“He believes humans will tear themselves apart”: Beau DeMayo Might Have Made Magneto Much Scarier Than Thanos in X-Men ‘97 and Episode 9 is the Proof
Before X-Men ‘97 arrived on the scene, the true glory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe shone the brightest when the phases culminated in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. With a villain as menacing as Thanos, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes banded together to stop him from executing his master plan.
The question that now arises is whether Marvel will be able to replicate that grandeur and success in their upcoming phases. The animated show X-Men ‘97 has done a splendid job of igniting nostalgia and reviving love for the mutant team of heroes. With the finale of the show set to premiere soon, excitement among the fandom is through the roof.
X-Men ‘97 Settles Magneto’s Belief Debate
There has been a long-standing debate among the X-Men fandom on whether Magneto’s beliefs are in the right direction or not. Being one of the most powerful mutants in the universe, he has often been portrayed as a conflicted person who is capable of great change. The central point of contention between him and Charles Xavier was also their difference in beliefs when it came to mutants’ relationship with humanity.
In the last few episodes of X-Men ‘97, we saw Bastion awakening his army of human sentinels that are made to fight the mutants with powers similar to theirs. Magneto always believed that if given a chance, humans would exterminate all mutants from the planet to remain the dominant species on Earth.
Magneto believes humans will tear themselves apart while mutants and their powers help them survive or come to Asteroid M. In fact, he would argue mutants could finally take over the world House of M style since humans would be dependent on their powers to survive.
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) May 10, 2024
Given his past experiences in the Holocaust and other tragedies he faced while growing up, Magneto knows the true potential of humans and wants to have an upper hand as a mutant. Xavier, on the other hand, believes in peaceful coexistence. This is another reason why ex-showrunner Beau DeMayo has been widely appreciated as he has covered all bases and charted out a more detailed storyline for major characters.
While there were times when Magneto gave in to his friend’s incessant convincing and did some good for humanity, he never got his fair share of gratitude or recognition. From getting arrested by the UN in X-Men ‘97 to facing the trial that got interrupted by attackers, he has always faced hatred and despise from humans, so why should he use his superior mutant powers to help puny humans?
Magneto Leaves Thanos Behind to be the Scariest Villain
Taking a cue from the event Fatal Attractions from the comics, episode 9 of the animated show X-Men ‘97 strengthens Magneto’s position as the big bad villain yet again. Not only does he easily defeat the beloved hero Wolverine by taking out his Adamantium skeleton, but Magneto messes with the magnetic pulse on Earth and renders the planet in a blackout state.
With all modern tech and advancements rendered useless, humans are left with no healthcare support. They are perceptible to dying horrible deaths and unlike the blip caused by Thanos, they won’t be coming back.
When Thanos snapped his fingers and wiped out half of the planet’s population, the Avengers united to reverse the damage and did everything in their power to bring the blipped people back. However, Magneto’s actions have far-reaching complications and the added downside that the people who will die will not return. Although he does so to depower the sentinels, ultimately the satellites are impacted and electricity from the entire planet goes out.
The finale episode of X-Men ’97 will air on 15th May 2024 on Disney+.
