One of the most interesting and unique villains in the Marvel comics canon, Magneto, is a hot topic for discussion as to how the character’s grim origins should be handled in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Erik Lehnsherr was revealed in Chris Claremont’s comic runs to be a Holocaust survivor whose experiences around segregation, genocide, and the war itself led him to develop a more cavalier and aggressive attitude towards mutant rights. Heavily inspired by real-life figures such as Menachem Begin, and later by Malcom X, Magneto’s characterization is arguably the most nuanced in Marvel Comics canon.
So, how exactly do you adapt such a character into a world like the MCU in which the Holocaust, Nazis, and real-world events are scarcely touched upon, let alone genocide? Should Magneto still be a Holocaust survivor in a universe set in the 2020s?
Debate has erupted on /r/MarvelStudios over that very point, and one plucky poster has said they could update the character’s origins to be about more contemporary events like the Rwandan genocide or Darfur.
Replacing the Holocaust with another genocide is a very, very sensitive topic. There’s definitely something in that idea, but fellow fans are not entirely convinced it’s the best idea. One commenter says that you wouldn’t change the important history around T’Challa (based in the 1970s Black Panther movement) or Shang-Chi, for example.
One fix proposed is that the mutant gene in the MCU causes aging to slow considerably, so Erik could still be a Holocaust survivor that’s over 100 years old, and still look young: not too dissimilar to how Bucky is still alive due to… science?
A good example of altering comic origins to suit the modern day came recently with The Punisher series. Even in modern Marvel comic canon, Frank Castle was a Vietnam War veteran. How does that work in 2022? Well, he made a deal with the devil. But in the Netflix series, he’s an Afghanistan War veteran. It completely works for the point of his character, and updates him suitably.
One commenter did agree with the take, though, with them believing that as long as the core of Magneto coming from atrocities he’s experienced, the character is still the character.
One of the most impactful scenes in superhero cinema came from 2000’s X-Men. The first scene of the movie isn’t fun, it isn’t comedic, it isn’t anything but horrifying. Showing Erik’s Holocaust past gives you a perfect understanding of who he is. Is there even any other setting that is as effective and harrowing to set up an apparent villain?