Magneto Names the 1 X-Men Hero He Truly Respects And the 1 He Never Will

Marvel Comics Published Sep 5, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Magneto has been around for the entirety of the X-Men’s existence, with Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman, and Angel battling him during their first mission in 1963’s The X-Men #1. As the Master of Magnetism, the man also known as Max Eisenhardt and Erik Lensherr has given the superhero team some of their greatest challenges over the decades in his efforts to protect mutantkind from human oppression and other threats. At the same time, Magneto has also been an ally to the X-Men on many occasions and even led the team. In other words, Magneto’s dynamic with the X-Men is complicated, including his relationships with specific members. Despite their ideological differences and frequently-clashing views on how to help their fellow mutants, Magneto’s friendship with Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, runs deep, making the times they are at odds with each other all the more tragic. Now, Magneto has confirmed another popular X-Men hero he truly respects, but this also came with him naming one whom he despises wholeheartedly. Marvel · Mutant Profile Which X-Men Character Are You? “Mutation: it is the key to our evolution.” 🐺 Wolverine The Loner 🧠 Professor X The Visionary 🧲 Magneto The Survivor ACTIVATE CEREBRO → 01 Humans discover your mutant abilities. What do you do? ADisappear. Go off the grid before anyone can come after me — I don’t owe them an explanation BReach out calmly and try to have a dialogue — fear comes from misunderstanding, and I can help bridge that gap CMake a show of strength — they need to understand that mutants will not be hunted or controlled, ever NEXT → 02 Anti-mutant protesters surround a school full of young mutants. What’s your first move? AGet between the kids and the mob. If anyone raises a hand, they answer to me BAddress the crowd telepathically or publicly — show them the children are just scared kids, not threats CEvacuate the children to safety, then make the protesters deeply regret their choices NEXT → 03 A team of mutants needs a leader for a dangerous mission. What role do you naturally fall into? AI work alone, but I’ll take point — someone’s gotta make sure nobody gets killed BI coordinate the team, play to each person’s strengths, and keep morale steady CI lead from the front — my vision, my plan, my responsibility if it fails NEXT → 04 A powerful mutant threatens innocent humans. How do you respond? APut them down fast — talk later. Innocent people don’t have time for a debate BTry to reach them mentally — understand why they’re doing this and find a peaceful resolution COffer them a place at my side — their power is wasted on chaos when it could serve a greater cause NEXT → 05 A human politician offers to champion mutant rights — but has a shady past. What do you do? AGive them a chance — people can change, and this alliance could mean real progress for coexistence BI don’t trust politicians. Watch them closely, and the second they betray us, I’ll be right there CUse them — let them think they’re in charge while I control the narrative from behind the scenes NEXT → 06 What’s your biggest flaw? AI push people away — I’d rather be alone than risk losing someone I care about BI’m too idealistic — I keep believing in people even when the evidence says I shouldn’t CMy anger — once I commit to a path, I’ll burn everything down before I admit I was wrong NEXT → 07 Sentinels are hunting mutants in your city. What’s your move? AHunt the hunters — tear them apart before they find anyone else BCoordinate an underground network to hide and protect every mutant in the area CSeize control of the Sentinels — turn the weapons of oppression into instruments of liberation NEXT → 08 What do you believe about coexistence between humans and mutants? ACoexistence is a fantasy. Humans will always fear what they can’t control — mutants must secure their own future BI don’t care about the big picture — I protect the people I care about, and everyone else can sort themselves out CIt’s possible and worth fighting for — the dream of a world where humans and mutants live in peace is everything REVEAL MY MUTANT IDENTITY → Cerebro Scan Complete Your X-Men Identity 🐺 Wolverine (Logan) “I’m the best there is at what I do. But what I do best isn’t very nice.” You’re the fierce loner who acts first and philosophises later — but beneath that adamantium-plated exterior beats a heart that cares far more than you’d ever admit. You’ve been burned enough times to distrust the world, so you keep people at arm’s length, yet you’d throw yourself into any fight to protect the ones who slip past your defences. You don’t need a cause or a manifesto — you just need someone worth fighting for. Like Logan, your greatest strength isn’t your claws or your healing factor; it’s the stubborn refusal to let the people you love face danger alone.Fierce Protective Resilient Untamed 🧠 Professor X (Charles Xavier) “Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.” You’re the visionary who sees the best in everyone — even when the world gives you every reason not to. Your greatest power isn’t telepathy; it’s an unshakeable belief that understanding and compassion can bridge any divide. You lead not through force but through hope, building bridges where others build walls. Some call you naive, but you know that real strength lies in extending a hand to your enemy. Like Charles Xavier, you carry the weight of a dream that most consider impossible, and you refuse to let it die.Visionary Empathetic Diplomatic Hopeful 🧲 Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) “Peace was never an option.” You’re the survivor who learned the hardest lesson life has to offer: the world will not protect you, so you must protect