Even though nothing has been officially announced yet, many Marvel fans are eagerly anticipating Insomniac’s upcomingX-Mengame. Allegedly releasing by 2030, Insomniac is set to finally let players explore the titular team, and the potential alone is extremely exciting. But, as the release date nears, the studio will have one major decision regardingX-Men’sversion of the team’s greatest adversary, Magneto.
For years, Magneto has been constantly at odds with the X-Men team. He has been the villainous face they have fought against through many of the live-action films, has constantly butted heads with them in comics, and his dynamic with Charles Xavier has formed the backbone of the franchise. Yet, Marvel Studio’s first foray into the team has made the iconic Mutant the leader of the X-Men rather than its enemy, which has made for some great television. And these drastically different adaptations have seemingly left Insomniac with a pretty hard decision as it forges ahead withits ownX-Menadventure.
Insomniac’s Version of Magneto Has Many Incarnations to Draw From
Magneto Was the X-Men’s Biggest Adversary For Years
While Magneto has played many roles in the comics, the general audiences' perception of him has been as a villainous figure sinceFox’s firstX-Menfilmin 2000. In that trilogy, Magneto constantly fought back against the titular team through a variety of different schemes.X-Mensaw him attempt to mutate the leaders of the world,X2originally sees him ally with the team before attempting to take out humanity, andX-Men: The Last Standsees him go to war against humanity’s attempt to create a cure. Through every film, it has been up to theX-Men to stop him while they also fight back against humans that wish to do them harm.
TheX-Menprequel trilogy presented a bit ofa different dynamic with Magnetoand the team, but he was still ultimately an adversary by the end of it. The only films where he was on their side for the majority of the story wereFirst ClassandDays of Future Past, yet even in those films he would be at odds with the team eventually. Because of that, many viewers have seen him as the X-Men’s greatest villain for years. However,X-Men ‘97has changed that.
X-Men ‘97 Has Taken Magneto in a Different Direction
Instead of having him be a villain,X-Men ‘97has seen him take chargeof the team after Professor X perished in the original series. This has given him a completely new dynamic with the team, with many of them being forced to learn how to work alongside him after spending years fighting against him. Additionally, it means that he must learn how to follow Charles Xavier’s ideals, even if it pains him to do so. That story has made for some fantastic television, with many regarding it as one of the best things Marvel has done in years.
It also means that Insomniac will be facing a major decision with its version of Magneto. The studio could simply follow in the footsteps of a lot ofX-Menmedia and have him be the villain once more, orit could followX-Men ‘97’s exampleby having him be more of an anti-hero. If neither of those approaches interest it, then it could attempt to do something completely new with the character, as it has done with Spider-Man. As long as it makes sense within the context of the character, many things could be rich storytelling veins.
Since Magneto is such a major part of the X-Men canon, he will likely show up in some fashion inMarvel’s X-Men. There is also a chance that he appears first inMarvel’s Wolverine, as that will probably start setting up what is to come. Fans will just have to wait and see just what the studio has planned, but based on its previous Marvel projects, it seems like he will be in good hands.
Marvel’s Wolverine
Marvel’s Wolverine is a third-person action game from Insomniac Games that is set in the same universe as the studio’s Spider-Man titles.
