Few villains in comic book history are as compelling asMagneto, yet despite his frequently sympathetic rationale, he has enacted some of the most evil deeds inMarvelhistory. A man shaped by tragedy, Erik Lehnsherr’s deep-rooted belief in mutant superiority has led him down a dark path time and time again. Whether in animated series orlive-actionX-Menfilms, Magneto has proven to be one of theX-Men’s greatest threats – sometimes even surpassing the likes of Apocalypse or Mister Sinister.
Magneto might be the most effective comic book villain ever because, though he does evil things, his motivation is to ensure mutant survival. A Holocaust survivor, Erik Lensher has experienced the very worst that humanity has to offer. Now, as a mutant, he faces comparable discrimination again and is determined not to let history repeat itself. This makes him one of the most compelling villains, because audiences and readers completely understand his plight, even if they don’t agree with his methods.
10Magneto Abandons Mystique After She Loses Her Powers
X-Men: The Last Stand
One of the most heartless acts Magneto commits inX-Men: The Last Standis abandoning Mystique after she loses her powers. Mystique, one of his most loyal allies, sacrifices herself by taking a mutant cure dart meant for Magneto during a prison truck ambush. The serum neutralizes her mutation, stripping her of her blue skin and shape-shifting abilities. Rather than showing gratitude or concern,Magneto coldly dismisses her, stating,“I’m sorry my dear, you’re not one of us anymore.”
This single sentence reveals how conditional Magneto’s loyalty truly is. Despite Mystique’s unwavering devotion to him, she is discarded the moment she becomes human. This moment highlights Magneto’s hypocrisy – he preaches mutant unity but ultimately values power over individuals. His willingness to cast aside someone who has stood by him for years proves that,despite his claims of fighting for mutantkind, his leadership is often deeply self-serving.
9Magneto Uses Rogue To Turn Humans Into Mutants
X-Men (2000)
In the firstX-Menfilm, Magneto devises a sinister plan to turn humans into mutants using a device powered by Rogue’s abilities. His target is a summit of world leaders, hoping that by transforming them, they will change their anti-mutant stance. However, the mutation process is highly unstable and ultimately lethal. Knowing the machine will kill him if he operates it himself,Magneto forcibly transfers his abilities to Rogue.
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Magneto straps the terrified teenager to the device, forcing her to endure excruciating pain as it sends waves of mutant energy across Ellis Island. Magneto’s plan is horrifying – not only does he disregard the potential deaths of world leaders, but he alsoshows no concern for Rogue’s suffering. It really highlights Magneto’s duplicity, noted by Wolverine when he says“You’re so full of s***. If you were really so self-righteous, it would be you locked in that thing.”
8Magneto Turns Senator Kelly Into A Mutant
Senator Kelly is one of the most outspoken anti-mutant politicians in Marvel Comics andX-Men (2000), pushing for extreme measures against mutants. Rather than confronting Kelly through diplomacy, Magneto decides to forcibly mutate him. Using his experimental machine, Magneto exposes Kelly to an unstable energy field that rewrites his DNA,transforming him into a mutant with a water-like body.
Though initially alive, Kelly’s mutation is fatally flawed, and he ultimately dissolves into nothing. This moment highlights Magneto’s moral contradictions. He claims to fight against mutant oppression, yet he forcibly mutates a human against his will. His actions mirror the kind of forced experimentation that he himself suffered as a child in Nazi concentration camps. Hislack of remorse further cements his descent into villainy– he sees himself as a liberator (even calling Kelly“Brother”), but his actions prove he is just as cruel as those he despises.
7Magneto Launches Nuclear Weapons
X-Men: The Animated Series
InX-Men: The Animated Series, Magneto’s war against humanity escalates to apocalyptic levels when he attempts to launch nuclear missiles. In the episode 3, “Enter Magneto,” Magneto seizes control of a military base, intending to wipe out humanitybefore they can act against mutants. This act is especially horrifying given Magneto’s history. He witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of genocide. Yet, in his quest for mutant superiority, he ironically becomes the very type of threat he claims to oppose.
