There have been a few glimpses of the X-Men across the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019 and consequently the rights to the mutants franchise. Although the crossover of Magneto, Professor X and the gang with the MCU’s intricate web of characters has been long coveted by Marvel Comics fans, there is understandable general anxiety about how Kevin Feige is planning to make it all happen.
Despite the Evan Peters tease in WandaVision, the surprise Sir Patrick Stewart cameo in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness, and the reveal that Ms. Marvel’s Kamala Khan is actually a mutant, there is little information about whether fans should expect the return of the original cast of the X-Men live-action franchise, or prepare for a selective or complete recasting. Regardless of who will play who, fans’ biggest request is that everyone’s backstories are portrayed with respect.
One particularly sensitive character origin is that of Magneto — played by Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender in the previous iterations of the character. As a Holocaust survivor, Magneto’s backstory is one of the hardest-hitting, but also most important in the Marvel Universe, making fans reasonably apprehensive about the MCU possibly fumbling it all up.
One X-Men fan took to Reddit to share his feelings, saying that “If they butcher Magneto’s backstory I will sink into a pit of disappointment and despair for the worlds future.” User morphius183 then goes on to explain how crucial it is that the MCU maintains Magneto’s Jewish roots, and explains how writers could swerve age-related storytelling issues.
A different post also elaborates on this age issue, seeing as making Magneto a Holocaust survivor, in a linear narrative, would make him almost 90 years old in the MCU present and could be used as an excuse to erase that aspect of his childhood.
“There are a million ways Marvel could tie MCU Magneto’s story to the Holocaust without an ‘age problem’,” user pachakutiqoulson argues. “Magneto could be young and have no connection to the Holocaust other than as a source of anger,” is one, or maybe he could be “could be the son or even grandson of a Holocaust survivor.” Magneto could even be driven “by a different Jewish tragedy,” or simply have access to “slow-aging tech.”
These are only some of the solutions offered up by Magneto fans, who believe altering or completely erasing the character’s ties to antisemitic violence would be “grossly insensitive” and a “huge mistake.” Some have already concocted storylines for Magneto that perfectly incorporates his World War II past, so detailed any Marvel writer would be jealous.
As X-Men’s official debut in the MCU remains an event placed in an unknown future, theories will be all fans have to cling to for a bit, but at least that means they can avoid possible disappointment for a while longer.