Why This X-men Character Is Better as a Villain

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The X-Men have some of Marvel’s very best villains across its entire roster. From the likes of Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, and Mojo, to the absolutely iconic Master of Magnetism himself, Magneto, the X-Men and their stories are jam-packed with outstanding villains. While many of the mutant corner of the Marvel Universe’s villains have at some point become heroes, or at least allies of the X-Men, none have been as successful with the transition to goodness as Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto.

In recent years, Magneto has been far more often seen as an ally to and member of the X-Men than as an enemy to the mutant heroes. The reasons for this change have been wonderfully subtle and meticulously developed over the past decade or so in the pages of the X-titles, but there are still fans that believe that the metal-manipulating mutant would serve the X-Men stories better as an antagonist to the iconic team.

Magneto Should Not Revert to a Simple, Two-Dimensional Foe

The Super-Powerful Mutant Should Retain His Complexity and Moral Compass

While the early days of the X-Men and their adventures were often centered around facing off against Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the years since have proven the Master of Magnetism to be far more complicated and complex than his earliest appearances implied. With one of Marvel’s most devastating backstories and a genuinely relatable and compelling character motivation, Magneto serves as the perfect complex villain for the X-Men. His multi-faceted approach to the future of mutantkind, as well as his methods for achieving what he believes is best for his kin, are incredibly compelling for readers, and they open the door to some exciting stories for the future of the character.

While Magneto’s time as an ally to the X-Men should absolutely not be reverted or retconned, it would be interesting to see the character return to a more villainous role in the mutant world. His time as an apprehensive hero is some of the strongest time in the character’s history, but pushing him in a new direction from what he’s recently been accustomed to could be the perfect way to reinvent the modern X-Men landscape. Returning Magneto to his villainous position wouldn’t have to be a means of destroying character development or reverting so much work done by previous artists and writers—it could instead be the catalyst for something bold and new.

The first season of the critically acclaimed X-Men: ’97 brought Magneto’s complex character to life in wonderfully compelling ways, and his swaying back and forth from hero to villain worked perfectly to convey his place in the world of mutantkind and the X-Men’s stories. The X-Men comics could easily take inspiration from the animated series.

Magneto is not a character that allows justification of atrocities. He is not a character that simply falls in line with what “should be done” by those who consider themselves heroes. Magneto actually goes out of his way to do what he believes is absolutely the right thing to do to ensure the future of those he holds dear and cares for most. That is not the motivation of a simple, mustache-twirling villain. It is a compelling, exciting direction for a character that should absolutely not be confined by the traditional structures of good and evil.

Magneto Is More Than a Hero or Villain, But He Can Still Be a Threat to the X-Men

Going Head-To-Head With The Master of Magnetism Is Terrifying Regardless of His Status as a Hero or Villain

With the Krakoa era over and done with, the X-Men and their stories are finding new footing and new directions to travel in the From The Ashes relaunch. Things are going somewhat back to basics with the X-Men and their stories, and Magneto’s role in the brand-new era could be revamped and re-established in new and exciting ways. Of course, he would absolutely not have to revert to being what he was in the 1960s, but he could so easily fit back into the role of an antagonistic force for the X-Men and their allies to face off against. Something as simple as a disagreement about how to handle the future of mutantkind could push Magneto back away from characters like Cyclops and Wolverine.

Modern X-Men stories could even handle the return to villainy from Magneto as a kind of second Schis —one of the X-Men’s most shocking events that ripped apart Wolverine and Cyclops. Magneto could go off on his own in a way that would not just be a return to his original evil ways. Instead, he could be seen as a more radical, more dangerous version of what the X-Men themselves are already potentially trying to achieve for mutantkind. Much like Scott Summers’ time as a rebellious outcast leader of a smaller group of X-Men, Magneto could take any characters with him who agreed with his point of view on all things mutant-related, and in doing so, establish new enemies for the X-Men to face off against.

Morality and ethical lines have always been something that X-Men stories have played with in the past. From the morally gray tactics and missions of Wolverine’s secret black ops team in the pages of Uncanny X-Force to the myriad of justifications that many of the team’s members have used for using lethal force over the years, the X-Men aren’t exactly the most upstanding team in the Marvel Universe. They represent an oppressed group that is constantly terrorized by the world around them, so the team doesn’t always have the luxury of altruism. They sometimes have to get their hands dirty, and a strong divide between X-Men characters would be the perfect way to bring Magneto back to the villainous side in future X-Men books.

No Other Villain Has Filled In the Vacuum Left By Magneto

While He’s Been a Hero, Magneto’s Role as the X-Men’s Premiere Foe Hasn’t Been Filled

Through no fault of his own, Magneto’s role as an ally to the X-Men has always felt somewhat disappointing, if only because his absence as the team’s main threat created an obvious vacuum. When a character like Magneto becomes so iconic and wonderfully compelling to fans and readers across the globe, the natural response from creatives is to give him more to do and to turn him into more of an anti-hero. The same thing happened with characters like Venom, Juggernaut, Loki, and more. Villains turning into heroes is a classic trope of comic book storytelling, and Magneto’s flip to goodness is one of the best examples of this concept. One of the only problems is the fact that his transition to the side of goodness was too effective, and therefore left an awkward empty space where the X-Men’s main villain should reside.

Characters like Mr. Sinister, Apocalypse, the Orchis organization, and more have tried to fill in the gap left by Magneto, but to no avail. No character can quite live up to what Magneto accomplished as the X-Men’s premiere foe, and to try to would be foolish. The best way to move forward is to return Magneto to his role as the X-Men’s archnemesis, if even for a temporary period of time. A major disagreement, misunderstanding, or conflict of interests would be the perfect catalyst for Magneto to turn against his mutant comrades, and a modern X-Men story where the team faces off against the villainous Master of Magnetism would delight die-hard fans and encourage new readers to engage even more. The X-Men have a villain problem, and this would be a very strong solution, even if it was temporary.

Magneto is one of the most iconic, compelling villains in all of Marvel Comics history, and his time as a hero should absolutely not be done away with or negated in any way. In fact, it should be utilized to make his return to radical thinking all the more tragic. If done properly, a storyline or era where Magneto is returned to his central role as villain of the mutant community would be absolutely incredible for the X-books, and it would open the door for all kinds of new storylines. Characters in the Marvel Universe already speak about how they believe “Magneto was right” and how his earlier, more radical ideas were better than where he is now, so allowing those characters to put their money where their mouths are would deeply benefit modern X-Men comics. Magneto is an incredible character in whatever form he’s put in, but perhaps his most important role is that of the villain.

“}]] Though Magneto has been on the side of good for many years now, many fans believe that the Master of Magnetism is better as an enemy of the X-Men.  Read More