In Claremont's X-Men run Magneto reformed and joined the X-Men ostensibly renouncing his old views about humanity and mutantkind being unable to co-exist peacefully and that humans were at their heart bad and would inevitably try to exterminate his people if he didn't act.

However much later on due to editorial mandates Magneto went back to being a bad guy (maybe 'bad guy' is too simplistic a term but you know what I mean, he was in the X-men's rogue's gallery again).

What I'd like to discuss boils down to two points


Firstly whether you liked it or not, whether you agree with it or not and regardless of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans that led to it, was Magneto's transition back into an antagonist figure for the X-Men organic and believable. As in you could read his character's history and the swing in that direction did make sense as opposed to being something like Cassie Cain's heel turn.

Secondly from a creative point of view in terms of the big picture of the X-Men franchise was the decision to transition him back into an antagonist a justified or necessary decision? Was it more additive (or at least theoretically additive) to the series as a whole than it was reductive?

To give my thoughts on the latter I think that in all honesty whilst Magneto as a more heroic figure was an interesting and even rewarding arc for his character that added a lot to the new Mutants and created some interesting dynamics with the individual team members it's one of those situations where you've told one interesting story at the expense of necessities of the series or genre.

That is to say that in any superhero series (which regardless of what a certain podcast claim, the X-Men are definitely among) you need villains and good villains are gold dust. Magneto being not just the best X-Men villain by leaps and bounds but the one of the best Marvel and comic book villains period. That same moral complexity and greyness that could allow the character to believably transition into a more heroic figure is also why he was so unique and potent as a antagonist figure or as a 'villain'. You understood where he was coming from and could sympathize even fi you didn't condone and his point of view provided an inherent ideological clash between himself and the X-Men, rendering their conflicts an ideological debate played out metaphorically through optic blasts and magnetism. I mean this is why McKellen's and Fassbender's renditions are so popular right?


I mean honestly what other truly great villains (or at least as good as magneto) did they have at the time where he transitioned back into being an antagonist? Apocalypse? Sinister? Shaw? Hardly guys who as charcters truly measure up to Mags.

I'm not saying making him a good guy sucked or that I don't enjoy it but looking at the bigger picture...I think it was actually a justified direction to take the character and franchise in.