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"I've lived with vengeance my whole life. Ever since I was a child, I lost everyone I ever loved, so I hurt people. Yes, killed people. Killed whatever I thought would make the pain go away. It didn't, no matter how many souls I sent under. So I stopped."
―Magneto to Jean Grey[src]

Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto is a mutant with the ability to manipulate magnetic fields to his will and control metallic objects. He was a founding member of the X-Men, but left the group to form the Brotherhood of Mutants, which became a rival organization to the X-Men.

Magneto firmly believed that mutants should fight back against their human oppressors by any means necessary, an ideal that conflicted with the goals of his longtime close friend Charles Xavier, who sought a more pacifist approach to mutant prosperity. As such, Magneto was often an adversary to the X-Men, but would team up with them when the situation called for it.


X-Men Prologue

"I've been at the mercy of men just following orders. Never again."


X-Men: First Class

Erik and his family at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

"Peace was never an option."





Erik helping the teens master their powers.




Erik becomes Magneto.


X-Men: Days of Future Past Prologue

Erik Lehnsherr's mugshot.




Original Timeline

X-Men: Days of Future Past


X-Men: The Last Stand Prologue



Magneto confronts Wolverine in the subway train.

"Mankind has always feared what it doesn't understand."



X2: X-Men United

Magneto in his plastic prison.

"You are a god among insects. Never let anyone tell you different."
―Magneto to Pyro[src]



Magneto in the Cerebro chamber at Alkali Lake.



X-Men: The Last Stand

"I have been marked once, my dear, and let me assure you, no needle shall ever touch my skin again."
―Magneto to Callisto[src]




Magneto in the forest confronting Wolverine.




Magneto after being cured.



The Wolverine


X-Men: Days of Future Past

Magneto in the dystopian future.

"All those years wasted fighting each other, Charles. To have a precious few of them back."
―Magneto to Professor X[src]





Revised Timeline

X-Men: Days of Future Past




He expressed dry amusement and surprise when Charles demanded he gave his word that he would help as he had no helmet and can be controlled before realizing when they were ambushed by guards that his friend had lost his powers. Erik nearly used his powers to kill them, but Quicksilver dispatched the guards without any casualties. Once they safely left the Pentagon, the group boarded a plane. Erik also met Wolverine, who informed him that he had been sent by his (Erik's) and Charles' older selves from the future. Erik was surprised but was more willing to believe the story. During the flight, Erik and Charles argued on how they abandoned each other after the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Erik was grossly unamused by the fact that Charles had sacrificed his powers to be able to walk, although he appeared to show some guilt when Charles bitterly said he had to so he could sleep, and when Charles blamed Erik for taking Raven away, Erik responded coldly by saying he should have fought harder for those closest to him and soon escalated to blaming Charles for the deaths of Azazel, Angel, Emma Frost and Banshee, his anger nearly bringing down the plane until he eventually calmed down. Wolverine remarked that Erik had always been unpleasant, from which Erik deduced that they were enemies in the future. Nevertheless, Wolverine notes that he and Erik are somewhat similar; they are survivors. Erik soon learned of the apocalyptic future that would befall them if Mystique kills Trask. Erik and Charles later sort out their differences over chess.

Magneto attempting to kill Mystique and betrays the others.



Magneto explains to Mystique why he tried to kill her.





Erik gave a short taunt before hurling him into the sky. Logan later fell into the Potomac River and subsequently drowned. Then, Erik ripped the President’s shelter out of the White House and broadcast a speech to everyone around the world, stating that the time of mutants had begun. The President came forward and pleaded Erik to have mercy on everyone else and to kill only him. However, Erik replied that the President did not spare the rest of his kind (mutants) and prepared to kill them all. But Erik was distracted when a Sentinel charged towards him, which he tore apart.


X-Men: Apocalypse

Erik at work in Poland.

