Changing Magneto's origin for the movies?

[MichelleDiMera]

For the sake of discourse, what about the Holocaust specifically informs Magneto’s character —aside from being a survivor of a genocide?

Huh? His parents and sister were GUNNED DOWN LIKE ANIMALS for not being blonde and blue eyed enough.

[MichelleDiMera]

Somewhat. Not all Jewish experiences are universal. Lucy mentioned the political betrayal from Magneto’s father following WWI which was important. European culture is different then than now.

Ultimate Magneto wasn’t a Holocaust survivor. I’m wondering what that portrayal lacked aside from the timestamp and trauma.

That's why Ultimate Magneto isnt the money maker and mainstream version of Magneto. He can be evil for no reason..the real Magneto survived humanity 's worst and used his powers to fight for mutantkind's survival no matter the means it took to get things done.

[MichelleDiMera]

I'm yet to see anyone providing a good reason the MCU needs to keep it.

Snark aside, I don't care either way, fans find all sorts of things 'essential' to a character, mostly that just means they like it for their own reasons. The list of characters who have had stuff changed that at one point would have been essential is too long to bother with.

Not that I know what the current status is, but the Vietnam War became an essential part of Punisher's character, at some point that will change (again, maybe it has). Personally, I feel that war is a crucial part of Forge as well, but again that is going to change, and the character will be as usable then as he is now as he was in the past.

Aside the fact that he is the biggest villain in Marvel history..the one who sold the most books, so he damn isnt someone that needs changing. You want to change Cyclops from being a boring pushover for Jean? Fine. He needs it. You want to make Emma "27" when she clearly is much older than that? Cool..she dont drive stories. You want to add the Phoenix entity to add power to Jean because she cant hack it against Stryfe, Exodus, or Sinister? Cool. You need to make Gambit a Sinister errand boy? Hooray. Magneto being the sole survivor of man's inhumanity to man is a untouchable iconic story that has proven that Magneto was right about the everyman time and again. You dont stab the X books in the heart.

[MichelleDiMera]

Out of curiosity, when did they become important?

The last 35 years...lol. Hilarious.

[CRaymond]

The last 35 years...lol. Hilarious.

Histrionics and chained replies aside, theres an obvious disconnect between what what I was asking and what is understood. Magneto was introduced 56 years ago. His iconic backstory was introduced years later.

[H-E-D]

I think they just need to stick some sort of Rip Van Winkle element into Mags backstory that they can infinitely expand for the sliding time-scale. Say Mr. Sinister put him in a stasis tube for X amount of years.

That's more a solution for the comics than the movies

[Tazpocalapse]

I hope they don't change his origin. The change i do see them making is perhaps to his age. They could at a little wrinkle that his mutation causes him to age slower than others. I like the idea of him being a secret Nazi hunter, sort of a urban myth of a man with strange abilities that has been tracking down former nazis and killing them. He then decides to move on to bigger things forming a brotherhood of mutants

[mugiwara]

At this point, there has been several possible reasons given for Magneto still being a holocaust survivor without sliding timescale.

*Something in his powers slowed his aging. Or maybe all mutants age slowly.

*He used his own genetic experiments to slow his adging.

*He was captured and put in stasis (by Sinister or somebody else) for X years before Xavier (or somebdoy else) found him.

*He is actually 90 but he or his daughter stole the super soldier serum and tinkered with it to make him young again.

*X-Men vs Magneto happened last century, but then some reality warper erased the mutants. Something in modern times triggers the apparition of a new generation of mutants.

Can we agree now that there is no need to change his background?

[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.

[Theleviathan]

At this point, there has been several possible reasons given for Magneto still being a holocaust survivor without sliding timescale.

*Something in his powers slowed his aging. Or maybe all mutants age slowly.

*He used his own genetic experiments to slow his adging.

*He was captured and put in stasis (by Sinister or somebody else) for X years before Xavier (or somebdoy else) found him.

*He is actually 90 but he or his daughter stole the super soldier serum and tinkered with it to make him young again.

*X-Men vs Magneto happened last century, but then some reality warper erased the mutants. Something in modern times triggers the apparition of a new generation of mutants.

Can we agree now that there is no need to change his background?

