Magneto is the master of magnetism. Ever since his inception in the 60s, this character has served as one of the greatest villains in all of Marvel comics. Battling the X-Men time and time again, Magneto wins his fair share of battles with the team. Throughout his long comic book saga, Magneto has been in some of the greatest X-Men stories. Due to his tragic past and complicated character history, many of these stories are a must-read, so pay attention.
Here are the top ten Magneto stories, ranked.
10 10. Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of Apocalypse miniseries, comic book fans got a rare glimpse at a more heroic Magneto. Set in a world where Charles Xavier was killed as a child, no X-Men team had been formed to stop the supervillain Apocalypse.
Instead of Xavier, Magneto is forced to create the X-Men. We see Magneto lead the team of mutants alongside his love interest, Rogue. This is one of the more popular versions of Magneto, and he serves as one of the best characters in the story.
9 9. The Trial of Magneto
Magneto's unfavorable views on humanity had begun to soften after many years. After teaming up with the X-Men for a short time, Magneto realized he had been wrong all along. In an attempt to right his many transgressions, the former mutant villain turned himself in to the authorities.
A lengthy trial ensued. In the end, all charges against him were dismissed. It was deemed that the old Magneto had died, and after his "rebirth," he had become a new, better man.
8 8. Magneto in the Savage Land
When a crazy woman named Zaladane steals Polaris and Magneto's powers, he travels to the Savage Land to get them back. Teaming up with Rogue, Ka-Zar, and Nick Fury, Magneto sets off to defeat this new enemy. In the end, he gets his powers back and executes Zaladane in revenge.
This story put Magneto in one of the more unique situations he's ever had to be in. Teaming up with not just an X-Man in Rogue, but also the secret agent Nick Fury and the Tarzan-archetype Ka-Zar. This story made for an exciting adventure and an interesting look at the character.
7 7. Fatal Attractions
During one of the X-Men's most intense conflicts with Magneto, Professor Xavier is forced to cross some lines he never imagined he could. Throughout the story, Magneto is responsible for thousands of deaths, all for his mutant vs humans crusade.
Towards the end of his battle with the X-Men, Magneto tears the adamantium skeleton out of Wolverine's body. After that, Xavier had enough. The X-Men leader completely wipes Magneto's mind, leaving him in a vegetative state.
6 6. Mutant Genesis
In Mutant Genesis, we get to see Magneto's team of Acolytes for the first time. He has returned after being gone for quite a while, and yet again proves to be one of the greatest villains in Marvel history. During this issue, we also begin to see how Magneto's powers are slowly driving him insane.
This three-issue arc also served as writer Chris Claremont's goodbye to the series. Claremont had been one of the most revolutionary X-Men writer's of all time. Without him, the team would not be as wildly popular as it is today.
5 5. Under a Volcano
The X-Men managed to fight their way into Magneto's volcanic base. After a long, strenuous battle, the base collapsed. With volcanic magma rapidly entering the base, the X-Men seemed to be very short on time. Beast and Jean Grey managed to escape. Wolverine, Colossus, Storm and the others, however, appeared to die.
Although they eventually came back, X-Men fans were lead to believe that most of the members of the team had died in that volcano. Because of that, this story helped establish how truly powerful and terrifying Magneto is. He is not an enemy to be trifled with.
4 4. Planet X
One of the X-Men's most trusted members, Xorn, is revealed to be none other than Magneto himself. The X-Men had thought that they had rescued Xorn from a Chinese prison, but it was all a ruse. Magneto had worked with the Chinese on an elaborate plan to infiltrate the X-Men's ranks.
At the time Magneto was thought to be dead, making this reveal all the more exciting. This story did a lot for the character's legacy, helping to establish his clever scheming and his ability to always stay a step ahead of the X-Men.
3 3. Magneto Testament
Marvel comics had long talked about Magneto's origins as a young Jew growing up in Nazi Germany. It wasn't until Magneto Testament that this story was fully explored. Other comics had attempted to cover this time in Magneto's life, but this was the one that fully captured the emotional resonance of his experiences.
Magneto was fully shaped into who he is by the Holocaust. Without this story, it's hard to fully understand who Magneto is.
2 2. Uncanny X-Men 150
Magneto gives the world an ultimatum: either give him total power or die. This message leads to a grand battle with the X-Men, which finishes in a very climactic moment.
Using a hyper-advanced computer to help enact his schemes, Magneto becomes furious when he sees that many of these machines are exploding. He is surprised to find the young X-Man Kitty Pryde is responsible. In a fit of rage, Magneto nearly kills her. Seeing the monster he has become, the mutant terrorist gives up, having lost all hope of his ability to lead the world into a better future.
1 1. God Loves, Man Kills
William Stryker is a government agent on a mission to murder all of the world's mutants. In an investigation of two mutant children who were murdered, Magneto discovers Stryker's plans. After teaming up with the X-Men, Magneto manages to help thwart his evil plans.
X2: X-Men United is perhaps the best X-Men movie that has ever been made. The story of this movie is closely based on the God Loves, Man Kills storyline. It shows the complexity of Magneto's stance on mutant human relations. Not everything is black and white.