By 1983, Erik (now going by the name Henryk Gurszky,) has established a new life in Poland with his new wife Magda and daughter Nina, as well as a job at a factory. However, one day, Erik is forced to reveal his magnetic powers when a huge falling crate almost crushes one of his fellow factory workers - Erik stops it in mid-air just in time. Sometime later, some of his colleagues that witnessed his powers had the Polish authorities sent to capture Erik, mainly due to the incident years ago at the White House (after which Magneto had become the most wanted fugitive in the world) while Erik attempted to turn himself in to save his family, his daughter Nina's sudden display of mutant powers, which incidentally happens to be animal communication, causes the men to freak out. One of the shocked men accidentally fires an arrow, killing Magda and Nina in the process, much to his horror. An incredibly furious and devastated Erik promptly murders them all by magnetically manipulating his daughter's locket, after which he tearfully cradles his family's corpses.

While Erik attempts to extract his revenge on the fellow factory workers, suddenly Apocalypse appears at the scene (along with Archangel, Psylocke, and Storm) when Erik asks him who he is, he responds by murdering all the workers in simple movement of his hand. He then persuades an astonished Erik to join him. They then teleport away to the ruins of Auschwitz concentration camp, where Erik, after some encouragement from Apocalypse, destroys the remnants, finally getting some closure. He then promptly agrees to join forces with the ancient mutant (who further enhances Erik's already immense mutant powers) becoming his fourth and final Horseman of the Apocalypse.



Xavier and Erik are finally able to reaffirm their friendship, and Erik returns to rebuild Charles' destroyed mansion. Though Charles asked him to stay, Erik declined and left, albeit on friendly terms this time, and with a cleared name (as the world bore witness to Magneto greatly contributing to the defeat of Apocalypse). Xavier asked if there no chance he could convince Erik to stay to which Erik jokingly said Charles can easily convince him to do anything since he's psychic. Peter Maximoff observes his departing father from a distance, ultimately deciding not to tell Erik about their relation yet.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix

By 1992, Erik had a change of heart and stopped killing people after he realized he was only doing it to eliminate his own pain. He realized that his method was wrong and changed his mind about humans after finally understanding that they aren't all evil, he also became a hero, a pacifist and the leader of an island where mutants go to be left alone called Genosha.

However Jean Grey comes to visit him for help as she had a telepathic incident which killed a person, when Erik tells her about how he has back to be a good person and controlled his dark side Lehnsherr asks her who's blood is that she has on her dress, making Jean nervous and having no response from her.

Then a group of soldiers comes to the island and Erik hides Jean inside, Lehnsherr tries to convince the soldiers that Jean is not there and to resolving it without violence but Jean reveals herself and tries to kill the soldiers with their own helicopter but Erik saves them and allow them to successfully escape from Jean.

In response Grey throws Erik on the ground angrily asking him if he really is someone who protects mutants, to which Lehnsherr answers that he's helping mutants by protecting them from her, then he banishes her from the island for having tried to kill innocent soldiers and risked the inhabitants' lives.

Later Hank McCoy comes to the island and Erik asks him why he's alone and where are the other X-Men especially Charles, Hank says to him that he has to help him not for him but for Raven, when Erik asks him if Raven sent him there. McCoy reveals to him that Jean has killed her, much to Lehnsherr's shock and devastation. Angry and sad for the death of his former lover and friend Erik also reconcile with Hank telling him that he's sorry for what he did in past, but despite their differences, they both loved Raven to which McCoy agrees. Erik then says that if he found Jean he will kill her for what she had done, and Hank answers that he knows and it is the reason why he asked his help to avenge Raven.

With Raven's death, that moment the two prepared to go find Jean and kill her. Lensherr took his helmet after many years without wearing it and donned it. Accompanied by Selene Gallio and Ariki, two other inhabitants of Genosha, Magneto and Beast arrive in New York where they discovered where Jean was and were ready to kill her.

There, Magneto was called by his old friend Charles but he angrily said to him to go away from their way, Xavier tried to calm him and Hank telling that he's sorry for what Jean did but Lehnsherr answer that he's always sorry but nobody cares anymore, Charles try to adverts Lehnsherr that if they will fight each other people will see them again as monsters and he will lose his home but Lehnsherr says that will never happen, Xavier tries to convince him to stop but Magneto has made his decision.

