"You can easily make the case that Magneto is not a villain at all. 

Aside from the mass-murderer part, you mean?"

JB, I know what point you're getting at here and you know what I'm going for, as well. So off we go: if your species was potentially being murdered, exploited, enslaved, etc., then are you a mass murderer or are you justifiably defending your species?

I was born into a world where a very active cold war was progressing toward what many of us believed was mutually assured destruction. And that destruction of two countries/societies would have more than likely been an extinction level event for humanity. I grew up feeling completely powerless and just prayed that nuclear war would not happen.

Now, I never asked for either side to imperil my life but, none-the-less, the threat was real and I was endangered. If I had suddenly been given Magneto's powers and had a team of similarly powered individuals to support me, I honestly believe I would have taken steps to prevent a nuclear war. Would you be any different?

I watched 60 Minutes last night and Anderson Cooper did a story on the continued destruction of the mountain gorillas in central Africa. I think they said the population is down to about 600-700 now. And humans are still killing them off. They showed the recent murder of a tribe, not for poaching, but simply to send a message to the Rangers to back off.

While humanity at its best has strived for virtue and a peaceful coexistance, the reality of our species is one of overwhelming destruction to anything around us. If one of those gorillas woke up with the ability to kill all six billion of us, I don't think I could make an honest argument in stopping it. Those gorillas will be extinct in less than twenty years and it's all because of humanity. We are bad apes. 

Scott McKeeve wrote: JB, I know what point you're getting at here and you know what I'm going for, as well. So off we go: if your species was potentially being murdered, exploited, enslaved, etc., then are you a mass murderer or are you justifiably defending your species?

Xavier is also a member of a subset of species (mutant) that is being "murdered, exploited, enslaved, etc." and yet he hasn't chosen the path of murder as retribution.  It's what sets the two apart.  It what makes it impossible that Magneto would ever look for a "change of heart" or try to redeem himself, much less become the replacement of Xavier's at his school.  Regardless, I may be able to understand, if not justify, Magneto's actions against a single individual or perhaps a small group, but murder on the scale that he's committed with far too many innocents caught up in his wake is unjustifiable.

Andrew W. Farago wrote: ...so it's not as if she turned into a card-carrying superhero overnight.

But she did turn into a card-carrying teacher of superheroes overnight via GENERATION X, and was put in situations where she had to be a superhero early in that series.  Not much of a difference if you ask me.

"Xavier is also a member of a subset of species (mutant) that is being "murdered, exploited, enslaved, etc." and yet he hasn't chosen the path of murder as retribution.  It's what sets the two apart."

Agreed, Matt. But from Magneto's point of view, it's not about peaceful coexistance because Magneto believes this can never happen. And so far history has proven him right. Humanity has never been able to coexist with any other species. Unless you consider genocide or subservience peaceful coexistance. We either eat you or kill you.

Magneto sees this as reality and therefore "it's us or them". If you were a mutant, the appeal of this philosophy makes sense.