Highlights

  • Magneto, with his complex motivations, challenges fans' beliefs and stands out among Marvel villains.
  • Magneto's recent surge in popularity includes appearances in X-Men '97, Marvel Rivals, and Fortnite.
  • Magneto's future in the Marvel universe looks bright, with potential roles in upcoming games like Insomniac's Wolverine and X-Men.

The Marvel universe is filled with iconic characters, many of whom have only grown more popular with age thanks to new comic runs, movies, TV shows, and video game adaptations. The X-Men alone are packed to the brim with household names, and Magneto is the perfect example of a character who's only grown more popular over time, so much so that he's about to make his Fortnite debut.

First introduced all the way back in 1963's The X-Men #1, Magneto has been an adversary of the beloved superhero team since its conception. But while many Marvel villains of the time were rather simple evil archetypes, Magneto was made with the express purpose of challenging readers' beliefs, presenting a more complex adversary whose motivations are often very understandable. This complexity has been something that's set Magneto apart from the rest of the Marvel rogues gallery for decades now, and recently he's been getting the flowers he rightly deserves. Magneto is on a hot streak right now, one that's carried him all the way to Fortnite.

mcu future x-men 97
Related
The MCU's Future Needs To Be Modeled On X-Men '97

If Marvel Studios wants its X-Men reboot to succeed, it should model the film after the critically-acclaimed X-Men '97.

Magneto Remains An Iconic Face of Marvel in Gaming and Beyond

Magneto's On a Hot Streak

Back in March, Disney began to air X-Men '97, a long-awaited sequel to the classic X-Men: The Animated Series that originally premiered back in 1992. A 10-episode season, X-Men '97 is now regarded by many to be one of the best adaptations of the superhero team ever made, featuring some incredibly complex and mature arcs, along with some of the best depictions of these iconic characters. Magneto is one such character. Voiced by Matthew Waterson, X-Men '97's Magneto is charming, intimidating, and most importantly, understandable, leading to a very compelling performance and portrayal.

While X-Men '97 was airing, the 6v6 hero shooter Marvel Rivals was also undergoing its Alpha testing phase, where a select few got to play an early version of the multiplayer game. Playing very similarly to Overwatch, Marvel Rivals gives players an array of heroes and villains to choose from, each equipped with their own unique abilities and attacks. Donning the role of a Vanguard (Tank), Marvel Rivals' Magneto is a true force to be reckoned with in the arena, capable of launching metallic meteors and blocking oncoming projectiles with a literal iron curtain. Marvel Rivals' Magneto also boasts a powerful visual design, wearing bulky metallic armor that immediately conveys just how strong his abilities are.

Rounding out the character's hot streak, Magneto is also set to come to Fortnite very soon. A prominent part of this season's marketing, Magneto will appear in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3 as the Battle Pass' secret skin. This means that players won't be able to unlock the Magneto skin until July, but when they do, it'll also come with a LEGO variant of the post-apocalypse-inspired skin.

Magneto's Reign May Only Be Beginning

But Magneto's current hot streak might not be over just yet. Though it hasn't been confirmed yet, it's possible Magneto will play some sort of role in Insomniac's upcoming Marvel's Wolverine, whether it's as a prominent part of the game's story, or simply as a character who's referenced in some Easter eggs. Magneto's potential role in Wolverine could then pave the way for another appearance in the rumored Insomniac X-Men game, where he'd likely play a much larger role. Regardless of whether he appears in Insomniac's Marvel universe or not, Magneto's future as an X-Men icon seems brighter than ever.