MAGNETO

Magnus was born in a jewish family just before WW2. And we all know what happened durring that tragic time. Magneto spent the better part of his childhood in a concentration camp, watching helplessly as his family and friends were tortured and beaten. Now we all know that mutants develop thier powers at puberty, however, the poor condition of the camps retarded his powers, and he could not use them....

Until later in his life, in adaulthood. He was running from militant soilders who were hunting him down. He was already hindered by the weight of his now-dead daughter in his arms. And with a burst ofpower, he mercilessly used the soilders own weapons against them. At that point he made "the vow":

NEVER AGAIN

Never again would those who were different be persecuted and hunted like animals. Never again would the helpless be at the mercy of "those jakals". Never again will mutant blood be spilt before the unforgiveing feet of the predijuice humans....

Magnetos wife, Magda, affraid, (and pregnant with twins, unbeknowest to Mags), ran off and ended up giving birth to Pietro and Wanda "Maximoff", under the name of their new foster parents (who were travling gypsies). She died in child-birth.

Lost, Magnus created a false identitiy for himself ("erik Lehnshier"-this fact was only discovered recently) and traveled the world. He bumped into one Charles Xavier, a fellow mutant. The two would have light discusions and arguaments about how they should use thier powers to help mutants. Xavier argued that mutants should use thier gifts to ensure peace between mutants and humans. "Erik" believed that mutans should rise to power and being the next stage in human evolution, should take thier rightful places as this planets leaders. Regardless, the two went on many adventures together, including one against HYDRA. Soon afterward, the two went thier seperate ways, both of them knowing they would never see eye-to-eye.

Now officialy calling himself "Magneto", he traveled the earth, searching for mutants with which to help him take over the world. He came accross a Mid-Europian village where a woman possesing mutant abilities was being attacked by a mob. This turned out to be a girl calling herself the "Scarlet Witch". Her twin brother, another mutant named "Quicksilver", came along to ensure her safty. Magneto never suspected thies two were actualy his children (You have to assume they were only about 13 or 14 at the time). He also came across many other young mutants, hoping to enlist thme in the struggle, with no such luck (see Maggott). Magneto then created a space base named "Astroid M", and used it as a base of operations and a haven. Trying to decide his path, he once again visited the death-camp where he grew up...

Xavier, now crippled and in the company of Amelia Voght, was waiting for him ("Hello Erik. Nice Helmut"). Xavier tried to convince Magneto one last time that the path he has choosen will only lead to bloodshed. The two exchanged insults and threats of death, and officaly called of thier friendship and declared themselves enemies ("This isn't over... 'Professor X'". "'Magneto'..., it hasn't even begun").

Magneto recruited two more mutants for his "Brotherhood of Mutants" (I've omited the "evil" because it doesn't fit Mag's personality at the time), Toad and Mastermind. The five plotted to take over the world, but in thier first outing, Magneto worked alone, attempting to turn the nuclear arsenal at Cape Canaveral against the US, unless they unconditionaly surrendured. The X-Men (Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, and Marvel Girl) interveined, and fought Magneto to a stand-still, forcing him to retreat. The military, wary of mutants, was impressed and announced the X-Men as heroes. However, the world at large could taste the genetic war was just over the horizon...

Magneto and his brotherhood struck many times, but then focused thier attention on destroying the X-Men. The X-Men beat them every time, but barley (it is thier comic after all). Magneto was eventualy captured by the Beyonder (a god-like entity) for experimantation. Magneto quickly escaped, all but sticking his tounge out at the Beyonder on his way out (remember that!). However, the Brotherhood had broken up (Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch went to be good guys, Mastermind dissapered, and Magneto told Toad to get out of his sight.), and Magneto decided to work solo again. However, Magneto was surprised to find a whole new batch of X-Men taken in under Xaviers wing. Lessee her, a guy with a METAL skeleton, a guy with METAL skin, and a woman who can throw lightning bolts. Oh, yeah, these jokers were gonna be a REEAAALLL chalange for the "Master of Magnetism". Not. However, they still managed to thwart his plans. I gotta read those back issues, cause i don't believe it.