So then started a violent fight where Magneto made his way to the palace where Jean is, Scott Summers try to kill him but Lensherr defends himself with a block of metal and Beast immobilize Scott giving time to Erik to arrive inside the palace, there Magneto tells to Jean that now who's blood that was and tries to kill her but Jean is too powerful and destroys his helmet and threw Lehnsherr and the pieces of his destroyed helmet from the window, when he lands on the street he loses consciousness, then Charles, Storm, Beast, Scott, Selene, Ariki and Lensherr are taken under arrest from the authorities as they are convinced that they're a threat and make them wear collars which inhibit their powers.

On the train, Erik awakes and Charles explains to him and Hank that Jean has been manipulated from an alien named Vuk who wants her power to destroy Earth and populate it with her species, when Erik answer to let her die but both him and his allies change ideas when Xavier reveals Vuk's plan to destroy Earth and after that Scott says that Raven would not want Jean dead making understand to Erik and Hank that Raven's murder was an incident, realizing to having been all manipulated by Vuk to fight each other so she could rule the world Erik reconciles with Charles and the X-Men definitely and tries to convince the soldiers to set them free as them are not a threat and can help them to fight the aliens who are attacking them right then, despite an initial refuse the soldiers accept and set them free, together the X-Men starts a big battle against the aliens defeating them all except Vuk, Erik tells Charles and Scott to go to set Jean free as he and the others will take time.

However Storm, Beast, Nightcrawler and the others had been all defeated by the powerful alien empress but when she arrives at the room where Charles, Scott, and Jean, Erik closes the room with metal and use guns against Vuk sacrificing himself to help Charles, despite him being defeated by Vuk he survives and Charles frees Jean successfully making Grey knocking Vuk away and then taking his family in safe.

There Jean use her powers to fight and kill all the aliens and at the end of the fight, to make ensure her family safety, Jean takes Vuk with her into space and she disappears with her in an explosion of energy, Erik, like his friends, is devastated for Jean's apparent death. After Jean's apparent death and Vuk's permanent defeat, Charles calls the school "Jean's school for Gifted Children", gives Hank the role of principal of the school and retires, then Erik jokingly asks to his best friends how is going his retirement, finally reconciled, this time for good, they started to happily play to chess unaware that Jean is alive and has returned to Earth when she has learned how to control her powers.


"We are the future."

Erik has lived a troubled life, having felt mankind's cruelty not only as a mutant but also as a Jewish person. Erik was forced to watch as his people suffered under the horrors inflicted by the Nazis.[2] He is filled with hatred and anger mainly against Sebastian Shaw, who murdered his mother before his very eyes and forced Erik to experience horrendous tortures.[1]





Despite their strong conflict of beliefs, Magneto deeply respected everything Charles had done for mutants and remained polite and cordial towards him in all their interactions. He was genuinely concerned when Phoenix levitated and began to destroy Charles, even pleading for Jean to stop, and was utterly horrified and grieving over the death of his former friend, as he severely scolded Pyro for expressing a willingness to kill the professor following his (temporary) death. Though initially angry at Charles in 1973 for letting countless mutants such as Emma Frost and Azazel be killed and experimented on his watch, he ultimately saw past this, as both were focused on preventing the apocalyptic future. Though bitterly devastated over the loss of his wife and daughter and willing to destroy the world while working with Apocalypse, aiding Apocalypse in capturing Charles and coldly refusing to help him, ultimately Mystique got through to him and he refused to see her and Charles suffer, acknowledging that they were practically family to him and switched sides.

