He’s been called by many names -- Magnus, Erik Lehnsherr, Max Eisenhardt, even the White Pilgrim -- however, he is most well-known by the moniker Magneto. Back in 1975, Sir Paul McCartney even wrote a hit song about him! He is arguably one of the most nuanced characters in the Marvel Universe, straddling the line between outright villain and hero, maybe anti-hero. At times he’s been accused of being an extremist threatening the entire world, other times he’s found himself standing in Professor Xavier in caring for his young, student mutants.

Just about anyone who’s heard of him knows he’s famous for his complete mastery of magnetism and metal control. Longtime fans know that the depth of Magneto’s mutant biochemistry has given him a litany of other abilities as well. From sheer brain power to fighting skills, Magneto’s unique mutant anatomy has given him certain advantages that make him one of the most powerful and unstoppable mutants on Earth. He’s vanquished foes once believed to be invincible. Even without simple magnetic control to fall back on, his other mutant abilities make him a formidable opponent. It’s not hard to see why the X-Men, also possessing some of the most powerful mutants on the planet, find it so hard to keep him contained.

Throughout Marvel’s long history, Magneto has proven himself to be a remarkable work of mutant genetics. From his immunity to his electromagnetic vision to his ability to become invisible, here are 25 things you probably didn’t know about Magneto’s anatomy.

25 HE HAS VERY STRONG MUTANT GENES

The MCU has made no references to mutants and instead stated the Quicksilver’s and Scarlet Witch’s abilities are the product of experimentation. Now that Disney is acquiring Fox, we may see this expanded to reveal the twins' latent mutant genes.

In original Marvel lore, the twins are the gifted offspring of Magneto, using the name Magnus, and his then-wife Magda, now deceased. Magneto is also the absentee father of Lorna Dane, known as Polaris. She also shares her father’s magnetic abilities, although to a much lesser extent. His strong mutant genes ensure his children carry on his powerful legacy.

24 HE CAN MANIPULATE BLOOD IRON CONTENT

If you watched 2003’s X2: X-Men United, you witnessed Magneto utilize this ability to break out of his plastic prison. He was able to detect and then siphon enough iron content from a guard’s blood to use as small projectiles. He has used this ability in the comics as well.

Magneto once reversed the blood flow in the Avengers’ bodies, causing enough pain to immobilize them. He was able to accomplish this by sensing and manipulating the iron content in their blood. More famously, he once ripped the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton.

23 EXERTS CONTROL OVER ALL THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

Many fans fail to realize that Magneto’s mutant abilities are not limited to metal and magnetism. His body is a conduit and focal point for the entire electromagnetic spectrum. In the comics, whenever he utilizes these abilities, it takes a great toll on him physically.

Though tiring as it may be, Magneto can manipulate everything from microwaves, radio waves, x-rays, gamma rays, and ultraviolet rays. He has used these abilities to generate a substantial amount of heat as infrared radiation. He has even used these powers to reflect and divert radiation from a nuclear blast.

22 HIS EYES CAN SEE IN THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

His control over the electromagnetic spectrum also means he has the ability to visually perceive his surrounding via more than just one spectrum of light. He can see the electromagnetic aura of all living things; as well visualize the electromagnetic forces surrounding entire planets.

The United Nations once implemented a plan to use satellites to tilt the Earth’s electromagnetic field to hamper Magneto’s powers. Magneto was able to see this and unleashed an immense planet-wide electromagnetic pulse (EMP) to disable the satellites, as well as most electronic devices on the planet!

21 HE'S IMMUNE TO ROGUE'S POWERS

Rogue

This is an ability that is perplexing. Magneto’s biochemistry appears to be such that her power-siphoning mutant ability is negated when she touches him. How this occurs is unknown. She can’t touch her own child, part of her own DNA, yet she can touch Magneto.

In what can only be described as a lack of option for Rogue, she married Magneto during the Age of Apocalypse, despite the never-mentioned age difference (hey, whatever floats your boat). Their union, and his ability to control her powers, remains one of the long-lasting puzzles of the Marvel Universe.

