masque's terrorist cell, brought the book of prophecy to Magneto she said, "I don't understand the book. It doesn't make sense. But yesterday, just for a minute, it did and it wanted to be brought to you...Something else too, it said you're still a mutant."

Recently, his former follower Exodus enlisted Magneto's help to restore the shattered mind of Charles Xavier.

Powers and Abilities

Magneto's mutant powers give him mastery over all magnetic forces. He can perceive the magnetic forces of the earth and bioelectrical patterns of all living beings. He can draw on and use the magnetosphere of the planet, which extends far into space. He can use his power to reshape even the most indestructible metals in existence, including Adamantium. He can control even the most insignificant magnetic particles in the atmosphere and living beings, reversing their blood flow or ripping out any ferrous elements through their tissues. (He can create fields of magnetism strong enough to manipulate non-ferrous items as well, though he may be using anti-gravity fields to do this.) He has demonstrated the ability to lift tens of thousands of tons with his magnetic powers, although the greater he exerts himself the greater the physical and mental stress. He can erect magnetic force fields with a high degree of impenetrability around himself or others for protection and can fire bursts of magnetic (including EMPs) or electrical energy.

Because of it’s nature, electromagnetism being one of the four Foundation Forces of the Universe (along with gravitation and strong and weak nuclear bonds), Magneto's power is "for all practical purposes limitless". Although Magneto’s primary power is control over magnetism, he can also project or manipulate any form of energy that is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light, heat, radio waves, ultraviolet light, gamma rays, and x-rays. He can also manipulate gravitons to create an anti-gravity fields and has created traversable wormholes between two points on this planet. It has been theorized that perhaps Magneto may be living proof of Einstein's "Theory of Everything", otherwise known Unified Field Theory, that all forms of energy are inter-related. However, Magneto almost always uses only magnetism since it’s more difficult for him to manipulate other forms of energy.

However, Magneto must channel these fields through his nervous system and if he is injured his ability to channel large amounts of force and wield forces beyond magnetism is greatly hampered. His parallelization following the events of Eve of Destruction, for instance, left him almost completely powerless. By using his power on vast scales, such as lifting and building Asteroid M, he has frequently overloaded his nervous system, creating a chemical imbalance which some have theorized leads to his megalomaniacial episodes. On a couple occasions he has burned his abilities out completely through overuse, falling back on machines or other mutants to boost his powers until he can find a way to regenerate them.

Magneto also seems to possess some telepathic abilities, though the source of them has been much debated. Magneto has demonstrated the ability to ward off telepathic attacks from some of the worlds most powerful telepaths by force of will alone, it took Professor Xavier and Jean Grey together to wipe Magneto’s mind. Magneto has also exhibited powers of astral projection and has shown himself sensitive enough to pick up on the feelings of others, such as the New Mutants, passively. It is unclear whether this is from a latent telepathic ability or training (such as Dr. Strange has). In the past he has claimed to be able to control the minds of others, though it has been a long time since he has claimed this and he cannot seem to do so without technological aid.

Magneto is genius as well as a skilled tactician. Moreover, he can use his magnetic powers in more than one way simultaneously. He can completely assemble a complicated machine within seconds through his powers or fight off multiple opponents successfully. He is highly skilled and imaginative in the areas of engineering, genetics, and computer science and posses technology it has been said, “that Reed Richards would envy” from a combination of his own work and that of alien technology he has encountered (the Stranger, Shi'ar, etc.) and assimilated into his own.

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Alternate Universes

Ultimate Magneto

In Earth-1610 Ultimate Magneto's background differs greatly from his mainstream (616) counterpart. Here he was born Erik Lehnsherr. He has alluded to members of his family dying in some sort of genocide, but it is unclear when or where. (It cannot be the Holocaust of WWII as he is too young.) 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 he has attempted to implement unflinchingly genocidal plans for 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.

However, 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.

Magneto was imprisoned following the events of "Return of the King". Aside from a brief mention in the Ultimate Six arc of Ultimate Spider-Man, he was then unseen until "Magnetic North". Magneto was found to have hatched a scheme to escape, utilizing the willing cooperation of Forge and Mystique as well as the unknowing but amicable aid of Longshot's mutation for luck.

Magneto escaped by the end of the arc, leaving Mystique in his cell to impersonate him. He and Longshot exited the Triskelion unharassed and Magneto made it clear to Longshot that he has something different planned than any of his more typical world-domination schemes.

Magneto appeared in the "Aftermath", following the death of Charles Xavier. Magneto had apparently freed Forge from prison, and there are signs that he is building something. Exactly where he is hiding is still unknown, but with Charles Xavier's death he now believes it's time to speed up his plan. He took pleasure knowing his former friend is dead.

Most recently, he has appeared to join forces with his son in the wake of the murder of the Scarlet Witch in The Ultimates 3.

Age of Apocalypse
Earth-295: In a world where Charles Xavier died before ever forming the X-Men, it is up to Magneto to create and lead the team against the ruler of this desolate future, Apocalypse and his four Horsemen.

In the Age of Apocalypse Magneto finds 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".

Magneto and the X-Men fight against the forces of Apocalypse who, without the interference of Xavier was able to take over North America. Holocaust, Mr. Sinister, Mikhail Rasputin and Abyss are Apocalypse's horsemen, and while Magneto's team is composed not only of X-Men but also of standard "evil" mutants from traditional timelines, including mutants such as Sabretooth, other individuals who are "heroes" in Earth 616 serve Apocalypse in this timeline.

