Days of Future Past The official Michael Fassbender / Magneto thread - Part 1

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I think these FC movies have done well by not having Magneto turn into an anti-hero. At the end of the day, he's still a bad guy.

 

[Loki882]

The only real thing viewers needed to know going into this movie was FC and X2 (just for Stryker). Everything else (just Jean, really) was filled in by the movie.

I meant in regards to the Xavier/Magneto relationship. Another poster seemed to think that old Magneto's sacrifice wasn't convincing because they didn't build up his dynamic with the other characters in this movie and relied on love for the other films. My contention is that they already built up the Xavier/Magneto relationship over the previous films (even TLS). This is the seventh movie in this franchise, so they expect you to already know this stuff. You've had 4 other movies over 14 years to catch up. It's a very comic booky thing to do. "We have a continuity, we expect to know the continuity, so let's go on a journey."

 

[icekid]

I meant in regards to the Xavier/Magneto relationship. Another poster seemed to think that old Magneto's sacrifice wasn't convincing because they didn't build up his dynamic with the other characters in this movie and relied on love for the other films. My contention is that they already built up the Xavier/Magneto relationship over the previous films (even TLS). This is the seventh movie in this franchise, so they expect you to already know this stuff. You've had 4 other movies over 14 years to catch up. It's a very comic booky thing to do. "We have a continuity, we expect to know the continuity, so let's go on a journey."

If that was the case, then X2 took a note from the same page in terms how how it handled the relationship as well. They don't need to build upon it, it's already there and anything more would just be a rehash of what has already been done over and over.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Dude, is Magneto a James Brown fan?

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

Saw this on IGN

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Okay. I'd like to ask. When do we all think Magneto got out of prison in the original timeline?

my guess is 1966 until 1984 when he was acquitted for whatever reason.

It may have taken the Government a few years to find him after JFK's murder in 1963. Professor X gave him another chance to be a friend when he invited him to see Jean in 1985. At the time Professor X was still mostly in his funk and still taking his X-gene heroin (thus still had his ability to walk).

Thats my theory.

 

[Legion]

My guess is shortly before X1 the brotherhood helped him escape. I realize that he was at Jean's house when she was a child but I consider that a continuity error for now.

Even though I love the old films, one thing that never sat well with me was that Magneto, one of the world's most powerful mutants would wait until his senior years to take action against humanity.

It was possible that he was active prior to X1 but not likely given the dialogue in X1. If he had been, Senator Kelly would have cited him and his powers specifically when building his case against mutants.

First Class didn't help in this regard as it showed a powerful young Magneto ready to start a war. It still didn't seem likely to me that Magneto was causing mayhem and clashing with the X-Men for decades based on the events and dialogue in X1.

Placing Magneto in prison during this time makes sense as he was unable to take action. It is possible that he escaped and was recaptured at one point as the prison in the pentagon is different than the plastic prison in X1 and X2.

 

[Mrs Vimes]

If that was the case, then X2 took a note from the same page in terms how how it handled the relationship as well.

The difference is, X2 is a direct sequel to X1 with no significant gap between the movies' events and no big changes to the characters and their relationships in between.

In DoFP, Magneto's relationship with Charles and the rest of the X-men is completely different to anything shown in OT; he's teamed up with them before but there was always a lot of mistrust and wariness involved which seems to have completely disappeared in DoFP. His regret over the years wasted fighting Charles is also something brand new. It's an interesting turnaround but the film just doesn't spend enough time on it IMO to have any real impact, it just kinda throws it in hurriedly.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Mutants are going to be tortured and experimented on? Better kill the president on live national television.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

My guess is shortly before X1 the brotherhood helped him escape. I realize that he was at Jean's house when she was a child but I consider that a continuity error for now.

Even though I love the old films, one thing that never sat well with me was that Magneto, one of the world's most powerful mutants would wait until his senior years to take action against humanity.

It was possible that he was active prior to X1 but not likely given the dialogue in X1. If he had been, Senator Kelly would have cited him and his powers specifically when building his case against mutants.

First Class didn't help in this regard as it showed a powerful young Magneto ready to start a war. It still didn't seem likely to me that Magneto was causing mayhem and clashing with the X-Men for decades based on the events and dialogue in X1.

Placing Magneto in prison during this time makes sense as he was unable to take action. It is possible that he escaped and was recaptured at one point as the prison in the pentagon is different than the plastic prison in X1 and X2.

I'm okay with the idea of him being released and having been "institutionalized" somewhat from his nearly 20 years in prison. He read a lot and listened to a lot of James Brown and thought he'd try a more diplomatic approach at the age of 50. That is, until the Mutant Registration Act comes into play and him and Prof X have that disagreement at the Congressional hearing. Obviously their relationship is strained prior to that as well.

