this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2024
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[–] UnderpantsWeevil 53 points 2 months ago (4 children)

The problem with Magento as a character is that he's portrayed as Malcolm X in his rhetoric, but as Dr. Strangelove in his technique. The number of times Magneto has tried to engage in Uno-Reverse Genocide - reprogramming Sentinels, reverse engineering killer viruses, rebounding mind control, redirecting asteroids and bombs aimed at his friends back towards civilian non-mutant areas, reversing the magic ray that strips you of your mutant abilities so that it gives them to you instead - makes him deeply unsympathetic simply because this shit never actually works and typically turns him the poster child for "Why All Mutants Must Be Exterminated!" rhetoric works on the non-mutant population.

Say what you will about Malcolm X, but he never tried to brainwash the LAPD into killing all the white people.

[–] Woht24 25 points 2 months ago

Say what you will about Malcolm X, but he never tried to brainwash the LAPD into killing all the white people.

That was Malcolm's first mistake, his second was dying.

[–] pingveno 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think if Magneto was written in the present age, he would have been written without the mustache twirling aspect. It has become much more popular to portray both antagonists and protagonists with more depth and grey areas. For that matter, we saw it in some of the recent X-Men movies.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I think if Magneto was written in the present age, he would have been written without the mustache twirling aspect

Depends on who writes him. The modern Marvel Cinematic Universe has more than its fair share of mustache twirlers.

For that matter, we saw it in some of the recent X-Men movies.

Eh. I don't think they ever topped the original. Ian McCallen was in peak form.

[–] Dasus 4 points 2 months ago

Ian McCallen

Sorry to be pedantic, but a great man deserves it; it's Sir Ian McKellen

[–] pingveno 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Depends on who writes him. The modern Marvel Cinematic Universe has more than its fair share of mustache twirlers.

Sure, I'm talking general trends.

  • Black Panther's Killmonger: Saw injustice against Black people and how Wakanda was doing little to stop it.
  • Thanos: Motive changed from trying to impress Death (the Marvel entity) to watching his home planet of Titan starve to death from overpopulation, leading to killing half of life.
  • Scarlet Witch: Mom misses her husband/kids!
  • He-Who-Remains: Sure he kept a timeline devouring monster at the end of time, but it's for the greater good!
[–] UnderpantsWeevil 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'll spot you Scarlet Witch, who is more the victim of her own despair than a sincere villain. But Killmonger's regicide and subsequent civil war never seem to do more than satisfy his own ego. Thanos is even worse. I almost prefer the incel-esque literally horny for death motivations over the dime-store eugenics.

I'll spot you that they're more well-spoken. They sound sophisticated in their delivery, rather than like some cackling madman a la Skeletor or Ming the Merciless. But then you stop to think about what they're actually doing, and its just tying damsels to the railroad tracks on a grander scale.

[–] Dasus 4 points 2 months ago

I almost prefer the incel-esque literally horny for death motivations over the dime-store eugenics.

That's a great sentence.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago
[–] ZMoney 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm wondering whether Magneto ever did something analagous to a hajj like Malcolm X did. It radically altered his views. I would imagine if Magneto did this there would be some deus ex machina to set him back to genocide.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil 1 points 2 months ago

He got brain swapped with Professor X back in the 90s, giving birth to Evil Xavier (Onslaught) and Good Guy Magneto.