MCU Magneto: Response to a younger, potentially non-Caucasian portrayal?

[Husk]

Beyond the obvious, that Magneto was an older man when he first appeared, he hasn't been portrayed that way in the movies since the original trilogy. Michael Fassbender has been in the role for the last four as a fit, younger man. Ignoring the chronology of the new four movies making no sense, since they jump decades each movie but don't age, I don't think there's anything wrong with portraying him as older again. That said, the Holocaust was a considerable while ago and unless they slowed his aging because of a power, he probably wouldn't be a Holocaust survivor and able to take part in major action scenes. Even for mutants, they're just a branch of humanity and aging takes a toll.

I'm indifferent to race bending. It doesn't make me like a movie any less when an actor doesn't portray the comic race. It has to make some sense though. Some countries are notoriously white or all but single faith for many political reasons. In terms of Magneto, and his Malcolm X schtick, the message might be more powerful. However, it falls into the trope of a bitter black man as the villain to a righteous white man which is problematic representation on its own. Why not racebend Xavier? The white man doesn't have to be the hero of the story.

Conversely, racebending is a two way street. People can't campaign for white characters being changed and get affronted when it's done the opposite way. There are exceptions obviously, Johansson in Ghost in a Shell because that's set in Japan and is about a woman from the country it's set. Just an example, but it makes my point that when changing a character, logic should be applied. Does said country have that population? Are there plot points that make the original race important to the character and their story? For many characters, their race isn't important. It is malleable. Comics were done in a time when everything was very white and changes should be made.

On that note, there are plenty of diverse and interesting characters getting sidelined because the big names are just being changed so it's a double edged sword.

And I can't remember who mentioned Selene (who is apparently getting exposure soon) but she does have a national tie: she was originally associated with the Roman Empire. That's why she's called Selene and it's why she has ties to the Nova Roma colony of Brazil. I would say her skin should be a tad darker but then again, she's always portrayed as one step away from albinism.

[Xelossik]

The Holocaust was the last Jewish genocide, and as horrible as it was it reshaped the world politically.

It is sad that other victims were forgotten. Germans also systematically murdered other groups of people like Poles, Romani, Slavs, homosexuals, incurably sick (schizophrenia, epilepsy, Huntington's chorea and "imbecility" - examples of sicknesses. Penalty? death), Jehovah's Witnesses.

Germans under Nazi rule killed 6 millions Jews and 11 millions of other people. (If we ignore casualities because of fighting).

[Uncanny X-Man]

I think Magneto being a Holocaust survivor is integral to any modern interpretation of the character. Replacing his background with a similar, entirely fictional one (like say Mutant Concentration Camps à la Days of Future Past) doesn't quite have the same impact and would also instigate a backlash of bad publicity for Disney.

The age problem is easily taken care of via some wacky sci-fi explanation: at some stage in his adult life Magneto came into contact with another mutant whose power was to restore youth and vigor to those they touched, and they were later conveniently killed so they couldn't bestow their gift upon anyone else. Or after WW2, Magneto decided to exact his revenge on Hydra, but was captured and put in stasis like Bucky Barnes in case he could be useful in the future; or again, he attacked Weapon X, was captured and kept in stasis for decades to be studied and his powers replicated. You can find a number of simple and believable solutions in a world of mad scientists and super-powered beings

[Husk]

I think the OP was relying on the genocide to be a real one since they cited examples, such as the Tutsi massacre of Rwanda (which isn't as well known globally as the Holocaust). I, for one, only learned of it via BBCOne's Black Earth Rising. And, although none are from Rwandan descent, none of my friends or family knew either. Still, a major tragedy with global ramifications (since France may have played a role), but the scope of it was smaller. Situations like that need to be carefully handled, they deserve their own hero, not a hand-me-down from someone else's tragedy. It may have been a later addition to the character but the Holocaust has become integral to Magneto, whether people like it or not.

[Carabas]

Being a holocaust survivor is a major part of Eriks identity... changing that would just be disappointing.

And abt the age, they can really work it out. Either deage, or some hormon injections .. they can just come out with some bs.