20 HE CAN FLY

If you’ve watched any of the films, animated series, or read the comics, you know Magneto can fly. Did you know how? In the films, he normally used metal bracelets to control his movement through the air (you though his arms held outward were just to look cool, huh?). However, this is just to save energy.

He doesn’t need the bracelets. His body is so attuned to Earth’s magnetic field that he can glide along them as he pleases. Of course, it is much easier for him to use the bracelets.

19 HE CAN MANIPULATE GRAVITY ITSELF

Besides using his abilities to make himself fly, Magneto can also manipulate gravity for other people and things. By using a localized electromagnetic field, with reverse polarity from that of the Earth (of course), he can levitate objects and even other people.

He has frequently done this to the X-Men to stop them from interfering with him. When he was head of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters he used this talent during a mutant training session. He took on the New Mutants in the Danger Room and was able to repel Wolfsbane by reversing the gravity in the room.

18 HE CAN USE CEREBRO EFFECTIVELY

Whether it’s in the comics or in the films, it has been mentioned that Magneto is skilled in the use of Cerebro. He has used the power-focusing device to find many mutants at a great distance. This is similar to what other telepaths such as Professor Xavier and Jean Grey have done.

While Xavier and Grey are two of the most powerful telepathic mutants on the planet, Magneto’s skills are through his own meditation, training, and self-discipline. His strong willpower, combined with his mutant abilities, have allowed him to dull the telepathic powers of others.

17 HE CAN ASTRAL PROJECT

The ability to astral project is not something we’ve seen Magneto do in many years, or ever in the films. During his earliest appearances in the comics, he was known to send out astral projections of himself. Whether this ability stemmed from his skill as a self-trained telepath, or is somehow tied to his extensive mutant powers is unknown. One such example of this ability was many years ago when Magneto and Xavier became aware of the existence of Namor the Sub-Mariner. In an attempt to ascertain if he was a powerful mutant or not, Magneto sent an astral projection of himself to Atlantis to address the Atlanteans.

Magneto’s genetic mutation is truly extraordinary. It allows him to maintain a constant awareness of Earth’s magnetic field. This basically means he’s always aware of any and all magnetic forces around him as well as any subtle changes.

This could be said to be the basis for all his other abilities as it allows him to be aware of the surrounding forces at his disposal. After so many decades of Magneto having this perception, it persisted once even when his mutant abilities were believed to have been stripped from him. He was still aware of the link even though he lost his magnetic powers.

15 HE CAN CREATE WORMHOLES

As impressive as Magneto’s abilities are to watch on the big screen, we have yet to see the enormity of his powers as they have been demonstrated in the comics.

During the House of M story, Scarlet Witch became mentally unstable over the loss of her children. She started to restructure the very fabric of reality in order to bring them back. Sensing the disaster unfolding, Magneto harnessed his vast powers to open a wormhole to carry Scarlet Witch away. He has also been known to use this ability to a lesser extent to transport himself and others when needed.

14 HE CAN CREATE FORCE FIELDS

Demonstrated often in both the comics and on screen, Magneto’s force fields are pretty formidable. In the comics, they are some of the most impressive ever depicted, even strong enough to withstand a nuclear attack. If you think about it, he could use this ability to block medical treatments, cut off oxygen supply to enemies, or even cause the destruction of the planet if he wanted.

He even created a force field that withstood an attack from Galactus! It’s a good thing Magneto’s main goal is prosperity for all his fellow mutants and he’s not just some sociopath ... most of the time.

13 HE CAN REARRANGE MATTER

While his ability may not be on the grand scale of such powerful beings as Doctor Manhattan or the Molecule Man, his power to rearrange matter is pretty impressive. The first law of thermodynamics says that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be used to effect change on other matter. Magneto is able to manipulate the subatomic chemical composition of matter to achieve this feat.

