10 Most Brutal Comic Book Villains
5. Magneto
Of all of the characters featured in this article, Magneto is likely the most complicated and multi-layered of the bunch. For while the Master of Magnetism has at times been a hero and an ally of the X-Men, he has carried out some unspeakable acts during his days as a full-on villain.
Even when Magneto is classified as a villain within the pages of Marvel Comics, there is so often good intentions behind his actions. At the crux of it, Erik Lehnsherr wants the best for all his mutant brothers and sister.
It's just that Erik has the habit of going extreme in his methods to obtain this equality.
For example, Dr. Elizabeth Alain infamously met her demise after Lehnsherr placed a humble paperclip into her skin, and the proceeded to agonisingly manipulate the clip through her body until she finally succumbed to the Grim Reaper.
Of course, one person who has particularly ran afoul of Magneto is (yet again!) Wolverine - for the sheer fact that Logan has more often than not had an adamantium skeleton.
On that front, 1993's Fatal Attractions arc was a majorly painful time for Wolvie, for that tale saw Magneto gruesomely pull that adamantium skeleton out of Wolverine's body.
Other notable acts of depravity from Magneto include snapping the neck of Professor X, cutting off Scalphunter's arms and legs, ripping Apocalypse in half, and killing his own son, Quicksilver.