A bigger problem would be that it is unlikely that there were any Mutants in the MCU during the mid-20th century at all.

There sadly is no shortage of other genocides he could have been a survivor from.

[Carabas]

Should MCU even have Magneto?

Yes.

I think MCU Magneto is going to have a bigger task trying to recapture the performances of Ian Mckellen and Fassbender.

They obviously shouldn't try, just like Fassbender did his own thing rather than trying to imitate McKellen. It's not as if the MCU has ever had problems attracting stellar actors to their films.

Ian Mckellen once said the only reason he chose to play a comic book character like Magneto was because not only did the character speak to him personally, he found him incredibly complex , How many MCU characters can we call that?

Quite a lot of them. All of the main one, at least.
It's not as if McKellen's version of Magneto was this deep, complex character anyway.

You always mistake darkness for quality and complexity.

[Colt Cape]

If they changed Mags to being black or something for the sake of "muh diversi-tay" that'd be kinda dumb considering the fact that Jews are represented in media even less than blacks.

Honestly, if they did that I'd walk out the theater.

[PlotDevice]

If "white washing" is not okay, then turning white characters into poc should be just as bad. Unless you are fine with hypocrisy, as most sjw seem to be.

[Heroine Addict]

I feel the proposal is too rife with the potential for various controversies, as other posters have already suggested, and that Disney would want to avoid that particular minefield. So TBH, it's a nonstarter.

I'm not sure I buy into the guise of it all being about making him younger, either. Also think the idea of him & Xavier not being peers is a bad one.

Lastly, his original incarnation serves as a reminder of something that should never be forgotten. As much as it can anyway, given the conteXt of the realm it stems from & is immersed in. I mean, this is only pop culture stuff after all, we're talkin' about here. Keep in mind the opening of the X1 film, wasn't met favorably by & offended some, for being quite irreverent in their minds.

[Husk]

That's blatantly not true. Many cultures around the world have populations that are white. There may be less modern struggles in many parts of the world for white people because privilege but that doesn't erase the culture they brought with them. And they have struggles of their own. An entire race of people can't be generalised for being white anymore than they could for being any other race.

[Jokerz79]

I feel even if a descendent Magneto should be always be tied to the Holocaust it makes his stance understandable, before the early 80's and the revelation that Magneto was a Holocaust survivor he was just a magnetic villain who hated humans with no depth I love Stan but he like George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry liked to altered history to make their creations sound more epic like many of his creations Stan created a good character who others made great.

As why the Holocaust in particular its unique every hate crime and genocide in history has had people who were proud of their deeds posing for photos even in some cases. They usually only start denying their crimes once it time to pay the price and even then some will still stand in defiance and take responsibility believing they did something right. But not the Holocaust it was a crime so horrific they knew from day one it had to be hidden even with the belief they were creating a 1,000 year Reich they knew they could never let the world know they were turning genocide into an assembly line. Having a connection to that wholesale genocide makes Magneto not only relatable but possibly right and few villains can say that.

[Vegan Daddy]

There have been so many genocides since WW2. The ‘never again’ platitude is a joke at this point. Still, I’m really not interested in a Rwandan, Cambodian, Sudanese, or Bosnian Magneto. If the issue is his age, then they can use an anti-aging serum or a time capsule or mutant genetics to explain why he’s still alive. If the issue is a lack of diversity, then the X-Men have no shortage of non-white characters to use.

[khrisdrummond]

Here’s a question do we have to mention him as a Holocaust survivor. Can’t he just be a mutant revolutionary??

[Vegan Daddy]

If you don’t explore Magneto’s motivations and history then he’s just a generic mutant extremist. The problem is that everybody knows about Magneto because he’s in every X-Men movie. It’s just not interesting anymore. They need to shelve the character for a while and use other villains.

[Omega Alpha]

I think the main issue with Magneto being an Holocaust survivor is less age (he could have a healing factor that makes him look younger or something in that sense) and more "What the Hell he has been doing for 80 years?". But if Marvel is smart, perhaps it would be best to keep his origin a mystery, like The Joker in The Dark Knight, and when people ask him what's his real name, his origin, etc, he just says "My name is Magneto, and I'm a mutant".