Magneto has been many things in his long life. A terrorist. A statesman. A member of the X-Men, and their greatest enemy. Newly resurrected during the Fall of the House of X storyline, he was swiftly brought into the battle against Orchis. Yet the Master of Magnetism can’t help but wonder what sort of man has returned from the grave and what limits he has left.
Resurrection of Magneto #4 by Al Ewing and Luciano Vecchio finds the Magnetic Mutant leading an attack on an Orchis concentration camp. Unsurprisingly, the raid raises mixed feelings in Max Eisenhart. While he has no qualms about killing the Orchis soldiers, he does wonder about his legacy. Specifically, if he can truly claim to be a good man given his actions.
The question of morality arises again later as Magneto faces one of a new breed of Sentinel. As he battles the giant robot, he sees a boat full of civilians in harms way. He identifies them as activists who were trying to expose the crimes of Orchis to the world. Since they are not Mutants, they should be safe, as the Sentinels are normally not programmed to harm humans. However, this Sentinel is apparently determined to kill everyone, Human and Mutant, who is in the vicinity of the jailbreak.
Magneto Chooses Life over Revenge
Magneto briefly ponders the irony of the Sentinels, meant to be the guardians of humanity, turning upon the humans fighting against them. He does not ponder this long, however, before placing himself between the Sentinel and the helpless activists. It is not a matter of defending humans who do not hate Mutants, or the enemy of his enemy. It is a matter of preserving life.
In that moment, Magneto discovers his limits and what he will and will not do with his new life. While he may not fully agree with Charles Xavier, he asserts a similar respect for the sanctity of life his oldest friend encouraged. This suggests a new Magneto, truly redeemed and reformed.
Resurrection of Magneto #4 is now available online and in comic shops everywhere.
