RICO'S
SUPERHERO
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Once a close friend of mutant mentor Charles Xavier, the genetic terrorist known as Magneto is now his deadliest foe. 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! Real
name: Magnus Height:
6'2" Weapons: Occasionally, Magneto has employed magnetically powered devices of his own design, such as a machine capable of inducing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions from afar. History: Long before he learned of his mutant powers, the charismatic subversive now known as Magneto felt the bitter sting of discrimination. He spent his youth interred at the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, Poland, and was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust. To Magnus, this experience bluntly and irrevocably demonstrated the potential for inhumanity of an intolerant majority. After World War II, Magnus married Magda, a Gypsy girl he had rescued from Auschwitz. Their first child, Anya, was born several years later. When a mob prevented the couple from rescuing their young daughter from a fire, Magnus lashed out with his fledgling mutant abilities. In a white-hot moment of rage and pain, he killed his attackers and several onlookers. A terrified Magda fled, never having revealed that she was pregnant. Arriving in Israel, Magnus worked as a volunteer orderly at a psychiatric hospital near Haifa that treated Holocaust survivors. There, he befriended Charles Xavier, a young mutant telepath. Xavier held fast to his optimistic belief that Homo sapiens and Homo superior could coexist, while Magnus foresaw mutants as the new minority to be persecuted for their differences. He desperately tried to share his friend's hope, however, even as his sanity slowly began to ebb. Eventually losing his grip, Magnus began planning his campaign against what he perceived to be the inferior species of man. He swore history would not repeat itself. Determined to conquer the human race and prevent the oppression of his kind, Magnus became known to the world as the genetic terrorist Magneto. Xavier's original students, the X-Men, thwarted his initial plot: the takeover of the Cape Citadel missile base. When next they clashed, Magneto had assembled the first Brotherhood of Evil Mutants -- which included Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Not until years later would Magneto learn they were his children. Rarely has Magneto hesitated to employ extreme tactics to enforce his misguided agenda. Still, certain missteps have caused him to question the morality of his chosen path. Battling Xavier's second team of X-Men, Magneto struck down the adolescent sprite known as Shadowcat. Shocked and dismayed by his own actions, he withdrew to Asteroid M, his space-borne fortress. Some time later, he surrendered himself to the law to stand trial for past deeds. A special tribunal of the International Court of Justice convened to judge him for crimes against humanity, but violence cut short the proceedings before a verdict could be reached. Meanwhile, an ailing Xavier pleaded with Magneto to assume control of his school and help guide the X-Men in his absence. Posing as Xavier's cousin, Magnus mentored the next generation of genetic heroes. But relations between the New Mutants and Magneto grew progressively worse, and they frequently disobeyed his orders -- resulting in the death of one of their own and pushing their teacher over the edge. Distraught over the pending Mutant Registration Act and dissatisfied with "Xavier's way," Magnus abandoned the team. Magneto attempted to follow his own path, but soon grew disgusted with the fight against anti-mutant bigotry. As before, he secluded himself on Asteroid M. Once again, Magneto became a "villain" in the world's eyes -- if not his own. Xavier remained hopeful that he could convince his old friend to set aside his extremist beliefs -- that is, until Magnus forcibly extracted the Adamantium implants grafted to the skeleton of the feral X-Man known as Wolverine. To Xavier, this act proved Magneto to be irredeemable. He telepathically lobotomized his one-time ally, temporarily rendering him a vegetable. After recuperating from the wounds inflicted by Xavier, Magneto launched perhaps his most ambitious offensive to date: Holding the planet hostage with its own magnetic field, he demanded a homeland where mutants could govern themselves. Ultimately, the United Nations conceded. Members hoped that by granting Magneto sovereignty over the African island of Genosha, where humans once enslaved mutants, he would withdraw from the world stage. Magneto managed to rebuild much of the war-torn country, elevating mutants to positions of power within the government and restricting the liberties of humans. At first forced to cope with civil war and the effects of the lethal Legacy Virus, the Master of Magnetism gained the might of a unified nation when a cure for the mutant plague was released into the atmosphere. Magneto proclaimed his intended dominance over mankind, and stood ready to unleash an entire nation of mutates upon the planet. His rallying point? Xavier's battered body, bound in the center of Magda Square, the very heart of Genosha. In the face of overwhelming odds, the X-Men narrowly averted the would-be conqueror's attempt to incite global genetic war. Magneto sustained grave injuries during the conflict. |
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