The Meaning of Magneto

The anti-hero of Stan Lee's Judeo-Christian universe

This is the fourth essay in a series on The Caducean Phenomenon.

Stan Lee's X-Men Universe is another essential example of the caducean phenomenon recurring in popular culture. The X-Men first appeared in Marvel comics in 1963, written by Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby (1917-1994). The characters were the basis of a popular film franchise in the 2000s, which went through a series of variations and "reboots." The figure of “Magneto” is most pertinent, for here we have a superhero—indeed, supervillain, though a complex one—who is openly depicted as Jewish. Indeed, his fantastic powers are enhanced by his experiences as a Jew, specifically, the suffering of the Holocaust.

Watching the rivalry between Magneto (Max “Magnus” Eisenhardt) and “Professor X” (Charles Francis Xavier), particularly in the films, one is tempted to view the X-Men series as an almost politically incorrect addition to the comic-book genre. The films are, of course, pro-multicultural and pro-feminist, featuring “mutant” superheroes of both genders and all races exercising roughly commensurate super-powers and working to safeguard a liberal world. But at first blush, they do not seem necessarily philo-Semitic. The Jewish Magneto has been twisted and made vindictive by his experience, and, to a degree, the audience is invited to sympathize with his plight. Nevertheless, he is a terrifying entity: he not only sees human as his persecutors but as his inferiors, an outmoded species that deserves to be subjugated and displaced (maybe even eliminated) by the highly evolved mutants. The WASPy Professor X, on the other hand, is depicted as a moral center.

If we take Magneto as the representative of Judaism in the series, are the X-Men pro-multicultural yet anti-Semitic? Is it, in fact, “one struggle”? Magneto believes that mutants or “Homo Superior” should be protected by any means and, intriguingly, should have their own homeland. The slaughter or enslavement of humans he sees as a completely reasonable means to achieve these goals. Professor X agrees that Mutants represent a higher stage of evolution, yet he reaches different conclusions. X sees his fellow mutants as a new people, which should be identified and cultivated, hence the founding of the “School for Gifted Youngsters.” He also concurs that humans are prone to destroy what they fear and don’t understand; however, he ultimately hopes that mutants can live in peace with humankind. In a scene from 2011’s X-Men: First Class, Xavier and Magnus concisely sum up their positions:

Xavier: We have it in us to be the better men.

Magnus: We already are.

For obvious reasons, Magneto has often been compared to Malcolm X, and Professor X, to Martin Luther King Jr. (their respective monikers not withstanding). Doubtlessly, MLK and Malcolm X were two figures on Stan Lee’s mind when he invented these characters in 1963. The aforementioned Meir Kahane certainly resonates with the Magneto character, even if it's less likely he directly inspired him. Professor X, on the other hand, can perhaps be best likened to the diasporic Jew, deeply interested in the safety and prosperity of his people but convinced this can be best achieved through peaceful coexistence, maybe even integration, with Gentiles.

Contrasting the two super-powers of Magneto and Professor X is also revealing. Magneto is a “materialist”: his attacks come in the form of matter (specifically metal), which he marshals against his foes; his powers are thus almost necessarily violent. Professor X relies on reading minds and, frequently, mind-control, a most peaceful solution to any conflict if ever there was one. We are tempted to see in this the contrast between the Israeli Jew, armed with the gun, missile, and tank, versus the liberal, American Jew, armed with media, film, TV—and comic books—who is able to neutralize potentially hostile adversaries through “persuasion.” In this line, another possible inspiration for Professor X might have been Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) or his nephew, the American theorist of "propganda," Edward Bernays (1891-1995).

Ultimately, the difference between these kindred spirits—whatever their disagreements and however they might tussle—is merely one of strategy and not end goals. Their relationship vis-à-vis humanity might be compared to that of "good cop, bad cop" or diplomacy versus war. One faction of mutants is openly hostile and dangerous to humans and, presumably always will be; the other faction acts as guardians of humans and mutants (including those who are adversarial to humans). One wonders if Professor X is intended as a hero and model for humans and some “mutants,” whereas the edgier and cooler Magneto is designed as a hero for other "mutants.” (Humans are not allowed a hero of their own in the X-Men universe.) Ultimately, Professor X is a master a thousand times more effective than the one who endeavors to rule openly with steel.

This “rivalry” between the two is enveloped by the other “X-Men.” While ostensibly drawn from Xavier’s surname, given the context, its symbolism seems to stretch much further. “X” is suggestive of rootlessness and non-identity. Malcolm X took the moniker as a symbol of his erased heritage, which was, perhaps ironically, the basis for his racial nationalism. When used by a person of presumed Jewish identity, “X” has an even deeper connotation of lost identity. An “X” in lieu of a last name has often been used by illiterates when signing documents. For early Jewish immigrants, who arrived in America via Ellis Island and who were illiterate or unfamiliar with the Latin alphabet, signing a document with an “X” was seen as tantamount to disavowing one's religion. It is frequently reported that these immigrants, particularly those from Eastern Europe, associated the “X” with the image of the Christian Cross. For sometime, “Christ” and its compounds, including “Christmas,” have been abbreviated in English as such (e.g., "Xmas"). “Christ” was written as “Xρ” or “Xt”; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as 1021. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ (Ch) and ρ (R) used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (“Christ”). These are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus. Hence, among these immigrant Jews, there arose the practice of signing documents with “Os.” (The slur “kike,” likely derived from the Hebrew word kikel ("circle"), is thought to have its origin in this practice.) Is it too much to see significance in the “O” in Magnet-O?

The “X” taken as an allusion to Christ (whether this was Stan Lee’s intention or not) is quite suitable for Professor X, who with his purported desire to save both mutant and human is by far the more Christian of the two. Like Christ—perhaps the ultimate crypto-Jew— Professor X is a Jewish character with a Jewish enemy, developed by a Jewish scribe for the moral instruction and guidance of a non-Jewish world. To wit: “Love thy enemy.” The X-Men are “Christ-men,” that is, they are Christians, in the manner we read “X-mas” as Christmas.