Erik excels at violence and is a skilled killer; while he was more driven by pain and rage in his younger years, in the latter years (before his reconciliation with Charles in both timelines) he became more cold and calculating. He has killed dozens, possibly hundreds of men over the years. Hunting down Nazis and mutant haters had been a major part of his life. Erik isn't shy of violence, as he put Sebastian Shaw through the excruciating pain of drilling a coin through his brain and he once ripped the iron particles out of a man's blood, smiling sadistically while doing so and then taunting the corpse.[1] Lehnsherr has even go as far as to try to make Xavier use Dark Cerebro to kill every human on the planet, by extreme mental torture.[6]






Powers and Abilities

"A very powerful mutant, who believes a war is brewing between mutants and the rest of humanity."
Professor X to Wolverine[src]


"He could create magnetic fields and control metal."
Professor X to Wolverine[src]

Magneto manipulating all forms of metal

Magnetokinesis: Magneto is an immensely powerful mutant, easily one of the greatest on the planet; thus far, only Phoenix and Apocalypse have been shown to be stronger. He is capable of generating and manipulating all forms of magnetism to achieve a variety of grandiose and devastating effects.

  • Flight:

    Magneto flying on magnetic fields

"I know the smell of your adamantium from a mile away."
―Magneto to Wolverine[src]
  • Metal Sense: Magneto is able to sense the presence of metals in his environment, as they are crucial for the effective use of his powers. Even with Wolverine's impressive stealth skills, Magneto was able to easily detect Wolverine's adamantium skeleton from a great distance away.
  • Force-Field Projection: Magneto is able to conjure a vast shield of magnetic energy, which the X-Men were unable to penetrate, forcing Quicksilver and Mystique to instead resort to reasoning with him.


    • Expert Engineer: Magneto was able to create the Mutant Conversion Machine, a very complex device capable of altering human DNA.
  • Skilled Combatant: Magneto was quite capable in hand-to-hand combat in his youth, easily stopping a Nazi from stabbing him, gaining the upper hand in a fist fight with Professor X, as well as physically overpowering both an untransformed Beast and Professor X when they attempted to stop him from killing Mystique. He was able to fight multiple D'Bari warriors at once, using his combat training and abilities in tandem.
  • Skilled Marksman: Though he prefers to ferrokinetically control firearms, Magneto is a competent marksman. He used a pistol to execute the Pig Farmer and threatened Mystique with another pistol.
  • Indomitable Will: Magneto has immense determination and willpower, with him striving to complete his tasks, no matter the cost, regardless of seemingly insurmountable odds.


  • Arrogance: Despite Magneto's great intellect, he has displayed a high degree of arrogance, with it having caused him to underestimate circumstances and individuals in various situations, therefore; indirectly leading to his plans being thwarted, to which he can potentially put others in danger as well. However, this arrogance disappeared with time in the revised timeline; where Magneto forgived humans and became more pacifist.




Original Timeline




Revised Timeline





  • David Hemblen, Christopher Lee and Terence Stamp were considered for the role of Magneto in X-Men. Hemblen was previously the voice of Magneto on X-Men: The Animated Series.
  • The introductory flashback scene of X-Men: The Last Stand with a young Jean Grey, is challenged by the events of the prequel X-Men: First Class, where Xavier and Magneto have only one adventure together in the '60s as young adults before their paths diverge immediately after it. The flashback scene seemed to suggest that the two were colleagues well into the '80s, discovering and recruiting mutants; this is hard to fit in any of the two timelines and can be explained only by assuming that the two men had reconciled for the short time between, before becoming enemies again.
  • The scene in X-Men: The Last Stand in which Magneto lifts the Golden Gate Bridge and uses it as a vessel for his Brotherhood is taken directly from the comics.

Behind the Scenes


  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 X-Men: First Class (2011). Matthew Vaughn (director) & Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn (writers). 20th Century Fox
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 X-Men (2000). Bryan Singer (director) & David Hayter (writer). 20th Century Fox.
  3. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). Brett Ratner (director) & Simon Kinberg, Zak Penn (writers). 20th Century Fox.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Bryan Singer (director) & Simon Kinberg (writer). 20th Century Fox.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). Bryan Singer (director) & Simon Kinberg (writer). 20th Century Fox.

External links