Magneto

Magneto is the X-Men's oldest and arguably greatest villain. He was the first threat the young team faced, and has been knocking heads with them ever since. The self-anointed Master of Magnetism has dedicated his life to the advancement of Homo superior, even if he must bring about humanity's downfall to ensure the ascendance of mutantkind. Arguably the most powerful man on Earth, Magneto believes that mutants represent the next step in human evolution... and he's grown weary of waiting for Homo sapiens to cede control of the planet! Magneto is a mutant with the ability to shape and manipulate magnetic fields, both natural and artificial. Using his powers to augment his strength, he can lift up to 100 tons. Magneto also possesses minor psychic skills, such as the ability to create a mental barrier against psionic attack and read minds on a basic level. It's actually just a question of ideals; while Xavier has taught his students to work toward peaceful coexistence, Magneto foresees a world where mutants are the dominant species. As a survivor of the Nazis' concentration camps, he is all too familiar with man's cruelty toward those they label "different." Like most of the Marvel Legends, this isn't the first time Magneto's had an action figure. He was in the very first series of X-Men toys ever (in 1991), with magnets in his hands and chest that allowed his accessories (and any stray paperclips) to cling to him. Briefly. The magnets were pretty weak. And before that, he was in the 1984 Secret Wars line! Standing more than 6½" tall, Magneto fits in nicely with the rest of the Legends, and with good reason: his body is just a recycled Iron Man. He's got all the same articulation, with a few added bits to hide the transition. It isn't terrible, and got a new figure on the shelves, so we can't really fault them. At least it looks good. Iron Man's boots and gloves have been replaced, the hip pods removed, and the circle on his chest pulled out. Magneto has an added cape and his chest armor, complete with giant rivets. To conceal Iron Man's belt, ToyBiz gave Mags a ridiculous purple strip. Why they couldn't have just painted the belt that was there purple, I have no idea. His head is all-new, with a wicked scowl and slicked-back hair. While his melon may be a bit small, that's only to accomodate his removable helmet. The figure was sculpted by Dave Cortes. If Professor X is mutantkind's Martin Luther King, Magneto is its Malcom X. He didn't land on Plymouth Rock, he levitated it out of the ground and threw it at a police car. Like the rest of the Marvel Legends, Magneto comes with a detailed base. His depicts the shattered remanants of a Sentinel head, its gears and wires spilling forth. Between this and the hand that will come with ML4 Gambit, we're well on our way to a great battle scene. Magneto comes with a reproduction of X-Men #2. Drawn by Jim Lee, this is part of the spin-off/relaunch that tore through sales charts in 1990. It shows off Magneto's powers, as well as giving some insight to his history and character. Being one of the first comics I read, it also brings back a slew of memories. -- 03/09/03

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