X-Men '97 Has A Magneto Easter Egg That Even Hardcore Marvel Fans Missed
"X-Men '97" earned rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, with praise for its characterizations of its mutant heroes and villains, its adaptation of comic source material, and its voice acting and animation. The show was also packed with Easter eggs, including one regarding Magneto and his name that honors the previous actors who played the Master of Magnetism on the big and small screen.
Spotted by @CultureCrave on X (formerly Twitter), in the Season 1, Episode 10 finale of "X-Men '97," "Tolerance Is Extinction, Pt. 3," the aliases of Magneto can be briefly seen as the Magneto Protocols are put into action. Along with highlighting Magneto's real name (Magnus), a document in a file folder also lists his most common alter egos, such as Erik Lehnsherr and a tribute to the "X-Men: The Animated Series" voice actor, the late David Hemblen. Additionally, the Easter egg features two redacted names: Ian M, a reference to Ian McKellen's Magneto, who appears in the original "X-Men" trilogy and "X-Men: Days of Future Past," as well as Michael F, a nod to Michael Fassbender, who played the character in the second generation of live-action "X-Men" films such as "X-Men: First Class."
To make the Easter egg even more fun, Reddit user u/seth47er noticed the stats on the page are similar to some of Magneto's real-life trading card stats from the '90s, writing, "That's are also his Marvel stats too, right? From that time in the 90s [when] they [were] putting out those trading cards or something with them on it."
Who voices Magneto in X-Men '97?
In the Disney+ animated series, Magneto is voiced by actor Matthew Waterson,who took over the role from the late David Hemblen. Hemblen, a Toronto-born actor who also played Jonathan Doors in the Gene Rodenberry-developed "Earth: Final Conflict" television series, died back in 2020. That meant that the voice of Magneto, like several other roles in the original "X-Men: The Animated Series," needed to be recast in the new modern interpretation of the classic cartoon.
Waterson is known for roles in "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham," "Castlevania," and "Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia." Additionally, Waterson provided his voice talents to several video game projects, including "Horizon Forbidden West," "Overwatch 2," and "God of War: Ragnarok." "X-Men '97' isn't the first time Waterson appeared in an animated project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, voicing Rusty in "What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?," a Season 2 episode of "What If...?" But Magneto is likely Waterson's most notable role, even with his extensive resume.
Waterson's performance as Magneto is fantastic, as he brings gravitas to the complicated mutant. While he's only voiced the character in the debut season of "X-Men '97" so far, Waterson's quickly joined that list in the Magneto Easter egg as one of the best actors to ever play him.