There are few people on the Earth more powerful than Magneto. Magneto is an Omega class mutant, with the kind of power that can end human civilization if he ever had a mind to do so. Marvel is full of powerful heroes and villains but Magneto's magnetic powers are next level. Even teams like the Avengers have fallen to Magneto. Over the years, he's been a hero and a villain, so he's fought all kinds of enemies and won a lot of battles.
He's also lost a lot as well, including to some heroes who most people would have thought he'd easily defeat. But in the world of comics, victory is rarely assured to anyone, no matter how imbalanced a battle might seem to be.
10 Wolverine Has Beaten Magneto On His Own, Surprisingly
Wolverine is one of the most dangerous mutants on the planet but his adamantium skeleton has made him a liability in battles against Magneto. There have been numerous examples of this over the years but the most infamous was the time Magneto ripped the adamantium off of Wolverine's skeleton. That hasn't stopped Wolverine from fighting Magneto and getting some wins over him, though.
He was most efficient against Magneto in "The Magneto War," when his lack of adamantium helped in the fight. In the inaugural Ultimate X-Men story, "The Tomorrow People," Wolverine was able to get the drop on Magneto and injure him badly, giving Professor X a chance to use his powers on him.
9 Ultimate Cyclops Ended The Threat Of Magneto In Ultimatum
The heroes of the Ultimate Universe were sometimes tougher than their 616 counterparts, but Ultimate Cyclops was pretty much the same. Of course, saying that means that Ultimate Cyclops was pretty tough and he proved it many times over his life. One of the biggest indications of this was in Ultimatum. Magneto had wrecked the entire world, forcing the remaining heroes to try and defeat him.
Magneto was making short work of everyone, even killing Wolverine, when Ultimate Cyclops stepped up and ended the fight, putting Magneto down. He would end Magneto's rampage once and for all, killing him.
8 Northstar Didn't Take Kindly To Magneto Threatening His Husband
The Krakoa Era has been full of surprises and one of the biggest came in X-Men: Trial Of Magneto. At one point, Magneto threatened Kyle, Northstar's human husband who lived on Krakoa. This didn't sit well with Northstar. Not long after, Northstar had some words for Magneto, as well as some superspeed punches.
Magneto can beat just about anyone when he's ready for them but he wasn't at all prepared for Northstar's attack. Northstar gave Magneto a beating that few were able to and it proved the magnetic master was fallible.
7 Joseph Was Built To Be More Powerful Than Magneto
The mystery of Joseph played out throughout late-'90s X-Men titles. At first, everyone just thought he was Magneto, somehow recovered from his mindwipe but still an amnesiac. When it was later revealed that Magneto was back and secretly preparing to attack the X-Men, fans didn't know what to make of Joseph.
"The Magneto War" revealed that Joseph was a clone of Magneto, created by Astra. In the story, Joseph was able to beat Magneto but Magneto got revenge and was able to get his win back. Joseph ended up dying in the battle but he still got a win against his villainous DNA donor.
6 Psylocke & Magneto Came To Blows And Psylocke Won
After the death of Cyclops, Psylocke and Magneto formed their own band of X-Men when the rest of the team decamped to Limbo to escape the Terrigen Mists. The two worked well together for a time but eventually their animosity towards each other came to a head. They had a showdown that ended very badly for Magneto.
Even with his telepathy blocking helmet, Psylocke was able to outfight him and beat him. Magneto somehow survived the fight, despite being stabbed in the chest.
5 Namor Beat Magneto Instead Of Joining The Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants
When Charles Xavier and Magneto realized that Namor was a mutant, they both decided to try and recruit him. This led to both the X-Men and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants getting a beating from the King of Atlantis. At first, Namor thought the Brotherhood would be the best place for him and fought the X-Men but after Magneto's arrogance rubbed him the wrong way, he decided to teach the magnetic mutant a lesson.
Namor was able to run through the entire Brotherhood, including Magneto. Namor's strength and durability allowed him to outlast Magneto's attacks and take him down, before leaving so he could figure out new ways to attack the surface world.
4 Captain America Has Singlehandedly Beat Magneto
Captain America probably shouldn't be able to beat Magneto but nobody told the characters' creator Jack Kirby that. Writing and drawing Captain America in the late '70s, Kirby pitted Magneto and Captain America against each other in the comic's annual. The super soldier and the mutant master of magnetism tussled and while the fight was interrupted, Cap was getting the best of Magneto.
Since then, Cap has taken beatings from Magneto and helped beat him, but it was most impressive that he was able to not only survive a solo battle against him but also basically win it.
3 Rogue & Magneto Have Fought Several Times And She's Won
Rogue and Magneto have had an interesting relationship over the years. Magneto was one of the few people who could actually touch Rogue because of his powers and that meant there was a degree of tenderness between them. They were still on different sides of things, though, and the two have fought.
While Rogue hasn't always the won these fights, as sometimes her affection for Magneto got in the way, other times her titanic strength and speed have allowed her to win those fights. Rogue is a very powerful mutant and her skill level has allowed her to beat Magneto several times.
2 Quicksilver Has Smacked Magneto Around When He Had To
Magneto's relationship with Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch is one of the most storied in Marvel history. Throughout that time, Magneto and Quicksilver have clashed many times, whether it be as antagonistic teammates or those times when Quicksilver battled Magneto as a hero. Quicksilver's speed, while on the lower end of Marvel's speedsters, has allowed him to take down Magneto several times.
The times Quicksilver beat Magneto were highly dependent on Magneto not expecting Quicksilver's attacks. Quicksilver has been fast enough to get the drop on the mutant he thought was his father several times, proving that the most powerful opponent doesn't always win.
1 Iron Man Has Paradoxically Been Able To Beat Magneto
Iron Man is known for his different specialty armors, but they all have one thing in common: They're all made of metal. This should allow Magneto to make short work of Iron Man but Iron Man has modified his armor so Magneto's powers wouldn't work against him. Now, this hasn't stopped Magneto from defeating Iron Man but it has meant that Iron Man has actually beat Magneto.
This is pretty surprising and usually says more about Magneto's restraint than Iron Man's skill; Magneto can pull all the metal out of everything around him and use it as a weapon. Basically, Iron Man only beats Magneto because Magneto decides not to go all out. A win's a win, though.