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Magneto (/mæɡˈniːtoʊ/) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #1 (cover-dated September 1963) as an adversary of the X-Men. Magneto is a powerful mutant, one of a fictional subspecies of humanity born with superhuman abilities, who has the ability to generate and control magnetic fields. Writers have since fleshed out his origins and motivations, revealing him to be a Holocaust survivor (birth name: Max Eisenhardt; alias: Erik Lehnsherr German pronunciation: [ˈeːʁɪk ˈleːnshɛʁ] and Magnus). His extreme methods and cynical philosophy derive from his "never again" determination to protect mutants from suffering the same fate as the Jews at the hands of a world that fears and persecutes them. He was once a friend of Professor X, the leader of the X-Men, but their differing philosophies caused a rift in their friendship. Magneto's role in comics has progressed from supervillain to antihero to superhero, having served as an occasional ally of the X-Men, even leading the New Mutants for a time as headmaster of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, and eventually a fully fledged member of the X-Men. Writer Chris Claremont, who created Magneto's backstory, compared the character to then-Israeli opposition leader Menachem Begin,[12] with later commentators comparing the character with the American civil rights leader Malcolm X[13][14] and Jewish Defense League founder Meir Kahane.[15][16] Magneto appears in X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997), voiced by David Hemblen, and its revival X-Men '97 (2024–present), voiced by Matthew Waterson. Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender have portrayed Magneto in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series (2000–2019), with McKellen set to reprise the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Avengers: Doomsday (2026). In 2014, IGN ranked Magneto 1st in their "Top 100 Comic Book Villains" list.
Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr meet as young men, united by their desire to protect mutants and offer them a better future. Together, they found a school to shelter and train mutants while humanity is not yet ready to accept them. However, after the death of a mutant and marked by past traumas, Erik loses faith in peaceful coexistence. Convinced that mutants are the next stage of evolution, he assumes the name Magneto and begins to advocate domination as the only way to survive, breaking with Xavier. Decades later, Xavier runs the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, keeping alive his dream of coexistence between humans and mutants, despite the constant growth of the mutant population and the risk of exposure. In this context, Magneto returns even more radical, proposing a war against humanity. Faced with Xavier's refusal to join him, Magneto destroys the school, declaring enemies all those who do not share his vision. To confront him, Xavier gathers former students and forms the X-Men, led by Scott Summers, as an opposition to Magneto's extremism. The conflict reaches its climax when Magneto attacks world leaders in New York, revealing mutants to the world and threatening humanity, forcing the newly formed X-Men to act. The story culminates in the big question: who is right, Xavier or Magneto, and which vision will prevail in this war for the future of mutants and the world?
