Real name: Magnus (possibly not his real name, rest of name unrevealed)
Other aliases: (former) The Creator, Eric Magnus Lehnsherr, Michael Xavier, White Pilgrim
Identity: Secret
Occupation: (current) Revolutionary and conqueror, (former) Volunteer orderly, secret agent, adventurer, teacher of the New Mutants
Legal status: Criminal record in the United States, later overturned by the courts; still wanted internationally as an outlaw
Place of birth: Unrevealed, probably somewhere in Northern Europe
Marital status: Widower
Known relatives: Magda (wife, presumed deceased), Anya (daughter, deceased), Wanda Maximoff (the Scarlet Witch, daughter), Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver, son), Crystal (daughter-in-law), Luna (granddaughter)
Base of operations: (current) Unrevealed, (former) Asteroid M; various hidden bases on Earth including one in Antarctica; an island in the Bermuda Triangle; Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York
Group affiliation: (current) None, (former) Brotherhood of Evil Mutants I and II, X-Men, teacher of the New Mutants, Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club, leader of the Acolytes
First appearance: X-MEN (first series) #1

History: 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, who was determined to conquer the human race to prevent their oppression of mutants. 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. Moreover, although the X-Men had come to believe that Magneto was really a man named Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, it was revealed that Lehnsherr was a false identity Magneto had assumed to conceal his true identity. The real identities of both Magneto and Joseph still remain mysteries at this time.

Height: 6 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 190 lbs.
Eyes: Blue-gray
Hair: White
Other Distinguishing Features: Magneto has been literally rejuvenated by Alpha the Ultimate Mutant, so that despite his much greater chronological age, he appears still to be a relatively young man.

Strength Level: Magneto can use his magnetic powers to increase his physical strength up through Class 100 (the ability to lift over 100 tons).

Known Superhuman Powers: Magneto is a mutant with the superhuman power to control magnetism. He can shape and manipulate magnetic fields that exist naturally or artificially. It is unclear, however, whether he must draw magnetic force from outside himself (if so, then he can do so over vast distances), or whether he can also generate magnetic force from within himself. Nor is it clear whether Magneto's power is psionic or purely physiological in nature.

Although Magneto's power is not on the level of the Silver Surfer in his prime, it is for all practical purposes limitless. Even before his rejuvenation, Magneto once liEed a cargo freighter weighing 30,000 tons 50 feet into the air from a distance of 300 feet away. 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 erec! magnetic force fields with a high degree of impenetrability around himself for protection. Although Magneto often gestures when using his magnetic powers, he can utilize them fully even when standing totally still merely by concentrating.

Although Magneto's primary power is magnetism, he seems to have some ability to project or manipulate any form of energy that is related to magnetism. In the past he has fired a bolt of electricity, he has also created enough intense heat to destroy a metal door. Heat, or infrared radiation, is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which also includes visible light, radio waves, ultraviolet light, gamma-rays, and x-rays. Magneto may be able to project any of these. He has also been shown creating an anti-gravity field, and presumably does so whenever he levitates a non-magnetic object. Hence, Magneto may be living proof of the longsought Unified Field Theory that all forms of energy are related. However, Magneto almost always uses only magnetism, so perhaps it is more difficult for him to manipulate other forms of energy.

In previous years Magneto has apparently exhibited powers of astral projection and telepathy, and has claimed to be able to control the minds of others. His abilities along these lines are minimal, however-enough, perhaps, to protect himself against mightier telepaths, but not of great use otherwise.

Magneto's ability to wield his superhuman powers effectively is dependent upon his physical condition. When severely injured, his body is unable to withstand the strain of manipulating groat amounts of magnetic forces.

Abilities: Magneto is an expert on genetic manipulation and engineering, with knowledge far beyond that of contemporary science. He may be a genius in these fields. He can mutate humans in order to give them superhuman powers, or create adult clones of human beings and then manipulate the genetic structure of these clones during their development (see Savage Land Mutates). From Maelstrom's records and equipment he has learned how to create artificial living beings.

Magneto has mastered many technological fields as well: for example, he has designed magnetically-powered skycraft and spacecraft, complex robots and computers, and magnetically-powered generators.

Magneto has only a rudimentary knowledge of hand-to-hand combat.

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.

NOTE: Ian McKellen played him in X-Men the movies.