Warning: The following article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 5, “Remember It” and Episode 6, “Lifedeath – Part 2.”
Magneto is among the casualties in X-Men ’97 Season 1’s Genosha massacre – but is the Master of Magnetism really dead? And does he die in Marvel’s X-Men comics?
Related: X-Men ’97: Is Gambit Dead?
Does Magneto Die in X-Men ’97?
Yep, Magneto dies at the end of X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 5, “Remember It.” He’s killed defending the Morlocks during the Sentinels’ attack on Genosha. The killer robot army’s leader, the Wild Sentinal is behind Magneto’s demise, and his dialogue after the fact seemingly confirms that Magneto didn’t survive. “Omega threat eliminated,” the Wild Sentinel declares, referencing Magneto’s Omega-level mutant status. X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 6, “Lifedeath – Part 2,” hammers home Magneto’s series exit further, removing the reformed supervillain’s vignette from the opening credits’ team line-up.
Related: X-Men ’97: What Does Magneto Say in German?
That said, “Lifedeath – Part 2” also includes a possible clue that Magneto cheated death after all. During Professor X’s psychic breakdown, he’s confronted by the specter of Magneto’s fellow Genosha massacre victim, Gambit, but the Master of Magnetism himself is absent. Could this mean Magneto is secretly alive? Don’t count on it, according to X-Men ’97 supervising director Jake Castorena. “[A]t the end of the day, Gambit and Magneto are dead,” Castorena recently told Screen Rant. “And we’ll have to watch the series unfold to further understand what those consequences are going to be for not just for our team but for potentially for the rest of the world.”
Does Magneto Die in Marvel’s X-Men Comics?
Yes – many, many times. Admittedly, almost all of these deaths were fakeouts – either at the time or thanks to retcons – but Magneto has legitimately kicked the bucket at least twice. Both of these “real” deaths happened fairly recently too, during the X-Men comics’ Krakoa era. The first was no biggie; like all Krakoan residents, Magneto was brought back to life immediately after. The one-time baddie’s second resurrection was decidedly more touch and go, though. It involved a purgatory-like realm, Storm, and a fight with the Shadow King, and frankly deserves an article of its own.
Related: What Age Rating Is X-Men ’97?
It’s unclear whether X-Men ’97 will pull from either of the above scenarios to engineer Magneto’s eventual return, although it seems unlikely. That said, one of the character’s many faux-deaths may point to how he could make a comeback. In the New X-Men #115, “E is for Extinction (Part 2),” Magneto seemingly dies in a Sentinel attack on Genosha similar to what we see in “Remember It.” Yet Magneto later turns up alive in Genosha’s ruins – so his animated counterpart could follow suit!
X-Men ’97 is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.
