Magneto (born Max Eisenhardt, also known as Magnus and Erik Lehnsherr) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #1 (Sept. 1963), and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. A powerful mutant with the ability to generate and control magnetism, Magneto has been the X-Men's most prominent enemy ever since his first appearance. In his early appearances, his motives were bent on megalomania, but writers have since fleshed out his character and origin, revealing him to be a Jewish Holocaust survivor whose actions are driven by the purpose of protecting the mutant race from suffering a similar fate. His role in comics have varied from supervillain to anti-hero to even hero.
Sir Ian McKellen portrayed Magneto throughout the entire X-Men film series. He was ranked number 1 by IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Villains list[8], was listed number 17 in Wizard's Top 100 Greatest Villains Ever list[9], and was ranked as the 9th Greatest Comic Book Character Ever in Wizard's list of the 200 Greatest Comic Book Characters of All Time, the second highest villain on that list.[10]