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This episode is adapted from the iconic first issue ofX-Menever, though itwas softened for 1990s censors and reframed around theX-Men: TASteam. As such, the episode culminates with Storm nearly making the ultimate sacrifice to protect civilians from the blast. Thankfully, Professor Xavier intervenes and proffers an alternative, but the fact that Magneto even considers launching nuclear warheads proves how far he is willing to go.
6Magneto Joins Apocalypse
X-Men: Apocalypse
InX-Men: Apocalypse, Magneto briefly finds peace living with a wife and child. However, their tragic deaths at the hands of human authorities reignite his hatred, leaving him vulnerable to Apocalypse’s influence. The ancient mutant offers him immense power, and Magneto becomes one of his Four Horsemen. Under Apocalypse’s command,Magneto’s abilities are amplified to catastrophic levels. He manipulates the Earth’s magnetic field, causing massive destruction across the globe.
Entire cities are torn apart, likely killing millions. Though Magneto later turns against Apocalypse, the damage he causes is irreversible. His decision to ally with a genocidal mutant god demonstrateshow easily Magneto’s grief turns to vengeance. Rather than honoring his family’s memory through peace, he chooses mass destruction. His actions here prove that, despite his past tragedies, Magneto’s thirst for retribution often outweighs his moral judgment.
5Magneto Unleashes An EMP
X-Men ‘97
One of Magneto’s most devastating acts inX-Men ‘97is unleashing an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) strong enough to cripple global infrastructure. EMP attacks are incredibly destructive, disabling power grids, hospitals, and essential services, leaving millions vulnerable. The sheer scale of the chaos Magneto causes is staggering. Without power, entire cities plunged into darkness.Emergency services fail, leaving people trapped, injured, or dying.
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Magneto justifies his attack as a necessary step for mutant liberation, but the collateral damage is undeniable. His willingness to target humanity on such a large scale highlights his evolution into a true terrorist. Unlike past attacks focused on military targets, this actionaffects ordinary civilians. It’s a stark reminder that while Magneto may claim to be fighting for mutantkind, his methods make him one of the greatest threats to both mutants and humans alike.
4Magneto Paralyzes Xavier
X-Men: First Class
One of the most tragic moments inX-Men: First Classoccurs when Magneto inadvertently paralyzes his closest friend, Charles Xavier. During the film’s climactic battle, Magneto is locked in a standoff with the U.S. military, who fear mutantkind and attempt to neutralize them. During the confrontation,Magneto ostentatiously deflects a bullet fired at him, unaware that it is heading straight for Xavier.
The bullet strikes Charles in the spine, instantly paralyzing him. While the injury is accidental, Magneto’s refusal to take responsibility is what makes this moment so devastating. Instead of showing remorse, hedoubles down on his belief that humans were to blameand that they will never accept mutants. He leaves Xavier behind, fully embracing his role as a mutant revolutionary. This moment cements the tragic divide between the two men, turning a once-powerful friendship into an ideological war that will last for decades.
3Magneto Tries To Kill All Humans
X2: X-Men United
InX2: X-Men United, Magneto nearly commits genocide on a global scale. After the villainous William Stryker hijacks Cerebro and forces Professor Xavier to target all mutants, Magneto takes advantage of the situation to turn the tables. Once Stryker is defeated,Magneto reconfigures Cerebro to target humans instead. As Xavier unknowingly begins the process of wiping out all non-mutants on Earth, Magneto stands by, fully prepared to let billions die.
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Unlike past conflicts where he fought against anti-mutant oppression, this time he is the aggressor. His justification – that humans would do the same to mutants – has been demonstrated by Stryker, yet Magneto’s plan feels harrowing. If not for the X-Men’s intervention, Magneto’s actionswould have resulted in total human extinction. His decision to manipulate Xavier’s powers for genocide is one of his most unforgivable acts in the entire franchise.