In this timeline, Magneto is married to his former protege Rogue, and being able to touch due to his magnetic mastery over his own bio-aura, are able to have a son together who they name 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.

As the X-Men use the M'Kraan Crystal to send Bishop back in time to return the timeline to its proper course, Magneto and Nate Grey square off in one last fight against Apocalypse and Holocaust. Nate Grey jams the original fragment of the M'Kraan Crystal into Holocaust, crystallizing them both, while the battle between Magneto and Apocalypse ends with Magneto using his control of magnetism to rip the techno-organic Apocalypse in half. Following this, Manhattan Island and most of North America are enveloped in nuclear bombs.

It is later revealed that the day was saved by Jean Grey, who manifested the Phoenix Force at the point of near-death.

However, nobody realizes this, and everyone assumes it is Magneto, who immediately becomes a reluctant hero to a grateful humanity. The X-Men then help rebuild America in record time, and Magneto is made Federal Director of Mutant Affairs of the government of the newly-restored United States of America, with the X-Men deputized as a mutant police force sanctioned to bring to justice the remaining survivors of Apocalypse's regime. Just as the burden of maintaining the deception eventually begins to take its toll on an extremely-stressed Magneto, he is secretly visited by Mister Sinister who reveals to him just what really happened when the bombs fell. Sinister offers his silence in exchange for Magneto's promises not to go looking for him and to let him have the body of Jean Grey, who is actually still alive. Magneto is forced to accept for the sake of preserving the current fragile peace of global mutant-human relations, which had improved primarily due to the general public's mistaken assumption that he had personally saved the world by single-handedly stopping nuclear armaggeddon. A subsequent scheme of revenge orchestrated by an embittered former x-man later forces Magneto to confess the truth to the rest of the shocked team of X-men. He is nearly killed by an enraged Weapon X, but is saved by the intervention of his wife. The X-men then proceed to stop Sinister from conquering the world using his own version of the Sinister Six in a violent confrontation filled with many deaths, including those of both Gambit and Quicksilver. Grief-stricken and guilt-ridden, Magneto then voluntarily goes into US government custody as penance for his deception. While in jail awaiting trial, Magneto appoints a restored Jean Grey as the new leader of the X-Men in his absence.

For more information see: Age of Apocalypse.

Marvel Zombies
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. Magneto escapes from the zombies for a while trying to reach safety, but encounters them wherever he goes. He encounters Hawkeye and cuts Hawkeye's head off. He later kills Doctor Strange by using cars and smashing him. He meets Nova and throws metal shards at Nova, slicing him up, but Nova survives from this. He later hears the zombies say that he cannot escape the inevitable and Magento is then bit Wasp and seized by Hulk, where Magneto is then jumped on by all the zombies. After destroying the dimensional gate Magneto is eaten by a group of the zombie superheroes. In this universe Magneto's Acolytes survived on Asteroid M and came back to Earth after the zombies left. For more information see Marvel Zombies.

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.

Marvel 1602

In Earth-311, Magneto was Enrique, Grand Inquisitor of the Catholic Church, 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 the 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 Rodgers to the proper time stream, he left Wanda and Petros in Carlos care with the instruction that Carlos was not to tell them who their father was. He then left, sailing north for the colony of his “Brotherhood”. See 1602.

Mutant X
On Earth-1298 Magneto is the leader of the X-Men which consists of: Himself, Polaris, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, Rogue and Mystique.

Earth X
On Earth-9997 Magneto is the ruler of Sentinel City, a city made out of mutant-hunting robot Sentinel in the Savage Land.

Earth-27
In this reality Magneto and Rogue had a son - Magnus who ended up joining the dimension-hopping group Exiles.

Earth-127
In this reality Magneto was a female. She was fused together with Quicksilver, Scarlet Warlock, Mesmero and Wolverine. The new entity called itself Brother Mutant and had their combined powers.

Days of Future Past
On 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.

Other Media

X-Men Animated Series Magneto made occasional aapearances here, nearly identical to his mainstream characterization. By the end of the series, he becomes a reluctant ally of the X-Men.

X-Men: Evolution Menacingly voiced by Christopher Judge (Teal'c of Stargate SG-1 fame), Magneto is first shown as a shadowy figure of mystery pulling the strings behind Mystique and her Brotherhood of young mutants, and has a troubled relationship with Quicksilver. By the second season, he has been revealed, and begins testing mutants to see who is worthy of joining his Asteroid M haven. Later develops a means of enhancing and controlling mutant powers (it is implied he had fisrt used it on himself, as one side effect is white hair) and uses this to recruit Cyclops, who longs to live without his hated visor. In the end, of course, Cyplops retruns to the X-Men and destroys Magneto's device.

Another arc deals with his half-mad daughter, the Scarlet Witch, who he brainwashes using Mastermind into believeing she actually had a pleasant childhood by his side, instead of growing up in a mental ward. In the final seasons, he dedicates himself to preventing Apocalypse from returning, but ultimately fails to do so and is enslaved. Still, the X-Men free him and he reconciles somewhat with his children.

Magneto Appears in These Volumes

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