Do You Consider Magneto A Hero Or Villain?

[The Whovian]

Not in regards to the rest of the MU, but to the X-Men? I know the rest of the MU will always look at him as a villain, but in your eyes, is he a hero or villain to the X-Men?

[nnelg]

Most of my life he has been a villain. Or at the very least opposed to the X-men. I think he shouldn't be a X-man. He should have his own team. A brotherhood maybe. But he doesn't need to be a villain. Just not on the X-men.

[The Whovian]

Most of my life he has been a villain. Or at the very least opposed to the X-men. I think he shouldn't be a X-man. He should have his own team. A brotherhood maybe. But he doesn't need to be a villain. Just not on the X-men.

I get that. I actually can see both sides of the argument. Growing up, he was the X-Men's ultimate villain. And yet, you could see a slimmer of hope and good in his heart. Xavier always thought so. I like him better as a hero and even though I don't agree with all of his tactics and deeds, I do think he's been a hero to them more than he's been a villain.

That's just my opinion though, and like I said, I can see both sides of the coin.

[magnuskn]

Hero. Then again, my favorite version of him was Headmaster Michael Xavier. A few of the lesser writers have written him as purely evil since then and I think he is better as a grey character who tends towards heroism.

[Tycon]

I think he's much more complicated to be placed within the confines of "hero" and "villain" identities. He isn't the conventional "hero" but that doesn't mean he twirls his mustache and kills people for fun (at least after he stopped calling his group the "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants". Magneto truly cares for his race and will do anything to ensure their survival. This is why he sided with Cyclops because he chose the side that would most benefit mutantkind. But....I guess if he had to be enclosed in this completely character-demeaning identity....then.....hero? He wants equality between mutants and humans, even if he isn't afraid to lash out if he is being treated as anything lower than an equal.

[akiresu_]

Yeah, not that simple. Which is what makes him engaging as either antagonist or protagonist.

[t hedge coke]

Mass murderer. Conqueror of innocent nations posing no threat to him. Tortured innocent people. Fond of enslaving.

Versus what?

That time he didn't murder a fourteen year old mutant girl? That he held a teaching position for twenty issues of New Mutants?

[nx01a]

When he isn't murdering thousands across the planet by warping its EM field? Hero. It takes a lot of forgetting to even begin to rationalize Magneto as a hero. The man's body count of innocents is staggering. He's gone from stock villain to noble antihero to psychotic mass murderer over the decades. As he is written now, I'd have to choose 'hero'.

[Michael Watkins]

he has been both. he is both.

[lollie_poppy]

He started his career as a villain, the changed to hero then reversed back to villain and like that many times. Right now? He's one of the good guys. He's an anti-hero with a terrible reputation and serious anger managment problems, he's also a bit sadist and kind of a jerk, but well his life has been a great tragedy too so it doesn't come as a surprise he's so messed up, I really think he has PTSD.

He needs people that can keep him in check, making sure his doesn't go around loosing his temper and hurting/killing others, I think he also knows this, this is something that has been playing around on UXM vol 4 with Psylocke. I personally think that his daughter would be really great for this, Briar also coud work, maybe the O5 in Blue who knows...

[Wiccan]

Anti-villain.

[Kusanagi]

Both. His goals for mutantkind sometime put him on the heroes side, sometimes it puts him on the villains side.

Usually when things are desperate for mutant kind his extreme actions are seen as more justifiable, while in more stable times he comes off as a terrorist.

[electr1cgoblin]

I have not followed the X books since the Whedon run, but from what I've read it seems they want to have him continually toe the line between hero and villain. I think adding a third option to the poll would be appropriate.

[Tazpocalapse]

I consider him a victim of circumstances that fights for what he envisions as the best course for his people, mainly mutants but not all.I think he is a symbol for the saying. One mans terrorist is another freedom fighter.

[t hedge coke]

One mans terrorist is another freedom fighter.

When has Magneto ever given anyone their freedom? Magneto has been, canon, a slave-maker and slave owner.

Just to reiterate, since mass murder and conquest of nations doesn't seem to be enough: Slave owner.