Iconic X-Men villain-turned-ally Magneto has a dark new design, as the Master of Magnetism suits up against a terrifying threat that touches every mutant life on the planet. Armored up and stripped of his traditional colors, Magneto is working with some surprising allies.

Debuting in 1963, Magneto was originally a classic megalomaniacal supervillain in the mold of Loki or the Red Skull. Later stories reinvented him as a far more sympathetic and layered character – one whose tragic past motivates him to reject humanity and embrace mutant supremacy.

In recent decades, Magneto has been far more ally than enemy to the X-Men, coming to see the error of his ways and the importance of standing together against larger threats. But even with that attitude, Magneto never expected what was coming next for mutants…

Magneto Enters Marvel’s Mutant vs Vampire War

On October 7, Marvel will launch its new Midnight imprint, creating a whole new continuity where classic superheroes are combined with classic monsters and dark horror themes. Coming from Joanthan Hickman, Matteo Della Fonte, Matt Hollingsworth and Cory Petit, Midnight: X-Men will confront homo superior with a vampiric army in the ultimate battle for survival.

Now, fans have their first clue as to how Magneto will fit into that battle. A newly revealed variant cover by Alessandro Cappuccio shows a bearded Magneto in chrome/white armor, holding up an arsenal of metallic spheres with his powers. In the background, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver attend their onetime father, who looks as dangerous as he ever has.

How Will Magneto Fit into X-Men’s New Power Struggle?

Midnight: X-Men will depict a war between multiple factions, including Cyclops’ mutant X-Men and a group known as the ’empyres’ – mutants who have been turned into vampires, but aren’t allied with the traditional armies of the undead. It’s possible the empyres will be led by Storm, with variant covers implying Iceman and Gambit will be among their numbers.

Meanwhile, Cyclops is now known as ‘Cyclops: Vampire Hunter,’ and will work alongside Nightcrawler to battle for survival. Now, it seems Magneto will also fight for mutants, being one of the few characters not depicted as a vampire in Marvel’s preparatory art. Indeed, picturing Magneto in full armor and with his family suggests he may even constitute a faction in his own right – the group being known as the ‘House of M’ in some continuities.

Midnight: X-Men writer Jonathan Hickman is known for morally dubious characters and multi-faction conflicts, so fans can expect Magneto to have a key role in this new reimagining of X-Men lore.

X-Men Unleashes a Dark Family Reunion

While Alessandro Cappuccio’s art seems to imply Magneto will fight against the vampires and empyres, it raises a new question. While Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were once believed to be Magneto’s children, that hasn’t been the case since 2014, when Scarlet Witch’s magic revealed there is no biological link between Magneto and the twins.

Indeed, the pair aren’t even mutants, but rather genetically altered humans whose powers come from the experiments of the High Evolutionary. That makes it particularly unusual that, in a conflict defined by species loyalties, Pietro and Wanda would find themselves working with Magneto.

Is Midnight: X-Men set in a world where Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver never learned the truth, or is there another reason for them to work with their ‘father’ against the vampires and empyres? Could Scarlet Witch’s seeming costume change to a darker color provide any clues to this unusual alliance, implying that the vampire/empyre war has upset the rules of magic?

As an Omega-level mutant with near-total control over magetism, Magneto will likely be a prime mover in Midnight: X-Men – fans only have to imagine a rain of stakes with metal tips to imagine how influential he could be in this conflict… and how deadly he’ll be to the X-Men if either of the undead factions manage to recruit him to their cause.

Midnight: X-Men #1 is coming October 7.

Movie(s)

X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

TV Show(s)

X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men ’97 (2024)

Video Game(s)

X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine’s Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)

First Film

X-Men (2000)

Character(s)

Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23

Comic Release Date

213035,212968