The X-Men's Banshee May Have Shaped Magneto

The X-Men's Banshee may have secretly shaped Magneto even more than Professor X. The story of Erik Magnus Lensherr is legendary in the history of the mutant race; a Holocaust survivor, he dedicated himself to ensure the mutant race never suffered the same fate. His methods were very different to those of his old friend Charles Xavier, however, and the two have clashed on countless occasions. There are many gaps in Magneto's story, however; entire decades where he operated in the shadows, his actions unknown. Ironically, Marvel's sliding timeline means those gaps are simply increasing in size; by most estimates he's only been known to the world for a few decades, although granted over that time he's become a force to be reckoned with. That raises the tantalizing question of what Magneto did between his escape from the Holocaust and the modern era. A curious hint is offered in Scott Lobdell and Tom Grummett's Generation X #10-11. This two-part story saw the Generation X team discover the secret history of their mentor Banshee; that decades ago, when he served as an Interpol agent, Sean Cassidy had hunted the serial killer who was destined to become Omega Red. Emma Frost learned this by entering into Banshee's mind, and she was shocked to discover Banshee had help from an unexpected source; Magneto.

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The comic implies that a mysterious shadow war was being fought, long before the formation of Charles Xavier's X-Men and Magneto's evil Brotherhood. At this point, Magneto appears to be dedicated to trying to prevent mutants being weaponized, while he's also using assets such as Banshee to hunt down mutants who would cause a genetic civil war. The irony, of course, is that Magneto himself will ultimately become the man campaigning for war between human beings and mutants.

Emma senses there is more to the relationship between Banshee and Magneto than the mere glimpse she has seen; that this was just the beginning. What's more, she believes this untold story is more important to Magneto's life than anyone else realizes; that Banshee had something to do with transforming Magneto into the monster he would become. If Emma Frost is right, Charles Xavier didn't have as much an influence on Magneto as he believed; once of his X-Men did, but Banshee has kept his secret all these years, and neither he nor Magneto have ever shown any hint of intending to reveal the truth.