An amazing new cosplay of famous X-Men antihero Magneto refashions Marvel's mutant leader as a samurai warrior, honoring both his noble nature and his vicious willingness to take lives in pursuit of his goals.
For much of his comic book history, Magneto has been considered the main antagonist of the X-Men. But at the same time, Magneto has often played hero. His life has been anything but easy, growing up in and surviving the Holocaust, bearing witness to the atrocities humans can inflict on others. As a result of that upbringing, Magneto has sought freedom for mutantkind, believing the subjugation of humanity is the only way that can be achieved. However, when the X-Men found a way to establish a new haven for mutants, Magneto was all for it, and almost died proving himself to the team. Now, he sits among them as one of the leaders of Krakoa.
Magneto's noble nature is reflected in a cosplay by Magneto wielding a metal sword. The katakana characters across the breastplate read "mutana maneto" as the character is known in Marvel's Japanese publications.
Imagining Magneto as a samurai is similar to the redesigns of Marvel characters from creator Peach Momoko, whose 'Momokoverse' reimagines characters like Thor and Storm with a Japanese folklore twist. But seeing Magneto as a samurai fits better than one might assume. Samurai are often portrayed as noble and honorable to a fault, willing to give everything for a cause, and these characteristics define Magneto as both hero and villain. He's also never truly unarmed, as his magnetic abilities turn the world around him into a weapon.
This epic cosplay truly understands what makes Magneto who he is, and by presenting the character as a samurai, honors Marvel's noble villain and his unconquerable sense of purpose. Whether fighting to subjugate humans or free mutants, Magneto has always served a higher purpose, recently moving to Mars and re-committing himself to actively protecting the mutant race. X-Men's Magneto has dedicated his life to battle, and this samurai cosplay is an epic encapsulation of who he is at his core, whether he's acting as a sympathetic villain or a deeply flawed hero.
