| Erik Lehnsherr | |
|---|---|
|
Species |
Human Mutate |
|
Place of origin |
Germany |
|
Other names |
Magneto, Prisoner #214782 |
|
Affiliations |
X-Men (Formerly), Brotherhood of Mutants |
Erik Lehnsherr is a central character in X-Men Legends. He is a mutant supervillain and arch-enemy of the X-Men.
The Birth of Magneto[]
Born to a German-Jewish family, Erik Lehnsherr was remarkably intelligent for his age. Lehnsherr was to be a student at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, but during the rise of Hitler, his family moved to Warsaw, Poland to avoid Nazi intimidation. When Poland was invaded by the Nazis during World War II, the Lehnsherr family endured the horrors of the Warsaw ghetto, before being sent to the Auschwitz Death Camp.
Lehnsherr's parents were killed by the SS and Lehnsherr himself became the subject of Nazi experimentation. Under ultimate stress, Lehnsherr's mutant ability to control metal manifested, and he used his new-found ability to escape the camp.
Years after the war ended, Erik hunted down Nazi war criminals who escaped justice.
Meeting Charles and the Brotherhood[]
In the 1960s, Erik met Charles Xavier and Hank McCoy. Aiding them in the creation of Cerebro and the School for Mutants, Lehnsherr became close friends with Xavier.
However, their friendship was challenged by Lehnsherr's belief that a war between humanity and mutant kind, which he intended to fight. Lehnsherr and Xavier became bitter enemies. Erik Lehnsherr became Magneto and formed the Brotherhood of Mutants. As a result, Xavier formed the X-Men, and an ongoing fight raged between the two factions for decades.