Then, the day Magneto is most infamous for. The Russians decided they have had enough of Magnetos posturing, and shot some nukes at him. He harmlessly directed th missles into space, but decided he was still pissed. First, he used his powers to sink the sub which shot at him by subjecting it to water pressures it wasn't built to handle, crushing to death all hands on board. he then caused a volcano near a small farming village to erupt, but let the lava flow slow enough so the citizens could escape. The X-Men (Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Sprite, Colosus, and Nightcrawler) found Mags, and a battle started. Magneto fought viciously, but in a freak shot, he thought he killed Kitty Pryde (Sprite). A child. A MUTANT CHILD dead at his hands. He surrendered her comatose body to storm then left without incident, and remained in seclusion for many years.

Then, a vengful Beyonder caught up with Magneto, turning him into an infant. ("ga ga goo goo") (no, not really!) Dr. MacTaggart took this opperotunity while restoring him to adulthood and tampered with his DNA, making him more friendly. Magneto, restored to adulthood and wearing a new, "breezy" costume, went on trial before a world court, feeling guilty of his actions. However, he was found innocent, because he was "a head of state (mutants) which had not signed the Geneva conventions" and was herby out of the authorization of the UN. Lucky bastard. Sometime later, Xavier was beaten, and passed the tourch of leading the X-Men and New Mutants to his one-time friend. Having all that goody-two shoes DNA made Magneto agree, and under the alias "Mivheal Xavier", he went on to be headmaster of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters while Xavier went into seclusion to recuperate.

His approach was a little more extreme than Xaviers, but the X-Men really didn't mind. However, signs of the "old" magneto started to show up. He made an alliance with the Hellfire Club, and stole candy from a baby... no wait, that was Mr. burns. Sorry. But anyway, he eventualy ditched the New Mutants (all but forcing them into the "carring arms" of Cable) and X-Men. He put his old costume back on, and started making even more mischif. He scoured the globe looking for his mutant army, and founded the Acolytes, which included Fabian Cortez and Amilia Vought, among others. He also found a man named Paris Bennet (AKA Exodus), and helped him conquer his demons. Magneto then learned the truth about his genetic manipulation, and Beat Mactaggart brutaly. The X-Men came to the rescue and saved her defeating Magneto. However, Fabian Cortez lead an assist there. He De-augumented Magnetos powers (Without anyone's knowledge!) and apparently killing him.

A marvel villan DEAD? I think not. Magneto was recuperating on his NEW astroid base, AVALON. The out-break of the legacy virus prompted him to take action. Exodus, sensing his return, showed himself, and told the Accolytes about Cortez's misdeed. They left him to die, and gathered at Xaviers mansion for a showdown with the X-Men, as they were burrying Illianya Rasputin (Colossus's sister). In a rather un-eventful battle (Except for Mags killing one of his own men), Colossus joined up with Magneto, who had offered a haven to any mutant who wished to benifit from it. In the following battles, Magneto, feed up with Wolverine, ripped his Adamantium (and pocket change) from his body. Xavier then (in a moment of "weakness") shut down Magnetos mind (he had actualy absorbed it). Mags was left comotose, and this all lead up to the events in Onslaught, including the introduction of Joseph, who may not be the real magneto after all.

Recently, Magneto dressed up as Erik the Red and put Gambit on trial for his invlovement in the Morlock Massacre (but how'd he know about that...?). He then killed the man who had created his fake "Erik Lehnshier" identity, in oreder to cover his tracks. Magneto then secretly tried to regather his Acolytes, half of whom joined up with cortez and ried to attack the X-Men. Magneto's Acolytes Beat on the X-Men when they tried to find Mags in the South Pole (he was ditrupting the EM feild, holding the world hostage), but Xavier tricked them into leaving thier craft. Mags also had to worry about Astra and Joseph, a clone of himself and twice as powerful. The X-Men seperated joe and Mags, beat on him a little, But Magneto triumphed. Joseph killed himself restoring the EM feild, and then the UN (not knowing he was no longer a threat) surrendured Genosha to him, and the X-Men left without further incident (as seen in the Magneto War storyline).

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