Professor X And Magneto: Allegories For Martin
Luther King, Jr. And Malcolm X
A look at how Professor X and Magneto were based on the Civil
Rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
By Andrew Godoski | June 1, 2011
A meeting of great minds.
I don’t know about any of you, but I’m pretty damn excited for X-Men: First Class. I think it
has the potential to be the best Marvel movie of the summer. Between the ridiculous amount
of characters and the lackluster early posters, most people lost hope in the film. Then, the
second trailer came out and the buzz started picking up again. But, I kept my faith in this film
throughout, because my favorite character relationship/dynamic in comics has always been
the one between Professor X and Magneto (and becauseMatt Vaughn was directing). And, if
I’m going to get even more specific than that, the fact that they’re allegories for Malcolm X
and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It truly is one of the most complex and interesting character
relationships around.
It’s no secret that telling stories about politically or socially charged events is a very difficult
thing to do. One way around this problem is to tell these kinds of stories in a different world.
Now, I’m not saying that the X-Men were created solely out of a desire to tell a story about
the civil rights movement, but the parallels are pretty obvious. Here’s a quote from Chris
Claremont, writer on Uncanny X-Men:
The X-Men are hated, feared and despised collectively by humanity for no other reason than
that they are mutants. So what we have here, intended or not, is a book that is about racism,
bigotry and prejudice.
I grew up with the X-Men cartoon in the 90s and read some comic books here and there. So,
I’m by no means an expert, but I think that goes to show just how amazing these two
characters are; that even a more casual fan can truly appreciate their complexities. Their
relationship and clash of ideology is at the very heart of the X-Men universe and gives rise to
some amazing conflict.
Charles Xavier has long sought mutant rights through more peaceful methods. He truly
believes that humans and mutants can live and function together in society. His philosophy
falls in line with the same kind of stance Martin Luther King, Jr. took during the civil rights
movement that started during the 50s; that a peaceful co-existence where everyone is treated
as an equal was possible. Dr. King’s most famous works came during his “I Have a Dream”
speech given in front of the Lincoln Memorial during a march on Washington. Often times,
the X-Men’s major goal has been referred to as “Xavier’s Dream.” That’s definitely not mere
coincidence. Xavier strives for a peace that he believes can only be reached by having
mutants show their normal human counterparts that they are really one in the same, even if
they might look different or have extraordinary gifts. To him, violence only serves to further
divide humans and mutants and drive the fear that brings about his brethren's persecution.
That’s not to say he doesn’t believe in violence, but only when necessary and usually in the
form of protecting humanity from other mutants seeking to harm it.
Perhaps the most fascinating part of Xavier and Magneto’s differing ideals is that they both
have a very similar end in mind; a world where mutants can live without fear. They’re just at
the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to getting to that place. The same can be
argued for both Dr. King and Malcolm X. But while Xavier was modeled after MLK, Jr.,
Magneto took after the more militant Malcolm X. He believed in taking on human aggressors
head-on with shows of force. Here's a couple Malcolm X quotes before I continue:
I don't even call it violence when it's in self-defense; I call it intelligence.
Malcolm X
Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on
you, send him to the cemetery.
Malcolm X
Those quotes certainly feel like something Magneto, especially in his earlier years, could have
said. Now, as many of you know, Magneto was born into a German-Jewish family and
experienced the brunt of Nazi aggression during World War 2. He was sent off to the Warsaw
Ghetto and eventually found himself in Auschwitz after his family was executed. His
characteristics and world views can be directly traced back to the psychological trauma he
underwent as a child. From his perspective, he’s just trying to prevent these atrocities from
happening again to his fellow mutants. He’s seen the dark side of human nature and now has
the power to stop these horrible abuses, so why not use it? He doesn’t view humans as
equals to mutants, he sees them as a lesser and weaker species.
Getting the band back together...
Like Malcolm X and MLK, Jr., both Magneto and Professor X have on occasion seen some
benefits in each other’s philosophy, even if they would never admit as much. Both men have
a mutual respect for each other, even if their ideologies fall in complete opposition with the
other's. What they both realize, however, is that a great conflict is on the horizon. Xavier
believes he can prevent it, Magneto believes it to be inevitable. What results is a pretty
amazing struggle between two men that, under different circumstances, could have remained
the best of friends and perhaps the most powerful of allies. And, along this path, both men
end up diverging from their initial stances every once in a while. On occasion, Xavier has
abused his own powers and Magneto has given “peace” a shot. In the end, they always seem
to be on opposite ends of the spectrum and it leaves you wondering just how much good
these two might have accomplished together.
Based on the most recent trailer, the films looks to really focus on the relationship and
conflicting views of a young Magneto and Charles Xavier. I was really digging the
conversation between both men that was intercut throughout the trailer. The setting also
adds to the tension, since this very dynamic takes place right in the middle of the Cold War
and Civil Rights movement. I'm really happy that such complexities and allegories can be
weaved into a summer blockbuster. I'm all for dumb fun, but when you can tell a story like
this, you've got something really special. I’ll wrap this up by leaving you with a quote
from Michael Fassbender on the characters of Magneto and Xavier being directly influenced
by Dr. King and Malcolm X:
It came up early on in the rehearsal period and that was the path we took. These two brilliant
minds coming together and their views aren't that different on some key things. As you watch
them you know that if their understanding, ability and intelligence could somehow come
together it would be really special. But the split is what makes them even more interesting
and tragic.