X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo is now in hot water after claiming Marvel stripped him of his Season 2 credit over a Pride-themed post on Instagram in June. As expected, many have rallied behind the series creator, showing their support and continuously praising his work on the animated series, which became a massive success. However, before this issue broke, DeMayo had already faced fans' wrath after changing Magneto’s history, replacing an important event in the mutant’s life, The Holocaust, with the "Eastern European Genocide."
In a post on X, DeMayo shared an X-Men pitch he made in 2014/15 when he was still an intern at Fox. Though he described it as fan fiction, his story, Uncanny X-Men, demonstrated how a TV Bible, an outline of a show, worked. He also clarified that this pitch was not X-Men '97.
As fans began reading his pitch on Dropbox, many noticed that he referred to the "Eastern European Genocide" instead of The Holocaust to keep Magneto young. Given the significance of this historical event in the Master of Magnetism’s life, many couldn’t help but react to the change.
DeMayo explained that he was trying to find a way to include Magneto’s Holocaust history without tying it to a specific time period, allowing the character to be portrayed as much younger. This was a logical approach for him, as he was curious about how future X-Men films would handle Magneto’s backstory. However, many fans remained unconvinced by his explanation.
User @TheQuiver suggested DeMayo shouldn’t write about Magneto if he focused on his age rather than the mutant being a Holocaust survivor.
User @oofouchoww advised he shouldn’t adapt the character if he couldn’t use the word “holocaust.”
User @LisaAnnHarper explained that Magneto’s age doesn’t matter, especially in a world with long-lived characters like Logan. Since it’s a vital part of his story, she advised DeMayo to let him live long, just like every other mutant.
User @W1NGTIPS couldn’t help but compare Magneto to Wolverine. As DeMayo altered Magneto’s history because he was an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor, the user questioned why Logan's being 200 years old was acceptable.
The Importance of The Holocaust in Magneto’s History in X-Men
Magneto’s backstory as a Holocaust survivor is crucial to his character. Born and raised in Germany to a middle-class Jewish family, Magneto lost his father, mother, and sister during World War II when they were executed and buried in a mass grave.
Though he survived, he was captured and sent to Auschwitz, where he became a Sonderkommando, a Jewish prisoner forced to work in the gas chambers and crematoria of the Nazi camp system. Together with his wife, Magda, he tried to escape, but he was persecuted after attempting to save their daughter from a fire. Witnessing his daughter's death fueled his hatred for humans, especially after seeing their brutality toward those they considered different, like mutants.
Since the Holocaust shaped Magneto into who he is, his origin should never be altered—there is no Magneto without this defining history. Hence, this history should be preserved and continually featured in future adaptations.
