Magneto

The man now known as Magnus spent his early teens imprisoned with his family at the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, Poland. The only member of his family to survive the camp, Magnus here learned how brutally human beings could treat minorities whom they considered different. After World War II Magnus married a woman named Magda and they had a daughter, Anya. When a mob prevented Magnus from rescuing Anya from dying in a fire, he used his powers to destroy them all in revenge.

Terrified by her husband's powers and threats of vengeance against humanity, Magda fled, never having revealed to him that she was pregnant. She apparently died soon after giving birth to twins, Wanda and Pietro.

Eventually Magnus went to Israel, where he worked as a volunteer orderly at a psychiatric hospital and where he first met and became friends with Charles Xavier. Magnus and Xavier frequently debated the subject of mutants' coexistence with the rest of humanity. After the two men joined forces to rescue their friend Gabrielle Haller from Baron Strucker and his Hydra agents, Magnus left for parts unknown. After being betrayed by the intelligence agents with whom he worked, Magnus began planning his campaign against the human race.

Years later Magnus reemerged as Magneto, determined to conquer the human race to prevent their oppression of mutants as the self-proclaimed savior of mutantkind. Xavier's original team of X-Men thwarted his first public move in his war with humanity, the takeover of the Cape Citadel missile base. When they next clashed, Magneto was leading his original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, which included Wanda and Pietro, now known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Not until years later would Magneto learn that they were actually his children. At one point Magneto genetically engineered a being called Alpha the Ultimate Mutant, who rebelled against him and turned Magneto back into an infant. Xavier gave the baby into the care of his colleague Moira MacTaggert, who tampered with the infant's mind in the hope that he would grow up to become a better man. Years later Davan Shakari, alias Eric the Red, an agent of the alien Shi'ar, transformed Magneto back into an adult, albeit one younger than before. Magneto thereafter had a series of battles with Xavier's new team of X-Men.

Eventually, however, MacTaggert's manipulation of his mind had a delayed effect. Magneto underwent a crisis of conscience, gave up his plans of world conquest, and became the X-Men's ally. When he found himself dying, Xavier asked Magneto to take over his School for Gifted Youngsters. Xavier was then taken into outer space to be healed by Shi'ar science, and Magneto became the mentor of Xavier's latest group of students, the New Mutants.

In time, though, Magneto's former personality slowly began to return. He abandoned the New Mutants and allied himself with the X-Men's foes in the Hellfire Club. He and the X-Man Rogue for a time developed a close relationship in the Savage Land. Ultimately, Magneto renewed his war with the human race and the X-Men, and gathered about him a new team of mutant underlings, the Acolytes, who virtually worshipped him.

In his last battle with the X-Men, Magneto used his powers to extract the adamantium molecules from Wolverine's skeleton, causing him tremendous agony. Infuriated, Xavier used his mental powers to shut down Magneto's mind. For a time the Acolytes cared for Magneto at their orbiting base, but when it was destroyed, Magneto returned to Earth.

Subsequently, an amnesiac man appeared who called himself Joseph, possessed powers over magnetism, and looked like Magneto would if he were still in his twenties. He joined the X-Men, who believed him to be Magneto, somehow rejuvenated and reformed. Joseph himself came to believe he was Magneto, until the real Magneto reappeared and began his campaign of terror against the human race anew. Magneto has also claimed that his real name is not Erik Lensherr.

Magneto was given rulership of Genosha. However, after the Legacy Virus was cured, Magneto sought to raise an army of millions of mutants. Jean Grey formed an interim X-Men team that was barely able stop him, with Wolverine again striking a critical blow.

Magneto was still wheelchair-bound when new Sentinels attacked Genosha. While he was believed dead an impostor wreaked havoc in New York City. Unknown to the public, Magneto eventually found his way out of the rubble and was apparently contacted by Xavier. The two sought to help rebuild Genosha, but the Scarlet Witch's loss of her grip on reality caused Magneto to come to her aid.

Arguably the most powerful man on the planet, Magneto is a mutant with the superhuman power of magnetokinesis. He can shape and manipulate magnetic fields that exist naturally or artificially, allowing him to lift and move heavy objects, control ferrous particles in the atmosphere, and even alter the Earth's magnetic field. It is unclear, however, whether he must draw magnetic force from outside himself (if so, then he can do so over vast distances). With the primal forces of nature at his command, Magneto has stopped armies, moved mountains and threatened to devastate the world with apocalypitc floods and earthquakes. Magneto once blanketed half the globe with a self-generated electromagnetic pulse that caused widespread devasation. Moreover, Magneto can use his magnetic powers in more than one way simultaneously. He can completely assemble a complicated machine within seconds through his powers. He can erect magnetic force fields with a high degree of impenetrability protecting himself or others from almost any psionic, energy, or physical attack. Although Magneto often gestures when using his magnetic powers, he can utilize them fully even when standing totally still merely by concentrating.

Magneto is a genius within various scientific fields. He is an expert on genetic manipulation and engineering, with knowledge far beyond that of contemporary science. He can mutate humans in order to give them superhuman powers, or create adult clones of human beings and then manipulate the genetic structures of these clones during their development. He has created artificial living beings, designed magnetically-powered skycraft and spacecraft, complex robots and computers, and magnetically-powered generators.

Magneto is a skilled strategist and has more than a rudimentary knowledge of hand-to-hand combat.

Force Fields / Magnetokinesis /

Weapons

Magneto relies primarily on his own natural powers, although sometimes he has used magnetically-powered devices of his own design, such as his machine for inducing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions from afar. Magneto used to use mechanical devices for magnifying his own powers, but since his rejuvenation he no longer needs them.

Magneto is an expert on genetic manipulation and engineering, with knowledge far beyond that of contemporary science. He is considered to be a genius within various scientific fields. He can mutate humans in order to give them superhuman powers, or create adult clones of human beings and then manipulate the genetic structures of these clones during their development. He has created artificial living beings, designed magnetically-powered skycraft and spacecraft, complex robots and computers, and magnetically-powered generators.

Equipment

Magneto's suit is made of flexible metal bonded on the molecular level, providing protection against projectiles, energy weapons, and concussive force; his helmet also provides further protection from psionic attack.