It drains a lot of energy out of him to rearrange matter and he rarely does it. Though he’s got some lofty opinions of himself, Magneto is not inherently evil because such abilities left unchecked could basically render the user a god.

12 HE CAN RESIST TELEPATHY

Magneto is known as one of the most formidable adversaries throughout the Marvel Universe. His array of powers and physical abilities put at a level rarely seen. One such ability that has stymied the X-Men on numerous occasions is his resistance to telepathy and mind control.

Magneto’s close friend and sometimes-foe, Professor Xavier, has often found it difficult to enter his mind. While most believe Magneto’s resistance is due to his specially-made helmet, it is actually his determined force of will and presence of mind that makes him a hard target. Of course, to save from exerting mental energy, Magneto crafted his helmet to help to defend against mental attacks.

11 HE CAN MAKE HIMSELF INVISIBLE

Visible light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. As such, Magneto can warp it around his body as needed to render himself invisible. Well, not really invisible as some other beings can do, like Sue Storm.

He can use his abilities to make it seem like he’s invisible as he did in the Vision and Scarlet Witch mini-series. As long as you can’t see him, it counts. He rarely uses this ability as we all know Magneto prefers flare, dramatics, and to make an entrance.

10 CAN CREATE PHOTON ENERGY AND ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES

Being able to control magnetism is more extensive ability than most people think. The power extends far beyond simple magnets and metal. A popular misconception about Magneto is that he can only control electromagnetic energy that he can muster around him. This is not the case.

Magneto is able to generate electromagnetic energy out of his own body. He can use this ability to create powerful electromagnetic pulses (EMP) and even reduce energy down to photons. This ability took many years for Magneto to hone and master.

9 CAN USE ELECTROMAGNETISM TO BIOCHEMICALLY INDUCE MENTAL EFFECTS

As we’ve seen, Magneto can manipulate blood iron content to gain control of others. Living organisms have plenty of other electromagnetic biochemistry in their bodies, all subject to the whims of Magneto. On several occasions Magneto has used his powers to affect the neural chemistry of others for various outcomes.

He used this ability to great success once when he and his followers crashed the funeral of Illyana Rasputin. Not looking for a fight, Magneto seized the neural functions of the X-Men to prevent them from attacking. The X-Men were frozen and rendered helpless as Magneto said his peace.

8 HIS REACTION TIME IS BETTER THAN ANY HUMAN

While Magneto is nowhere near as fast as his son, Quicksilver, his unique biochemistry grants him a reaction time of about 15-times that of a normal human. This allows his body to channel his power through his body, augmenting his muscles and tendons, increasing reaction time, as well as strength and durability.

His grandson, dubbed Speed, as also inherited this ability thanks to Magneto’s powerful genes. The fact that Quicksilver is so fast could mean that Magneto’s genetic code has the potential for being a full-on speedster but has simply not been unlocked.

7 HE IS AN EXPERT IN HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT

Don’t be fooled, as extensive as Magneto’s mutant abilities may be, in hand-to-hand he is just as dangerous. He’s not only a skilled strategist and tactician, he is also a veteran. His military background allowed him to receive extensive training in physical combat.

Comic book readers have seen him dispatch many an opponent when the situation called for it. While Sir Ian McKellen has given a great portrayal of Magneto on the big screen, he was limited in being able to showcase his combat skill. Michael Fassbender, though portraying a younger version, has yet to really use his fists to dispatch a foe.

6 HE CAN DETECT AND READ MICRO-EXPRESSIONS

Micro-expressions are the voluntary and involuntary emotional responses that conflict with each other. This is basically where an individual very briefly displays their true emotions before rapidly concealing it with a false reaction. Experts say there are basically seven universal micro-expressions: disgust, anger, sadness, fear, surprise, contempt, and happiness.

Magneto is able to detect these quickly and read his opponents in most situations. This makes it very difficult to lie to or mislead Magneto as he is able to see through most deceptions rather quickly.