yourself. Your conviction is unbreakable and your patience is terrifying — you’ll wait years to set the right plan in motion. You don’t hate humanity; you simply refuse to let your people be victims ever again. Every action you take, no matter how ruthless, is driven by a profound love for those who share your struggle. Like Erik Lehnsherr, you are both revolutionary and tragic — a leader forged in pain who will bend the world before it bends you.Resolute Strategic Ruthless Unyielding ↻ PLAY AGAIN Magneto Truly Respects Cyclops, But He’ll Never Respect Wolverine Marvel Comics X-Men: Omega Red Dawn #1, which collects X-Men Infinity Comic (2026) #1-10, sees the team pursuing Omega Red after he kidnaps Professor X. Despite Magneto not being officially affiliated with the X-Men in the story, he nonetheless joins them in this globe-trotting mission to both rescue his longtime friend and save the world from a chemical attack Omega Red unleashes that spreads rage and violence. The X-Men and Magneto ultimately achieve both objectives, and before the latter leaves, he has some parting words with Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops. Despite Cyclops admitting he still doesn’t trust Magneto, and Magneto admitting he would have killed him and the rest of the X-Men had they “moved to murder Charles in orbit,” the two part on relatively good terms. As he’s flying away, Magneto states that while they “will never share trust,” Cyclops will always have his “respect” because of how much he cares for Xavier as a father figure. On the other hand, Erik clearly doesn’t feel the same way about Wolverine, as he continually refers to him as a “dog” throughout this issue. Magneto Usually Has A Higher Opinion of Wolverine The events of X-Men: Omega Red Dawn #1 play out like an X-Men story from an older era, where Magneto is usually one of the X-Men’s greatest enemies, but is nonetheless willing to help them out upon learning that Professor X is in grave danger from a particularly malevolent foe. This disconnect with the current X-Men continuity is noticeable in the way he treats Wolverine with such contempt, as well as with Cyclops’ distrusting view of Magneto. Granted, in the case of Magneto and Wolverine, these two have always had a contentious relationship. This is arguably best demonstrated by when Magneto ripped the adamanitum off Wolverine’s skeleton in the “Fatal Attractions” storyline. Years later, Wolverine finally got back at him in the series X-Men: The Trial of Magneto when he used himself as a distraction so that his son Daken could sneakily stab Magneto with his non-metal-coated claws. Wolverine even once pulled a gun on Magneto in a story set in the "Days of Future Past" reality. However, while there’s no love lost between these two characters, that doesn’t mean the latter has never shown the former any respect. In fact, right before committing his shocking act in "Fatal Attractions," Erik described Logan as “his most respected foe.” In 2011’s Uncanny X-Force #9, he even hired Wolverine to kill a Nazi who was seemingly present at his imprisonment at Auschwitz during World War II. As such, Magneto’s repeatedly insulting Wolverine in X-Men: Omega Red Dawn #1 doesn’t mesh well with the respect that’s been shown previously. Cyclops’ Feelings Towards Magneto Don’t Line Up With Current Lore Marvel Comics As for Magneto and Cyclops, these two sharing expressing a degree of admiration for each other is nothing new. For example, in 2024’s X-Men #7, Magneto told Cyclops that he makes a better leader for the X-Men than Wolverine because he has the drive to complete his missions and objectives within his limited lifespan, whereas Wolverine is “functionally immortal.” Scott also demonstrated Magneto-like behavior earlier this year X-Men United #1, and on several other occasions, with their ideology overlapping more than the early X-Men days. So for Scott to say that he’ll never trust Erik is far from the truth, especially when it comes to the main Marvel continuity. Although Magneto still has his differences with Cyclops, Professor X, and other X-Men members, the last several decades have seen him being depicted as an ally to the team more often than an enemy. He and Cyclops have been particularly close since the early 2010s, when the two of them teamed up with Emma Frost and Magik to start a new school for mutants after becoming fugitives following Avengers vs. X-Men. During the Krakoan era, Magneto established the living island’s sovereign nation for mutants with Professor X and Moira MacTaggert, and Cyclops served as one of Krakoa’s leaders. Even after the nation’s dissolution, Magneto and Cyclops have been working together in the current volume of X-Men since the “From the Ashes” publishing initiative launched. That’s what makes Cyclops saying he’ll never trust Magneto strange, although it can be waved aside by viewing X-Men: Omega Red Dawn #1 as a non-canon story. As Cyclops and Magneto continue their adventures in X-Men, Wolverine still stars in the current Uncanny X-Men volume alongside Rogue, Gambit, Nightcrawler, and more, and he's also leading a new volume of his solo title. All three mutants will participate in this November’s DNX crossover event, which sees the X-Men teaming up with the Fantastic Four against the supervillain group 3K. James Marsden and Ian McKellen will also reprise Cyclops and Magneto, respectively, in the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday, while Hugh Jackman’s next Logan reprisal following Deadpool & Wolverine hasn’t been confirmed yet. X-Men: Omega Red Dawn #1 is available for purchase now from Marvel Comics. Movie(s) X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024) Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994) First Film X-Men (2000) Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23 Comic Release Date 213035,212968