KMC Forums - Magneto-What's in a name?

Just some some thoughts on Magneto's names, their meanings, character evolution, and the irony that he's been using his real name for awhile (in a sense).

So Magneto started off as an extremely caring boy named Max Eisenhardt. Max being German comes from Maximillian which comes from Maximus. Maximus' root is the name Magnus. All of these names mean "great". Eisenhardt is Jewish-German last name meaning Iron Heart, usually in the context of "strong heart" as in full of love an conviction. After he killed villagers who stopped him from saving his daughter and then murdered soldiers sent to hunt him down, Magneto created the false identity that he would use for years, Erik Magnus Lehnsherr. Erik meaning ruler, Magnus again meaning great, and Lehnsherr meaning feudal lord (No way a Jew or Sinte could have this last name at this time).

So with killing, "Great Iron Heart" becomes "Great Ruler, The Feudal Lord". Though it's mentioned that after coming to Israel, even though at the very least Xavier knew his first name was Erik, he preferred to be called Magnus, his "middle" name (still close to Max).
Then after being de-aged to infancy and then restored to his Mid-30's, and accepting his culpability for his crimes, he became headmaster of the School for Gifted Youngsters and leader of the New Mutants under the name Michael Xavier.

From "Great Iron Heart" to "Great Ruler, The Feudal Lord" to "He who is like God, Owner of the New House".

Interesting how all that worked out. Claremont would be smart enough to think of all this and he did create Magnus and Michael Xaiver but Erik Magnus Lehnsherr and Max Eisenhardt came after he was long gone.

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