Whether you know him as Erik Lehnsherr or by his birth name Max Eisenhardt, the terrorist best known as Magneto, Master of Magnetism is one of the most feared mutants on the planet, and among the most powerful.
Background[]
- Max Eisenhardt was born to a Jewish family in Germany in the 1920s. His early life was happy, where he assisted with the family business.
- Like several other Jewish families, Max and his family fled Germany during the rise of Nazism.
- Eventually, Max and his family were discovered and moved to the Warshaw Ghetto in .
- During an attempt to escape, Max's family were gunned down by German soldiers. While his mother and father were killed, Max survived because he was able to stop the bullet from fully entering his body after it was fired, pushing it away with his mind.
- Max, confused as to why he survived, was moved to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. He eventually he was named a Sonderkommando, responsible for helping with the murder of other Jews.
- He secretly tested his new found ability, pushing the limits of his power and developing different uses for his powers.
- He met a girl named Magda, who was Romani, and the pair fell in love, agreeing that when they escaped the camp they would start a family.
- Along with other Sonderkommandos, Max caused a prison break in 1944, freeing several prisoners and escaping himself with Magda.
- Fleeing to Magda's home in the Ukraine, Max took on the name Erik Lehnsherr to disguise himself.
- Magda and Erik lived together happily for a while, having a child and forming a regular lives for themselves.
- Despite the war being long over, Erik is tracked down by remaining Nazi soldiers and his home with Magda is burned to the ground with their infant child inside.
- Enraged, Erik lashed out with his awesome power to punish his attackers. Madga, terrified by his ability, fled away from Erik, leaving him alone once again.
- Erik migrated towards Isreal, where he first Charles Xavier
- Charles and Erik share their abilities with each other, discussing the role of mutants in the world. Erik starts to develop a militant viewpoint of mutant superiority
- Erik takes on the persona of "Magneto, Master of Magnetism" and begins to recruit other mutants with views similar to his, forming the Brotherhood of Mutants.
- The Brotherhood of Mutants starts to make radical actions, attacking military bases of countries Magneto declares opressive to mutants.
- Both Magneto and the Brotherhood become internationally infamous, but also garner more and more followers.
- The Brotherhood starts to encounter the X-Men, another group of mutant freedom fighters dedicated to harmony between mutants and humans. Magneto almost immediately recognizes their perspective as that of their founder, Charles Xavier.
- Magneto continues to wage his personal war for mutant supremacy, attacking as he sees fits people and organizations that threaten mutants, using lethal force when appropriate.
Personality[]
Extremist: Magneto has decided that mutants are clearly genetic and socially superior to lowly human beings, and has made it his life's mission to see that mutants take hold of their clearly superior place. To this end, he has adopted a "by any means necessary" philosophy, believing that nothing is too far in regards to his mission. If it calls for violence, so be it; future generations will thank him and see him as a hero, not as a maniac. After all, every great thinker was not understood in his time.
Stern: Magneto expects nothing but the best from the people who work with him and for him. If someone doesn't pull their weight, Magneto won't be afraid to punish or completely abandon them, leaving them behind. It is foolish to expect praise from Magneto, as your best and nothing less is what is expected anyway.
Philosophical: Magneto perceives the world through existential and objectivist philosophy, but also is constantly dissecting situations using the various philosophical perspectives he has learned and followed. He believes that the hearts and minds of men can be understood rationally using logic and systematic thought.
Confident: Some may call Magneto an egomaniac, but no one would question that he doesn't suffer from low self-esteem. He has declared himself the savior of his race as well as among their strongest and smartest members. Furthermore, his ongoing, very public displays of power and anger are rarely disguised. If Magneto has something to say, he will often do it himself and make it very clear that it is his message and will that the world will bow to.
Powers[]
Magneto was born a mutant with the ability to manipulate magnetic fields. This primarily means that he can lift magnetic metals and manipulate it easily. He can lift up to 30,000 tons of weight at once, but only with great strain; he can manipulate only about half of that with ease. To move things he must be fully aware of his actions, meaning he must be awake and conscious. If he is injured or otherwise distracted, his hold on objects of interest is weakened or dropped altogether.
