Marvel Needs To Stop Wasting Magneto As An X-Men Hero

Marvel’s #1 Priority in 2026 Is Simple: Stop Wasting This A-List Character

Uncanny Avengers roster featuring X-Men and Avengers heroes

By Ambrose Tardive Published 23 minutes ago Ambrose Tardive is an editor on ScreenRant's Comics team. Over the past two years, he has developed into the internet's foremost authority on The Far Side. Outside of his work for ScreenRant, Ambrose works as an Adjunct English Instructor. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

2025 was a down year for Magneto, and Marvel needs to prioritize giving the Master of Magnetism a vital role to play in the X-Men franchise once more in 2026. Moreover, it needs to do so without reverting him back to villain status, no matter how tempting it is, after his hard-earned redemption.

This year, Magneto's stock fell, so to speak, but he is still one of Marvel's most recognizable A-list characters, and with an expected MCU revival on the way, Marvel needs to give Magneto something better to do.

Magneto's eyes shine as he uses his power in Marvel Comics

2025 largely sidelined Magneto as a hero; now, diehard X-Men fans are waiting to find out if a bounceback year is coming.

Magneto's Death And Resurrection Set Him Up As A Franchise Player For X-Men, But He's Been Sidelined Since

Marvel Said Magneto Was The Future, But Hasn't Acted Like It

To understand why 2025 was underwhelming for Magneto, it's important to know what he's gone through the past few years. The X-Men franchise's Krakoan Era, which began in 2019, solidified his heroic status after years of back-and-forth. The conceit of Krakoa, at least at the onset, was mutantkind united, forcing them to face greater threats.

Magneto's Krakoan arc culminated in his death and resurrection. The Resurrection of Magneto miniseries was a strong start to 2024 for the character. It seemed to double down on Magneto as a hero, and a pivotal player in today's X-Men comics, when it didn't necessarily have to. Meaning, Magneto could have stayed dead.

One of the key takeaways from the end of the Krakoan Era storyline was that Professor Charles Xavier represented X-Men's past. As Xavier's longtime friend, and oftentime adversary, the same could have been said of Magneto. Instead, Marvel positioned him as part of the future of the franchise, a promise it hasn't followed through on.

Magneto Was Largely A Secondary Player For Marvel In 2025, After Years Of Being An A-Lister

Fans Are Impatient With Magneto's "Slow Burn" Plot In Current X-Men Lore

x-men's magneto in floating wheelchair

When X-Men soft rebooted in 2024, following up Krakoa's conclusion with the "From the Ashes" era, Magneto returned in a version of Professor X's hover wheelchair, casting him as an analog, or stand-in for Xavier. In retrospect, it was the first sign that Marvel didn't know what to do with Magneto in this new franchise paradigm.

Or, perhaps, that Marvel's X-Office has long-term plans for Magneto, which has meant letting the character simmer on the back-burner for most of 2025. Magneto's wheelchair-bound status is the result of "Resurrection-Linked Degenerative Sickness," a consequence of his revival. This plot has developed patiently in the current flagship X-Men title. However, slow-burn storytelling isn't the issue.

What has Marvel fans concerned about Magneto's current trajectory is the way he's largely been sidelined as a member of Cyclops' Alaskan contingent of X-Men. Resurrection of Magneto seemed to confirm he was finally ready to be a leader for the X-Men, cleansed of the sins of his past. Except Marvel hasn't embraced that, yet.

Magneto Is Overdue For A Solo Series; Marvel Should Give Him One In 2026

The Master Of Magnetism Deserves The Spotlight

Magneto crushes helmet while Xavier and Destiny watch on Lucas Werneck’s Immortal X-Men #1 cover art

Marvel has already announced a wave of solo titles for X-Men heroes in 2026, most notably a Cyclops series that fans have wanted for years. Though there's nothing official on the slate yet, Magneto is a top candidate to receive his own title, either limited or ongoing, sometime in the next year.

Even at the height of the Krakoan Era, Magneto did not receive his own solo book. 2022's Trial of Magneto miniseries revolved around him, and while 2024's Resurrection of Magneto was important to his overall character arc, its central character was another X-Men stalwart, Storm. Readers have to go back to 2014-2015 for the Master of Magnetism's last extended solo series.

As for how Magneto is ending 2025, though? Dead, once more. The current Age of Revelation crossover, set a decade into Marvel's future, dispatched him early on. It's expected that his X-Men arc will pick up again next year after the crossover ends, and Marvel fans are begging the publisher for some serious forward momentum in the "Resurrection-Linked Degenerative Sickness" storyline.

Marvel Must Resist The Temptation To Turn Magneto Back Into A Bad Guy

The Legendary Villain Deserves A Shot At Being A Legitimate Hero

x-men's magneto seething with power

The consensus among X-Men readers seems to be that whatever Marvel does with Magneto in 2025, he shouldn't be turned back into a villain. It's a move that seems inevitable, making it akin to a "Sword of Damocles" hanging over fans' heads. And if Marvel really doesn't know how to proceed with a heroic Magneto, it will happen sooner rather than later.

Magneto ranks among the greatest supervillains of all time, not just Marvel Comics. He's iconic as a bad guy. Still, his character trended in a heroic direction for decades before being cemented as one of the good guys over the last several years. A quick "heel turn" would be whiplash-inducing for readers who have grown to love Magneto as a protagonist.

Marvel can dip into the past to make Magneto a villain again, of course, but moving forward, it needs to focus on finding ways to maximize his heroic potential. Marvel didn't exactly pull this off in 2025, after setting a high bar the previous few years, and now fans are ready for Magneto to make a triumphant comeback to the center stage.

X-Men 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) First Film X-Men (2000) 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) 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

Expand Collapse

Comics

Follow Followed Like Share Facebook X WhatsApp Threads Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Copy link Email Close Thread Sign in to your ScreenRant account

We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.

Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.

Your comment has not been saved

Send confirmation email

This thread is open for discussion.

Be the first to post your thoughts.