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Magneto has been attempting to “turn over a new leaf” on Arakko, but a recent battle between him and Tarn shows that he never lost his warrior spirt.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for X-Men Red #3
Marvel Comic’s Master of Magnetism, the long time X-Men foe turned leader Magneto, recently displayed the true brutality he is capable of during a fight with the new Brotherhood’s enemy, the terrible Tarn the Uncaring, in X-Men Red #3. While Magneto has shown the cruel and violent nature of his powers in the past, he has been trying to “turn over a new leaf” upon moving to the mutant planet Arakko, something he clearly has now given up on.
Back in Planet-Size X-Men #1 by Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz, the Omega-level mutants of Krakoa and Arakko terraformed Mars, and placed the entire island of Arakko on it, turning the planet into the first “mutant planet” in the Sol System. Since then, there has been a massive power vacuum, mainly being filled by Abigail Brand’s “evil X-Men” and Storm’s new Brotherhood of Mutants, and Magneto has finally been forced to stand up and defend his new home.
Tarn the Uncaring is a horrifying Arakkii mutant who is a “genomic mage,” capable of biological and genetic manipulation of an opponent with a single thought, and his terribly violent reputation and unrepentant evil makes him one of the most hated leaders of Arakko. For centuries Tarn has sat on Arakko’s governing body the Great Ring, where he sits upon the Seat of Loss and is consulted during wartime. In X-Men Red #3 – written by the acclaimed Al Ewing with gorgeous illustration by Stefano Caselli and breathtaking color by Federico Blee – Magneto is forced to make the decision to fight against Tarn in the Circle Perilous, after Brand manipulates Vulcan into challenging Tarn himself so that she can get one of her “X-Men” on the Great Ring. Tarn, unsurprisingly, absolutely demolishes Vulcan, murdering him within seconds, prompting Magneto to challenge the Arakkii out of the blue. Quickly, Magneto places his helmet on Tarn’s head, much to the Uncaring’s surprise, and reveals that he knows Tarn’s abilities are psychokinetic in nature, so his helmet will stop Tarn from using any of his abilities. He then squishes Tarn’s entire skull using his magnetism, killing the villain instantly and becoming the new leader upon the Seat of Loss.
X-Men Red #1 saw Magneto leaving the Quiet Council, after a series of devastating betrayals and realization throughout The Trial of Magneto and Inferno, and move to Arakko to leave a peaceful life, away from responsibilities or fights. Quickly however, Magneto meets the Fisher King and realizes that peace on Arakko may not be possible at the moment, as it is in such turmoil following its placement on the terraformed Mars. So Erik joins with Storm and Sunspot in her new Brotherhood of Mutants. At first Magneto refuses to fight Tarn, getting angry with Sunspot for attempting to pressure him into fighting. He claims he has lost the heart for the fight after decades spent trying and failing to save the ones he loves.
Teasers for X-Men Red #3 included a cover showing Tarn removing Magneto’s organs in a similar fashion to how Magneto brutally stripped Logan of his adamantium bones, making it seem that Tarn would easily defeat Erik. Clearly though, upon solitary reflection, Magneto decides that Arakko is worth fighting for, and spares no time in brutally slaughtering Tarn with his own helmet. Interestingly, Sunspot uses Isca the Unbeaten’s own ability against her, getting her to bet against Tarn, ensuring Magneto would win the battle, but it seems like Magneto would have won without Sunspot’s help, since he obviously had a pretty fool proof plan for taking down Tarn.
Magneto has the capacity for great cruelty and violence. His first comics appearances cast him at first as an outright villain, and then a reluctant anti-hero before becoming a full fledged superhero. While Magneto has attempted to remove himself from the orbit of the X-Men on Arakko, he is once again being forced to fight to save his people.
X-Men Red #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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