10 Best Magneto Moments
5. Poland 1944 - X-Men / X-Men: First Class
The prologue to the franchise, the very first scene of the very first film (both in release order and chronological order) sees a young Erik Lehnsherr after being taken to Nazi concentration camp, discovering his powers for the first time.
The Nazi troopers separate him from his parents, and Erik subsequently screams in anguish, his hand outstretched, with several troopers trying and failing to wrestle him to the floor. His angst comes out in the form of magnetism, as he wrenches a metal gate out of shape as Nazis look on, astounded.
Adding to the drama of the scene is the pathetic fallacy in the torrential rain, and the melancholy of the background score.
This scene is so central to Magneto's story, so impactful in its nature, that it appeared twice - both in the original 2000 X-Men, and the 2011 prequel, X-Men: First Class. Its impact was not lost over time, and it is one of the most dramatic and gritty scenes in the franchise.