Magneto has been dead - like dead dead, with no resurrection - since 2022's X-Men Red #5, in which he laid down his life during the AXE: Judgement Day event to protect the mutant planet Arakko. But with 'Fall of X' bringing about the end of the Krakoa era, Magneto's presence is once again needed by his people, and in January 24's The Resurrection of Magneto #1, Storm sets out on a journey to bring him back from beyond the veil of death.
However, the path to bring Magneto back isn't as simple as harnessing the powers of The Five to resurrect him, or restoring his consciousness from Xavier's psychic back-up files, as the Master of Magnetism made sure to delete his genetic and psychic records before dying.
So how does Magneto come back? The answer is more complicated than you might expect - and it hasn't totally been answered yet.
Spoilers ahead for Resurrection of Magneto #1
As implied by its title, Resurrection of Magneto #1 by writer Al Ewing, artist Luciano Vecchio, colorist David Curiel, and letterer Joe Sabino tells the story of the Master of Magnetism's return.
But rather than quickly bringing Magneto back and then dealing with the fallout, Resurrection of Magneto offers an introspective, almost poetic journey into the mutant afterlife in which Storm must pass through a series of trials and tribulations to figure out where Magneto's spirit lies, and hopefully bring him back to life.
To find Magneto, Storm enlists the help of Adam Brashear, the Blue Marvel, who agrees without hesitation to help Storm open a portal to the "Waiting Room," the portion of Marvel's vast realm of the afterlife allotted to the souls of mutants who are awaiting resurrection. As Storm passes through the gate, her body is left in the physical world where Brashear and his ally Taaia work to keep her alive as her spirit ventures through the afterlife.
Inside, Storm encounters a series of levels of mutant afterlife, venturing deeper and deeper through a series of mind and soul bending tests in search of the final resting place of Magneto's spirit, which she aims to bring back through the portal into the physical world. And wherever it is, it looks like Magneto's not exactly enjoying the rewards of paradise.
Though Storm has yet to find Magneto's soul, the story so far feels like the X-Men's answer to classic literary tales of the pilgrimage of spirits such as Dante's Inferno or Pilgrim's Progress, with Storm in the role of the traveler through the afterlife, exploring her own nature through the tribulations and revelations she faces along the way.
Though readers looking for a more straightforward approach to Magneto's return will have to wait a bit longer to see how his resurrection will impact the current landscape of the Marvel Universe, in which mutants are considered an "invasive species" to be purged from Earth, those who have enjoyed Ewing's work on Immortal Hulk and Defenders will find another chapter in his cosmic odyssey through Marvel's revolving door of life and death.
The story continues in Resurrection of Magneto #2, which goes on sale February 28.
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