Krakoa Is the Fulfillment of Magneto's Dream — Not Professor X's

Published Jul 23, 2023

Lukas is a graduate of the Macaulay Honors College and a former Editorial Assistant now serving as a Comics and Movies & TV staff writer.

followed

Followed

Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:

Try something different:

While the X-Men have been fighting Magneto for decades, the Master of Magnetism was right all along. In many ways, the Krakoa era proves it. Alongside Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert, Magneto worked tirelessly to promote the creation of a mutant state. In doing so, he became a co-founder of the mutant nation of Krakoa, where mutants can live freely and without the threat of human provocation. The idea was nothing new to him.

Magneto's efforts in Krakoa were not a change of strategy. After all, Genosha, Asteroid M, and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants were all prototypes of the Krakoan experiment. The success of the Krakoan era proves that the X-Men never should have been fighting Magneto. While the X-Men have compromised their ideals often, Magneto has remained morally consistent since the day he first attacked humanity. With the help of the X-Men, Magneto's previous nations might have been able to thrive just as well as Krakoa has.

Magneto's Many Attempts at a Mutant State

Asteroid M floating above the Earth in Marvel Comics — Asteroid M floating in space above the Earth

Today, Krakoa protects many of Earth's mutants, but it was not always available for them. Even while planning for Krakoa, Magneto has attempted countless mutant states. The first on-panel appearance of a separate nation for mutants came as early asX-Men#5 (created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman, and Sam Rosen). Before ever even facing the X-Men, Magneto had already developed a fully functional asteroid that could serve as a secret base for the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. On Asteroid M, the Brotherhood could scheme secret plots against the world as they developed ways to free Earth's mutants. The X-Men eventually destroyed Astroid M, but that didn't mean the end of Magneto's efforts to create a prototype for Krakoa. There would be several versions of Asteroid M over the years, but none would ever achieve Magneto's dreams of an independent mutant state.

Magneto eventually reclaimed the island nation of Genosha from humanity. Unfortunately, just asKrakoa isn't without its flaws, Genosha lacked the X-Men's protection. The nation thrived under Magneto, but a sentinel attack proved that Genosha was vulnerable.New X-Men#115 (created by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Tim Townsend, Mark Morales, Brian Haberlin, Hi-Fi Design, Richard Starkings, and Saida Temofonte) detailed the horrific deaths of 16 million mutants. The attack on Genosha became one of the most devastating moments in X-Men history, and it proved that Magneto could not be a nation's sole protector. The only way to succeed was if the two leaders of mutantkind — Magneto and Professor X — could band together to create a proper nation. The downtrodden could rally under Magneto and the X-Men alike. Magneto attempted a collaboration with Cyclops to create Utopia, but Wolverine split off a faction of the X-Men, and Utopia was once again undefended. The X-Men would not truly reconcile with Magneto or his ideas until Krakoa.

Magneto Was Right All Along

Magneto holds his iconic helmet as the heads of Avengers and X-Men look on

The X-Men have considered Magneto a terrorist from the beginning, but his defense of the mutant people proved that he was really just a freedom fighter. He may have believed that mutants were superior to humans, but his only goal was to allow his people to live in peace. Magneto wanted to ensure mutants would never be broken by humanity, and he needed the X-Men's support to do it. Unfortunately, the X-Men were still dedicated to ensuring the success of Xavier's dreams of coexisting with humanity. The X-Men always fought in the hopes that mutants could live alongside humans, though their many encounters with humanity over the years proved that the dream was a lie. After all, humans had developed sentinels and countless other measures with the sole function of butchering or exploiting mutants. Even theAvengers fight the X-Men often.

Policy about humans wasn't the only difference between Magneto and the X-Men. The X-Men always claimed to be supportive of their fellow mutants, but they rarely actually proved it. Magneto was generally more tolerant of his fellow mutants than the X-Men ever were. The X-Men didn't recruit mutants with undisguised mutations until Nightcrawler joined inGiant-Size X-Men#1 (created by Len Wein, Dave Cockrum, Peter Iro, Glynis Wein, and John Costanza). Magneto, meanwhile, had Toad on his side inX-Men#4 (created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman, and Artie Simek). It just showed the difference between the level of acceptance Magneto showed compared to the X-Men, who had not yet shed their human values.

The very existence of the Morlocks proved that humans would not deign to live alongside mutants with severe physical mutations. Sadly, the X-Men failed to accommodate Morlocks into their dream. Had the X-Men joined him, Magneto would have had a place for the Morlocks from the beginning. Krakoa now offers a home for the Morlocks, but years of feeling overlooked by the X-Men have isolated them even today. Had the X-Men created a nation-state early on, as Magneto wanted, the Morlocks could have lived in peace andavoided the Mutant Massacre completely.

Magneto's Krakoa Is a Realized Dream

Professor X looks out over the Krakoan resurrection pods in Marvel Comics

All of Magneto's previous efforts to create a separate nation for mutants have wrought catastrophes. The X-Men refused to join, leaving mutantkind fundamentally split. While humanity came together, mutants were a divided people. A divided nation always falls. Krakoa is an experiment that lets all mutants band together. They can live in one location that still allows them to connect to humanity without all the struggle that comes from living directly alongside the human population. They are no longer be bound by human laws, no longer face threats in their homes, and can ensure safety for the next generation of mutants. It is everything that Magneto dreamed of, which is exactly why he signed on to take part in the Krakoan dream.

Magneto always knew that mutants would face persecution, and it was why he wanted to secure a safe place for them. He'd suffered horrific atomicities during his youth, and knew all too well that persecution always rears its ugly head against the oppressed. The only flaw with Magneto's plans came whenever he would aim too large and strike with too much ferocity. Professor X offered a softer hand with a more diplomatic touch, which made Magneto's vision more viable for the wider world. In a way, the two combined their dreams. Professor X secured a Krakoa that still has some connection to humanity. Magneto ensured a mutant society that would never be controlled by human governments. TheFall of X event may bebuilding up to Krakoa's collapse, but there is no reason to believe that a united mutant people won't be able to draw themselves back together once more under those same ideals.

After so many years of persecution and violence, Marvel's mutants deserve the chance to take a breath and enjoy life outside of the battlefield. Magneto was a militant figure, but he always used that dominating and dark personality to offer a path to independence and freedom for his people. Magneto's dream was always to see mutants cast aside humanity and acknowledge that they deserve the chance to rule themselves. The Krakoan age has allowed countless mutants to explore their powers and their role in the wider galaxy. In many ways, it is no different than Genosha and Asteroid M. Yet, it never could have happened if the X-Men had remained in their isolated mansion. All Magneto ever wanted was to ensure that mutants would not be the victims of humanity's aggression. Krakoa is the greatest chance that mutants have ever had to secure that future. Without Professor X agreeing to compromise his dream to secure an alliance with Magneto for the future of Krakoa and the X-Men, mutants never would've had a nation to call their own.