WARNING: The following contains spoilers for SWORD #2 by Al Ewing, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia & VC's Ariana Maher, on sale now

The X-Men are full of former villains, who have moved past their darker sides to try and protect lives. But some figures have shifted back and forth from heroism and villainy, which could cause chaos during the current tumultuous times for the X-Men. This includes a powerful member of the Quiet Council who has their own personal history of being a global threat -- and could become one again.

During a conversation with Fabian Cortez during the chaos of King in Black, Magneto seems receptive to the idea of making new rules to deal with humanity -- which could portend his eventual return to villainy.

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Magneto's distrust of humanity has been an ever-present factor for the character, setting him up as the ultimate opposite of Charles Xavier and his hopes for unity between humanity and mutant-kind. This hate has even led him to lash out at humanity and risk the world multiple times, leading him to become a villain in the eyes of many. Even when Magneto has worked with the X-Men, he's been distant and dismissive of regular humans. That attitude has maintained during the era of Krakoa, with Magneto increasingly unimpressed with the best humanity can offer while doing his best to maintain the peace and ensure that Krakoa remains safe and independent. But these ideals have also been tested, such as when Xavier was shot dead by an assassin squad sent to Krakoa all the way back in X-Force #1.

Now, his frustrations may be reaching a tipping point during the events of King in Black. With most of the world overrun with symbiotes, Magneto and Xavier have been reluctant to send any more reinforcements out of fear that Knull's grasp will extend and further endanger Krakoa. This may have been a good call, as it takes all the mutants present to protect Krakoa itself, with the real threat appearing in the form of corrupted mutants who can pass through the Krakoa Gates like Cable. During the battle, Fabian Cortez -- who has been calling on the Quiet Council to hear his thoughts on human/mutant relations and how to treat the "flatscans" -- proves crucial to empowering Sunfire and pushing back the Symbiote assault.

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SWORD Abigail Brand Magneto Manifold

Cortez previously served under Magneto and helped push his more violent ideals against humanity. It's unlikely Cortez has anything good to suggest about human/mutant relationships, and would more likely push Magneto down a dark path he's long overcome. By pointing out that it's likely a human who brought the forces of Knull onto the Earth, Cortez seems to strike a chord with Magneto. Magneto agrees to arrange a meeting with Cortez and the Quiet Council to discuss "national policy" when contending with humanity. Another former Acylote, Frenzy, sees this meeting and sadly notes that it could be "history repeating" itself.

With the Quiet Council fractured and the future of the X-Men up in the air thanks to the upcoming elections for the group's membership, this is the worst time for Magneto to be entertaining thoughts about turning against humanity. Doing so could change the trajectory of Krakoa's future and set it up to become dangerously separated from humanity -- only spurring on more conflict. Hopefully, cooler heads prevail and are able to reach through to Magneto before the future of Krakoa takes a dangerous turn towards the past and Magneto fully breaks bad again.

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