In addition to lifting metallic objects, more fine control abilities are also available. He can lift himself and appear to fly by using the Earth's magnetic force, able to move at speeds approaching 100 MPH. He can also create a force field around himself, forcing most objects away. The more secondary abilities Magneto utilizes, the less he can do with the pure force of being able to lift objects.
Perhaps the surprisingly most useful ability is Magneto's ability to manipulate blood iron with relative ease. He can use this ability to interrupt or increase the blood flow of other people, controlling physical bodies, causing an aneurism. This ability has also caused him to extend his own life, giving him the vitality and stamina of a man forty years younger when he needs to.
Skills[]
While he never did get much in the way of formal schooling, Magneto has been an active reader for as long as he could get his hands on reading material. He is especially fascinated with psychology, philosophy and history, finding the greediness and fear of men is their greatest motivator. He also can speak multiple languages, most notably German, English and Hebrew.
Magneto finds strategy and tactics not only a refreshing mental exercise, as well as practical. He has studied the tactics of great war leaders as well as other extremist. He has also learned how to speak with impressionable young people, generating pride and loyalty in others. He has a knack for getting people to follow him in the field, and then inspiring them to their best attributes.
Of course, only knowing tactics can only get you so far; you have to know what to do when you're face to face with the enemy. To this end, Magneto has trained himself in actual martial talents, including weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. He also is constantly studying and following current events, knowing the leaders of the world and who he consider a possible ally, and who will make a difficult enemy.
Boons[]
While he's extremist views and actions have turned him into a fugitive, Magneto's followers believe in his vision and philosophy with a passionate fervor. He knows that he can count on his followers, known as the Brotherhood of Mutants, to do anything for him, including kill or die for his cause. He also has major funds gained through wealthy supporters, personal wealth gained from stolen Nazi gold and others funds he liberally borrows from victims and enemies.
Magneto personally understands the power telepaths can wield on a person, being close friends with Charles Xavier. To this end, he has helped the development of technology than can block telepathic attacks, inserting it into a helmet he built himself for his own protection. While he wears his helmet, Magneto is shielded from any telepathic tampering, especially any by Charles Xavier.
Flaws[]
Fugitive: The actions of Magneto are recognized as terrorism by nearly every country in the world. Because of this, he can't really stay anywhere for too long with various agents searching for him for capture. Thankfully, his appearance is not as well circulated, so blending into a crowd is possible. However, he has to be careful. At the very least, being spotted by the wrong person would lead to a very ugly scene; and if that person was powerful enough, and little bit lucky, he might actually be captured.
Age: As a man past his ninetieth birthday, Magneto's health could be in a better state. While he is able to increase his stamina and vitality with his magnetic abilities, he also has his own fits of frailty. His mutant abilities can be lessened when he has a fit of poor health, and as he gets older his health concerns will worsen, as well as be more suspect to bouts of dementia and senility.
Reactionary: Magneto is a passionate man who cares about what he fights in. He can also be impulsive at times, reacting to actions he sees as personal attacks with the upmost fervor. This is partially the reason he generated as many enemies as he has, and also part of the reason why he started his extremist movement in the first place. He is a firm believer in an eye-for-an-eye, causing him to feel honor bound to repay an cruelty (and any kindness) that is paid to him. While there are times he wishes he could simply walk away from what he's started, he is constantly indebted to do something, despite what danger it may put him and those he cares about in.
The X-Men: Of all the opposition that Magneto has, none are as passionate or persistent as his old friend Charles Xavier. To that end, Xavier has created the opposite answer to Magneto's Brotherhood, the X-Men. While Magneto may be able to escape agents and police, the X-Men seem to have an ability to be a constant thorn in his side. Furthermore, Magneto has taken a strident position of using non-lethal force when the group is concerned, partially because of his belief of mutant harmony against the human menace, and partially because of his respect of their founder. Still, when push comes to shove, he will stand behind his Brotherhood and do what needs to be done.