But instead, in DoFP he is released just shy of a decade after almost starting a nuclear war. He is still primed and ready to do hot-headed and some might say "foolish" things to reach his goals. Starting with putting a stadium around the white house. :P

 

[Loki882]

Mutants are going to be tortured and experimented on? Better kill the president on live national television.

The whole point was a display of power. "If you dare try and start a war or harm mutants, this is what we can and will do to you. Look, I've even taken control of the very weapon that you specifically built to hunt mutants. You truly are powerless against us." Plus, it's pretty clear that Magneto doesn't have a fully though out plan for this. He was confronted with an unexpected situation that he wasn't prepared for, so he's just making things up as he goes along.

 

[LouLa]

Best rationalization I can come up with for 70s Magneto's actions:

He believes that all is already lost because they have Mystique's blood (and thus her DNA) and, as a result, will be able to create the ultimate Sentinels regardless of whether she kills Trask. (Trask needs more than just her DNA, but Magneto doesn't know that--even Hank and the Professor think the game might be up and don't really have a plan to prevent anything other than Trask's murder). So Magneto decides the war has to start NOW, while mutants have the evolutionary superiority, before the Sentinels are created to adapt to their powers in 50 years. He is able to figure out how to control the best thing humans can come up with to fight mutants NOW, but he knows, thanks to Wolverine, that this won't always be true. So rally the mutants who are hiding to join him and start the war already.

 

[LostSon88]

Mutants are going to be tortured and experimented on? Better kill the president on live national television.

I'm not seeing the issue here. He wanted to avenge his "brothers and sisters" and show the world that mutants are not to be ****ed with.

 

[Caped Crusader]

I wish they'd release some HD photos of Fass destroying the stadium.. I need a new iPhone wallpaper!

 

[Loki882]

I also found the way that scene was shot to be interesting. As Magneto was giving his big "mutants rule, humans suck" speech, they kept cutting to the future and showing the future mutants being not just killed, but slaughtered in some of the most brutal/violent ways imaginable. I think that it was a deliberate choice on Singer's part to show what Magneto's actions/beliefs could ultimately lead to.

 

[Neptune]

I love Fassbender's Magneto but releasing from his cell in the Pentagon actually made everything worse. He F'ed up the whole plan. i hoped he was gonna be more co operative.

 

[LostSon88]

A confrontation between past and future Magneto would've been an incredible scene...

 

[Loki882]

True but they would have had to come up with a way to explain it. Stewart and MacAvoy sharing a scene together works because they're both telepaths and MacAvoy is essentially astral projecting himself into Logan's mind. It'd be harder to justify having Fassbender and McKellen doing something similar. Don't get me wrong, it would have been awesome and I'd have loved to see it. But I also want it to make sense and not come across as just being done for fanservice.

 

[LostSon88]

Oh totally. It never would've worked. But to imagine the possibilities!!!

 

[LordMortis315]

A confrontation between past and future Magneto would've been an incredible scene...

The universe would explode from awesomeness if such a scene happened.

 

[The Batman]

Okay. I'd like to ask. When do we all think Magneto got out of prison in the original timeline?

my guess is 1966 until 1984 when he was acquitted for whatever reason.

I think that in the OT, Magneto is basically like the mutant version of Nelson Mandela, held in prison for 20+ years before its somehow proven that he didn't kill JFK. He's released and reconnects with Charles, having a hand in forming the X-Men. Eventually, Erik's bitterness gets the better of him and he and Charles split again, and Erik starts planning what will eventually become his scheme in X-Men 1.

 

[LostSon88]

The universe would explode from awesomeness if such a scene happened.

I think the question is, would the Old Magneto even be able to 'reach' the young one?

I just can't see young Erik being persuaded to change his ways by Old Erik.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

I think the question is, would the Old Magneto even be able to 'reach' the young one?

I just can't see young Erik being persuaded to change his ways by Old Erik.

I can't honestly see old Erik even wanting to change the core values of young Erik.

If anything he'd just tell young Erik not to point Wolvie's claws at himself in the Statue of Liberty. Or to guard Professor X while he used Cerebro to kill all the humans in the world.

Not my Mags. He's a conqueror.

 

[LostSon88]

But Old Mags has seen the consequences of his past actions.

I'd believe that Old Erik would want his younger self to stay true to his values but just go another way about it and persuade him to harness that anger and help Charles unite their kind in a less confrontational way.

And young Erik would tell him he's gotten soft and to " **** off."

 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

It was Cool to see Fassbender's Magneto as a full blown Villain.