Changing Magneto's origin for the movies?

[Zero Hunter]

The rumors going around is that Marvel might change up Magento's origin when they use him in the movies. Some rumors are saying Giancarlo Esposito (from Breaking Bad) could be cast with Magneto being a survivor of the Rwandan genocide instead of the holocaust. The main point is the holocaust was so long ago now it is is getting harder and harder to have a character who was there without having to have the character be a very old man. People have been saying for a while resetting it his origin in Rwanda or Bosnia is the best solution without having to go dumb ideas like "he ages real slow" or "he was thrown forward in time" troupes.

I would be perfectly fine with changing his origin point because I think you could get the same impact by having him live through one of the more recent atrocities as from the holocaust, but I am curious what die hard fans on place like this message board would think if they changed it.

[Snoop Dogg]

well then it's not magneto

[Rivka]

well then it's not magneto

Well yeah, exactly. If they want to do that, create a Magneto-like mutant character with the brilliant Giancarlo who survives the Rwandan genocide (or with more complexity, was actually one of the children forced to kill their parents and neighbors using machetes, who now have to live with what the adults forced them to do), then Disney/Marvel should do that. But don't call him "Magneto" because it wouldn't be that character any longer. And the fact that Magneto does live longer isn't a "stupid" idea. In any case, there is a seriously messed-up tendency for media dealing with minority characters to try and answer calls for more diversity and representation not by creating a new character, but replacing an existing minority with another minority. They erase and replace and say, *See, look how diverse we are.* Like there can only be a quota, a certain number of minority or woman characters in this picture.

In any case, that wasn't a "rumor" it was someone suggesting Mr. Esposito for the role. Marvel Studios has been very clear about the X-Men: no decisions have been made about ANY of the characters, including who will appear, what they will look like, which stories will be adapted, etc. Keven Feige did have a meeting with Chris Claremont not long ago.

Magneto can definitely remain a Holocaust survivor in any film, and still be relevant in any modern movie, but Marvel Studios and Disney have not made any decisions. As I've said many times before, how can his origin be a "stretch" in a cinematic universe where there are living planets, talking raccoons, Norse gods, characters who can remake reality with the snap of his fingers, etc. etc.? Magneto's history is only a "problem" for people who don't want the Holocaust and the genocides of WWII to be talked about, who want these to be buried and forgotten.

In general, I wouldn't mind if Magneto and Xavier were kept in limbo for a number of years and first Disney/Marvel X-MEN films focused on a new set of iconic mutants instead.

[Silver Phoenix]

Magneto can definitely remain a Holocaust survivor in any film, and still be relevant in any modern movie, but Marvel Studios and Disney have not made any decisions. As I've said many times before, how can his origin be a "stretch" in a cinematic universe where there are living planets, talking raccoons, Norse gods, characters who can remake reality with the snap of his fingers, etc. etc.? Magneto's history is only a "problem" for people who don't want the Holocaust and the genocides of WWII to be talked about, who want these to be buried and forgotten.

This.... I agree, I feel Disney wants to disregard the whole holocaust backstory but that is what shaped Erik. I like Giancarlo and he does have the acting prowess to be Erik and even Charles if they wanted but he doesn't have to be either because there are enough characters for him to be.... Moses Magnum pops up in my head but why not Sinister? With makeup and prosthetics....

They have a blank slate to approach the X-corner of the MCU... if they want to use Magneto, they could portray him as an old recluse the government (SHIELD) is aware of but leave alone on his island (Avalon or Genosha).

[CRaymond]

well then it's not magneto

Is Red Son Superman, Superman?

I realize this is a can of worms. Is there a more appropriate analogy for the sake of discourse?

[Snoop Dogg]

Is Red Son Superman, Superman?

I realize this is a can of worms. Is there a more appropriate analogy for the sake of discourse?

AUs are AUs, but when they're doing these movies they try to capture key parts of the characters and their concepts, and ultimately exploring if Superman was not ingrained to American culture is not the same as taking the most popular character most associated with a specific historical event, and changing it for a movie that will define that character forever. The Holocaust is more important than his powers.

[WeirdSpider]

It's going to have to be changed unless you want to see the X-Men beating up an old man.

Magneto's backstory is great, but it creates huge problems in a universe with a sliding timeline. You could find a way to de-age him but I always thought that was goofy.

[Rivka]

It's going to have to be changed unless you want to see the X-Men beating up an old man.

Magneto's backstory is great, but it creates huge problems in a universe with a sliding timeline. You could find a way to de-age him but I always thought that was goofy.

How is that "goofy" in a universe with a talking raccoon, a flying norse god, or a mild mannered scientist who turns into a giant green monster when he gets angry? Again -- and I'm sorry to repeat myself -- but again, why does Magneto's WWII backstory (or Cap's for Peggy Carter's for that matter), pose a problem in the super hero science fiction often fantastical but grounded in reality Marvel Universe?

[CRaymond]

There’s a million ways to extend Magneto’s lifespan, or even extend the duration of Nazi death camps. It’s just a matter of adding another conceit to the character's backstory. Maybe Hydra put him in a Winter Soldier container until lil soldier Charlie X finds him.

[Glio]

HYDRA locked him in ice in the 60s to experiment with him and using that information is how they used the Mind Gem to empower Pietro and Wanda.

He managed to escape recently.

And that's it

[AJpyro]

Deaging devices are a thing.

[Grey]

I think changing it is probably a good idea.

I’m all for keeping as much accurate to the source material as possible but some things need to evolve if we want it to make sense in a modern story.

[MaximoffTrash]

With Captain America, the SSS is already kinda associated with slowed aging, and frozen in ice/Cryo-sleep is also a common trope that people who are familiar with fictions can accept.
I think most power tropes associate slow aging with healing powers, enhanced metabolics, etc.
But Magento belongs in that energy manipulation catergory that people don't often see as "slow aging" type, and he doesn't have a well-known time-skip event like Cap being frozen in ice, since that is the whole reason why Cap made into the modern world.

[MichelleDiMera]

Yeah I heard about this..look Magneto always seemed to be in line with Malcolm X struggle but it was Holocaust origin by Claremont that got ultra popular..you cant strip that away. There is a Magneto-like Black man in Wildstorm named Despot..but you cant just change his ethnic background this deep in the game.

I gotta say the OP just writing off the Holocaust and just attaching Magneto to a current genocide is extremely disrespectful to the plight of Holocaust survivors and the true evil of that timeframe in general. Kind of attitude that used to be around here when we had all those crybabies at Mike Carey for Legacy #249 when Magneto showed Rogue brought up a killing to get Rogue to understand why LeBeau was a "better man" and that kind of thing.

[mikelmcknight72]

How about saying that he ages slowly due to his mutation, either primary or secondary? Simple, straightforward, and maintains a very important part of his origin.