Release: October 2026 | Writer: Jed McKay | Artist: Netho Diaz & Sean Parsons| Colorists: Arthur Hesli | Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Magneto is conflicted. He knows he can be great, but doesn’t have the will to live anymore. That is, until an old friend visits him to remind him of how great he truly can be.
*SPOILER WARNING AHEAD!*
IS IT BETTER TO GIVE UP?
Being reminded of what he was put through by the Chairman. Magneto brutally lives through the torture he was forced to endure. At the end of the day, he questions if he will ever be the Magneto that he used to be. He sees himself as smaller than, less than, and is about to give up at death's door.
When Magneto is down at his lowest point, there is someone who has always been a beacon of hope at his side. Maybe to his annoyance over the years.
Charles Xavier.
But is this the real Charles? Or just a figment of Magneto's dying mind? None of that matters because Charles is here to give Magneto something he always fought for. Hope.
Will Magneto take this? He almost doesn't, that's for sure. Xavier needs to take matters into his own hands and show Magneto how truly important he is and why he should not give up at all. The X-Men need him. Even though he saw himself as pathetic and broken.
MORE IMPORTANT THAN HE KNOWS:
Charles takes him through multiple recent scenarios that could've had catastrophic ends if he wasn't there. Magneto is forced to face these what-ifs. If he wasn't there, if the person Magneto wasn't important, would the X-Men have been able to get out of these situations in the safest way possible without him?
With this information, Magneto sees the truth. He sees his importance and understands that he is Magneto. And Magneto doesn't give up, no matter what.
Begging to know if this is really Charles or not, Charles tells him that it doesn't matter at the end of the day. Whether it’s really him or a figment of Magneto's imagination, he has a motivation to live, and that's all that matters.
CONCLUSION
Definitely not a bad issue, but just another filler one to get us to the next DNX issue at the end of the day. This was a detailed examination of Magneto's recent importance to the X-Men. Even though he’s been confined to a chair stripped of his power, he learns that his true power is being there for the X-Men and continuing to be a beacon of leadership and example no matter what.
A good message for sure. But just wish there was something more out of this issue than Magneto being glazed by Xavier.
A skippable issue for sure and sort of a title that kind of...exists. Doesn't bridge anything, doesn't tie anything together. Just a well-written examination of "what ifs".