X-Men Comics Reveal Magneto’s Successor

When it comes to iconic X-Men characters, Magneto definitely tops the list. The Master of Magnetism evolved from a standard supervillain into a compelling, layered antagonist thanks to legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont. Under Claremont’s pen, it was revealed that Magneto’s campaign against humanity was shaped by his experiences as a Holocaust survivor. A recent storyline has explored another shift in Magneto’s behavior and shows that one mutant is prime to follow in his footsteps.

X-Men #37, by MacKay, Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, and Arthur Hesli, ties into DNX, the crossover event in which the X-Men and Fantastic Four join forces to battle the terrorist organization 3K. Magneto is currently on the sidelines, as a previous attack by 3K left him severely wounded. This leads Beast to ask Reed Richards to restore his powers, which were greatly diminished after his time on the mutant island Krakoa. X-Men #37 shows Magneto rubbing off on Quentin Quire, who is locked in a psychic battle with Cassandra Nova.

X-Men #37 casts Quentin Quire as Magneto’s successor

X-Men #37 features epic imagery throughout, thanks to Quire and Nova both being powerful telepaths. Their literal thoughts can become weapons or reshape the world around them. Case in point: at the start of the fight, Nova summons psychic constructs that take the form of an army of Sentinels. In response, Quire creates mental impressions of the X-Men — the Wolverine construct even calls him ‘Professor Q’ — and while that might invoke Charles Xavier in a humorous way, Magneto still looms large over Quire in more ways than one.

When Nova argues that the only way for mutants to survive is to wipe humanity off the face of the Earth, Quire shuts her down by summoning a mental image of Magneto. “He thought as you did,” Quire says. “But he learned from his mistakes…Magneto’s not interested in collective punishment anymore, and neither am I.” This may seem far from Magneto’s usual stance, but it is rooted in decisions he made on Krakoa. After seeing that Xavier was willing to go to extremely dark lengths to protect mutantkind, Magneto decided to change his ways. He is still willing to protect mutantkind, but will not destroy humanity to do it. Quire taking up that crusade is a touching moment, especially considering his own comic book history.

The phrase ‘Magneto was right’ takes on new meaning

If Magneto’s turn towards benevolence is surprising, then Quentin Quire’s is a flat-out miracle. This is a character who led a riot at the Xavier Institute, triggered a massive Sentinel to attack the X-Men, and boasts an endless well of sarcasm that could match Spider-Man’s. Yet his road to redemption began as far back as Jason Aaron’s run on Wolverine and the X-Men, when the clawed Canadian forcibly enrolled Quire in his new school to teach him right. Logan’s hard-knock lessons seemed to rub off on Quire, as he genuinely started to do good, though he did not lose his sarcastic streak.

Ironically, one of Quire’s past actions takes on a new light in X-Men #37. During Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly’s New X-Men, he coined the phrase ‘Magneto Was Right,’ suggesting that the Master of Magnetism had a point in wiping out humanity. This time, the tables are turned; ‘Magneto Was Right’ means that Quire intends to follow Magneto’s new path.

X-Men #37 is available wherever comics are sold.

Source: Polygon