Those sound like comic book solutions. In a movie, a completely different medium, those solutions are less than ideal. And by that I mean they are unworkable. Thing is, as comic book fans, we often hold two very odd ideas at the same time: "Yay! Continuity! Things have to make sense!" and "I know these characters have been around 70 years, time is passing in their world, and yet I'll ignore how it doesn't actually pass in their world and the massive problem it is for continuity"

Movies don't have that luxury. The visual aspect will immediately make that look absurd. The truth is, while Magneto's origin and heritage are extremely important, we have to suspend a **** load of disbelief to even make that possible in the comics. It didn't work well in the Fox movies even with geriatric Magneto by McKellan. They will likely have to adjust it somehow or it won't work.

[Lucyinthesky]

The MCU already used stasis for the winter soldier movie and for Captain America so there´s no reason why it would not work for Magneto especially since Baron Von Strucker was introduced in the "Age of Ultron" movie and he was one of the Nazis Magneto fought in the comics as well as Hydra. I really don´t see any reason to change his origin when it can be easily explained by elements already introduced in the MCU.

[Vegeta]

Those sound like comic book solutions. In a movie, a completely different medium, those solutions are less than ideal. And by that I mean they are unworkable. Thing is, as comic book fans, we often hold two very odd ideas at the same time: "Yay! Continuity! Things have to make sense!" and "I know these characters have been around 70 years, time is passing in their world, and yet I'll ignore how it doesn't actually pass in their world and the massive problem it is for continuity"

Movies don't have that luxury. The visual aspect will immediately make that look absurd. The truth is, while Magneto's origin and heritage are extremely important, we have to suspend a **** load of disbelief to even make that possible in the comics. It didn't work well in the Fox movies even with geriatric Magneto by McKellan. They will likely have to adjust it somehow or it won't work.

Yeah, those silly Captain America films tried it twice and it NEVER worked. I remember audiences disappointedly walking out in droves the minute they showed Cap and Bucky walking around in present day. I can buy purple headed space aliens snapping their fingers to erase 50% of the galaxy, but not suspended animation.

[Theleviathan]

Yeah, those silly Captain America films tried it twice and it NEVER worked. I remember audiences disappointedly walking out in droves the minute they showed Cap and Bucky walking around in present day. I can buy purple headed space aliens snapping their fingers to erase 50% of the galaxy, but not suspended animation.

They didnt have to significantly alter either origin in those cases. Magneto's origin was actively involved in the world. Never frozen, regularly experiencing prejudice, etc.

Comparing Cap and Magneto is purposely ignoring that Cap had a built in fast forward that Magneto does not. And I'd argue Magneto's time between the holocaust and the modern world is essential also.

[Lucyinthesky]

They didnt have to significantly alter either origin in those cases. Magneto's origin was actively involved in the world. Never frozen, regularly experiencing prejudice, etc.

Comparing Cap and Magneto is purposely ignoring that Cap had a built in fast forward that Magneto does not. And I'd argue Magneto's time between the holocaust and the modern world is essential also.

Cap had that story built because marvel wanted to explain him being alive as well as his age in the modern MU too, now that I think about it Black Widow also had to be given an explanation for her age and Magneto situation is no different.

Magneto´s post Holocaust story had those important moments:

- Marriage with Magda, birth and death of Anya.

- Magneto goes to Israel: Magneto meets Baron Strucker and Xavier.

- Magneto nazi hunter years

I believe those moments can be kept, I would just change the order.

- Marriage with Magda, birth and death of Anya.

- Magneto in Israel:meets Baron Strucker.

- Magneto nazi hunter years (here he can be put in suspended animation)

- Magneto meets Xavier.

[Theleviathan]

Cap had that story built because marvel wanted to explain him being alive as well as his age in the modern MU too, now that I think about it Black Widow also had to be given an explanation for her age and Magneto situation is no different.

Magneto´s post Holocaust story had those important moments:

- Marriage with Magda, birth and death of Anya.

- Magneto goes to Israel: Magneto meets Baron Strucker and Xavier.

- Magneto nazi hunter years

I believe those moments can be kept, I would just change the order.

- Marriage with Magda, birth and death of Anya.

- Magneto in Israel:meets Baron Strucker.

- Magneto nazi hunter years (here he can be put in suspended animation)

- Magneto meets Xavier.

All fair, but there needs to be significant adjustment. Im not sure yours works, but it is a significant adjustment. Plus it has the heavily powered Magneto around in the MCU undetected for decades. That also requires significant adjustment.

As you note, a fast forward could (if mishandled) rob a lot of the value from the very origin people want to protect. Witnessing the build of a new prejudice in the populace and governments is part of his origin too.