If the most recent episodes of WandaVision have taught viewers anything, it's that anything is possible in the MCU now. After the show introduced Evan Peter's Quicksilver from the recent X-Men movies, theories and speculation on other possible surprise appearances have been running rampant online. One theory that has a lot of fans particularly excited is the potential for Magneto to be introduced into the show, whether it's the younger Michael Fassbender version, the older Sir Ian McKellen version, or both because the show is probably crazy enough to do both at this point.
The metal-manipulating mutant has a long history in the comics as one of the X-Men's most formidable adversaries. Although some of the films make him a more sympathetic character, his villainous tendencies often take precedence. The same can be said for the video game world, which Magneto has featured in heavily. Most of Magneto's appearances in video games are as an antagonist, but he has also become such a fan-favorite mutant that some games feature him as a playable character. As one of the most iconic Marvel villains out there, it's only fitting that he has made similarly iconic appearances in the gaming world.
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One of the oldest and most memorable appearances of Magneto in video games is his role as the main antagonist in the 1992 X-Men arcade game. In this classic from Konami, Magneto kidnaps Professor X and Kitty Pryde, forcing the six playable X-Men to chase him down through various levels. The game is still considered one of the best Marvel games ever by a lot of fans, especially those that were able to play it when it first debuted in arcades. The frantic and occasionally unforgiving beat 'em up action made reaching Magneto quite the accomplishment, and his final boss fight in this game is still one of the character's most memorable moments.
These highly popular crossover fighting games originally took inspiration from the X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes games, where Magneto was a playable fighter in the latter. In the more recent entries in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, specifically Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Magneto is one of the strongest fighters that players can choose from. His beam attacks in the game are particularly damaging, and he's one of the faster characters on the roster.
The Master of Magnetism was unfortunately missing from the playable fighter list in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, but he's still been cemented as one of the series' best characters due to his domination in previous games.
One of Magneto's more lighthearted appearances in video games was in TT Games' LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. The first LEGO game to tackle the Marvel comics and movies, it featured elements from nearly every Marvel property. The Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men were all integral parts to the story, and Magneto made up one of the game's many antagonists. The character is at his most dastardly in the family-friendly release, destroying the X-Mansion with his other cronies, and eventually manipulating the Statue of Liberty into attacking the game's heroes.
Similarly to how the character has redeeming moments in the movies, the Magneto in this game eventually joins the heroes to help take on the game's main threat, the world-eating Galactus. Like many LEGO games, Magneto can eventually be unlocked as a playable character to explore the world and repeat levels with. The game's developer made a point to make sure Magneto didn't go ignored by players, littering levels with puzzles only solvable by a character with magnetic powers. There's been some recent speculation that Lego Marvel Super Heroes could be coming to the Switch, so fans of the character might have a chance to take control of him once again.
The X-Men are one of Marvel's most beloved properties, and Magneto is one of the most captivating and recognizable Marvel villains to ever be put to print. With WandaVision's first season wrapping up soon, there isn't a whole lot of time left to bring Magneto into the MCU. If Marvel really does want to bring the character into the films or any of the new TV series, there's a lot of ways that it could go about doing it. There is still the possibility that they are waiting for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness to introduce the character, but until anything official is announced, the best fans can do is speculate.
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