8 Most Brutal Things Magneto Has Ever Done
Crazed, cruel, and clinical - and that's just on his good days!
In the pantheon of comic book history, few villains are as fascinating and unique as Magneto.
While there so many examples of bad guys just being bad guys for the sake of being bad guys, this long-time X-Men foe is a multi-layered, detailed character who can at times have a strong argument for being in the right. Sure, he's massively extreme in his approach for the most part, but deep down Magneto's intentions are to look after his mutant allies who are being victimised and ostracised by others.
Whether you know him as Erik Lehnsherr, Magnus, White King, Grey King, Erik the Red, White Pilgrim, The Creator, Michael Xavier, or simply just Magneto, the Master of Magnetism is an undeniable A-lister when it comes to comic book royalty.
It's often said there you can't have a truly great hero without having a great villain for them to face off against, and it's testament to the appeal and depth of Magneto that the X-Men have for so long been such a popular presence in the world of comics and pop culture.
But still, a villain's gotta villain - and in Magneto, we've got one of the most brutal in the business.
With that in mind, here are eight examples of Magneto at his brutal best.
8. The Paper Clip Trick - Collapse
Back in 2014, Marvel Comics made the call to once more give Magneto his own shiny new comic book title. Called simply Magneto (technically Vol. 3), the book centred on this multi-layered character and his battle for mutantkind - while also at times making him bear a passing resemblance to Michael Fassbender.
As we've seen over the decades, chaos and carnage often tend to follow Erik Lehnsherr wherever he goes. And this title was no different.
For poor Colton Hendry, he had a one-and-done appearance in Magneto #1's Collapse story. Targeted by a mutant hate group, Hendry is tortured and fitted with Sentinel-lite parts that turn him into some hybrid mutant murder machine.
Taking sorrow on Colton, Magneto puts him out of his misery and then readjusts his focus towards those responsible for this twisted act. That would be Dr. Elizabeth Alain, who initially refuses to spill the beans to Magneto on any and all heinous plans her and her cohorts may have.
In brutal fashion, the Master of Magnetism cuts Alain with a paper clip, which he then moves around her body as she screams in agony. Retaining the clinical edge he's so famous for, once he gets what he wants, Magneto ends up killing Alain by slicing her brain with said paper clip.