2Magneto Orchestrates An Attack On Genosha
Wolverine and the X-Men
InWolverine and the X-Men, Magneto presents himself as the ruler of Genosha, a supposed mutant haven. However, his leadership is far from benevolent. Instead of offering peace, hemanipulates events behind the scenes, leading to Genosha becoming a battleground. Rather than fostering unity, Magneto allows tensions to escalate, secretly provoking conflicts that threaten the sanctuary he claimed to build.
This culminates in Magneto instructing Mystique to infiltrate the human military and instigate an attack on Genosha and the mutants. Magneto uses this ashis excuse to embark on his war against humanity. His willingness to put Genosha at risk reveals his true priorities – power and control. While he claims to fight for mutants, he often sacrifices their safety to advance his own agenda. Despite his claims of fighting for his people, Magneto repeatedly demonstrates his willingness to sacrifice other mutants for his cause.
1Magneto Rips The Adamantium From Wolverine’s Bones
Perhaps Magneto’s most brutal act occurs inX-Men ‘97, when he violently rips the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton. In both the comics and the series, this is one of the most horrifying and painful in Wolverine’s history. Magneto and Wolverine have clashed repeatedly, but Magneto often subdues Wolverine by controlling his skeleton. Instead, hereMagneto opts for cruelty, in an act of sheer brutality beyond anything Magneto has done before.
Magneto doesn’t simply defeat Wolverine – he utterly dismantles him, inflicting pain that even Logan’s healing factor struggles to recover from. This attack is deeply personal. Magneto, despite his hatred for humanity,often claims to have a moral code when it comes to mutants. Yet here, he tortures one of his own kind without hesitation. The act exemplifies his complete lack of restraint when enraged, proving that even mutants are not safe fromMagneto’s wrath when they stand in his way.
Cast
X-Men: The Animated Series is a television show based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. The series, which aired from 1992 to 1997, follows the adventures of a team of mutant superheroes, led by Professor Charles Xavier, as they fight for peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants in a world filled with prejudice and fear.
X-Men: Evolution
X-Men: Evolution is an animated television series that chronicles the teenage years of various X-Men characters as they learn to control their powers and confront adversaries. The series reimagines Marvel’s mutants in a high school setting, focusing on the challenges they face both as regular students and burgeoning superheroes. Notable characters such as Wolverine, Cyclops, and Rogue navigate their dual identities under the mentorship of Professor Xavier.
X-Men ‘97 is the direct continuation of the popular 1990s animated series X-Men: The Animated Series. Taking up where the third season left off, Marvel’s revival brings back famous mutants such as Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, and Nightcrawler, who fight villains like Mr. Sinister, the Sentinels, and the Hellfire Club.
X-Men
X-Men, released in 2000, introduces Wolverine and Rogue as they join Professor Xavier’s private academy for mutants. The resident superhero team, the X-Men, led by Xavier, confronts a terrorist organization of mutants with similar abilities, highlighting the ongoing conflict between humans and mutants.
X2 is the second installment in the X-Men film series, where Professor Charles Xavier’s team faces growing anti-mutant forces led by Col. William Stryker. In response, mutants Storm, Wolverine, and Jean Grey form an uneasy alliance with adversaries Magneto and Mystique to counter Stryker’s plans to eradicate mutants.
X-Men: The Last Stand is the third film in the X-Men series, featuring the conflict between mutants over a newly discovered cure for mutations. The film showcases the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier, opposing the Brotherhood, led by Magneto, as tensions escalate within the mutant community.
X-Men: First Class explores the origins of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr, who later become Professor X and Magneto. Set during the early days of their friendship, the film depicts their collaborative efforts with other mutants to avert a significant global threat.
X-Men Apocalypse
The third installment of the X-Men prequel films, and the ninth film in the overall X-Men movie franchise, X-Men: Apocalypse once again sees Professor Xavier and Magneto on opposite sides of a catastrophic conflict. Having been raised from the dead, the ancient mutant Apocalypse wishes to wipe out all of humanity, and recruits four mutants including Magneto to help him in his quest, leading Xavier and his young team of X-Men to try and stop them. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender reprise their roles as Professor Xavier and Magneto, with a larger ensemble cast that includes Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Munn, and Oscar Isaac.
