Published Oct 28, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT
Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.
Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.
Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.
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Iconic X-Men enemy/ally Magneto has some major new powers in Marvel lore, as the Master of Magnetism unleashes his mutant abilities like never before. Here's what Magneto can do now, and how he discovered his hidden potential.
The last few years have been rough for Magneto. After ruling the mutant nation of Krakoa and fighting a war for ownership of Mars, he began to suffer from a mysterious disease that sapped his powers and threatened his life.
Now, thanks to a consult with the Fantastic Four, the X-Men have discovered the problem: junk DNA transmitted back through time to communicate a vital secret to mutantkind. However, as the two teams try to heal Magneto, he reveals new powers never seen before.
Magneto's Body Can Weaponize His Powers By Itself
In today's Fantastic Four #18 - from Ryan North, Vincenzo Carratù, Edgar Delgado and Joe Caramagna - the FF continue their adventures inside Magneto's body, having been shrunk down to fix his DNA and restore him to full power.
The mission has been a fraught one for the team - plunged into a mindless rage on entry into the Master of Magnetism, Invisible Woman has been forced to section off their brains with force fields, robbing them of their contextual memories. Unsure if they're heroes or villains, the group have nevertheless plunged deep into Magneto, despite being beset by invisible attackers.
At the issue's conclusion, the group's mission is complete and not only is Magneto saved, but the message in his DNA is deciphered as a cure for the villainous Chariman's X-Virus, saving thousands of lives. However, the team still have one last question - what was attacking them during their fantastic voyage?
X-Men's Beast clears up the confusion, revealing the newly discovered fact that Magneto's powers are tied into his immune system, allowing his body to defend itself without conscious thought.
Magneto's New Mutant Power Explained
Beast reveals that the Fantastic Four's rage was caused by an electromagnetic attack set off by Magneto's immune system, while their invisible attackers were gravitons forged by the unconscious Magneto. While these specific uses are impressive, Magneto's real newly discovered power is his body's ability to unilaterally weaponize his magnetism. As Beast enthuses:
It truly may well be the next step in the evolution of humanity - or at least, immunology.
But what's the practical application of these powers? Mister Fantastic points out they nearly killed "both doctors and patient," however that's mostly due to the unprecedented situation. Overall, Magneto's powers are fully tied into his immune system. He can attack threats to his body without even knowing they're there (which also makes him incredibly resistant to illness.)
There's even the possibility of Magneto's body being able to wield his power externally, whether he's conscious or not. If Magneto's powers can activate automatically and creatively to protect him in one circumstance, it's entirely possible they could do so in another. If that's true, even knocking Magneto unconscious wouldn't take him out of a fight.
X-Men's 'Omega Level' Classifier Is Getting More Interesting
Custom Image by Casandra RonningThe idea of an 'Omega-level' mutant has always been fluid in X-Men lore, at some points being used as a loose label for godlike mutants, and at others a more precise identifier for those who achieve a theoretical 'upper limit' of what should be possible with their abilities.
However, Beast's discussion of Magneto's abilities lean into the idea that as an Omega-level mutant, his powers aren't just more extreme - they even activate in a different way to other mutants. Magneto's body can shape magnetism, gravity and electricity to keep him safe, whether he wills it or not. It can even change attacks when one tactic proves ineffective.
This latest X-Men twist hints at an expanded mythology where Omega-level mutants aren't just strong - they have a totally different relationship with their powers, expanding them beyond a simple weapon to point and into an innate aspect of their immune system.
Fantastic Four #18 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Movie(s) X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
First Film X-Men (2000)
TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
Comic Release Date 213035,212968
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
English (US) ·