Ultimate Wolverine Just Introduced the Most Important X-Men Friendship (& It Could Have Dire Consequences)

Ultimate Wolverine has become the more traditional of the two Ultimate mutant books. Ultimate Wolverine #4 is the latest installment, giving fans a brilliant “Weapon X” pastiche that tells that story in an all-new way. The end of the issue had a major development, revealing that Eurasian Republic has their hands on the most powerful mutants in the world — Charles Xavier and Jean Grey. The ending data page reveals that a very important X-Men friendship did exist at some point in the 6160 universe, as well — Xavier and Magneto. While the Eurasians don’t have Magneto in their grasp, the data page establishes Xavier and Magneto were together as friends for a time, which could lead to some very important developments.

The friendship between Xavier and Magneto is a huge part of what makes the X-Men work. Magneto’s a very complicated character, and Xavier has become much more than the kindly mentor he was. Their relationship has changed a lot, especially in the last few years, when it often feels like Magneto and Xavier have switched place in the X-Men mythos, with Magneto becoming more heroic and Xavier becoming more villainous. Their changing relationship can give readers an idea of where this relationship is going to go in the new Ultimate Universe.

Magneto and Xavier Is Marvel’s Most Important Friendship

At first, there was no relationship between Xavier and Magneto other than their status as enemies. Xavier’s dream of peaceful co-existence and Magneto’s belief in mutant superiority were completely at odds. However, legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont decided to change their relationship. There are two major parts of this. The first is Magneto’s past in the Holocaust, which wasn’t established until Claremont, making the villain more sympathetic. The other is that they met and made friends in Israel while both of them were working with Holocaust victims. Xavier and Magneto became very close during this time, and it formed the bedrock of their relationship. While their views on humans and mutants changed and became more extreme, their friendship was still important to them, with Xavier eventually asking Magneto to take over the headmaster of the Xavier Institute when Professor X went to space with his girlfriend Shi’Ar Empress Lilandra Neramani.

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Since comics are exercises in status quo, Magneto and Xavier eventually became enemies again, when Magneto learned that Xavier and Moira MacTaggert tried to change parts of his mind. Xavier would soon mindwipe Magneto for removing Wolverine’s adamantium, and once Magneto returned, they went back to being enemies. Eventually, the two of them decided to work together on the wrecked island of Genosha, and since then have been back to being friends. The Krakoa Era saw them closer than ever, and also revealed that the two of them had been working together behind the scenes for years with Moira to lay the groundwork for the mutant nation of Krakoa. Magneto and Xavier’s relationship has been a major engine of X-Men stories for years now, and putting the two of them in the Ultimate Universe could lead to some interesting places.

Magneto Is Going to Want Revenge for What Was Done to Xavier

See that little brain above Jean Grey? That’s the current Ultimate Charles Xavier. On Earth-6160, the Eurasian Republic didn’t need Xavier’s frail body after taking him prisoner, and he died. All of this is revealed by a data page at the end of the issue, which talks about how Jean Grey is the only Omega class mutant left. Magneto is mentioned, but it doesn’t mention his death like it does Xavier, which can be very dangerous for the Eurasian Republic.

The data page talks about how Xavier, Magneto, and Jean Grey could have run the world together. This implies that Xavier, Magneto, and Jean were all together, which means that Xavier and Magneto almost certainly knew each other. Maybe they worked together for mutants like they did in the 616 universe, and Directorate X — the arm of the Eurasian Republic that deals with mutants — had taken Xavier and Jean prisoner. This leaves Magneto still out there, perhaps wanting revenge for what happened to Xavier. In fact, Magneto could even be the leader of the group known as the Opposition, the mutants who battle against the Eurasian Republic. This could lead to some very interesting developments in the future, and might mean that the days of the Eurasian Republic might be numbered.

Ultimate Wolverine #4 is on sale now.