A Description of Magneto's Powers Contributed by Laura Pierson (sargenjaz@yahoo.com) A chemist friend, Stella Kurtz, and I have come up with a list of Magneto's powers, possible powers, and more importantly how they would 'work' in the real world. Most of this is truly pseudo-science. The reason I started this list of powers is because I have been RPing Magneto on several of the X-MU*s out there and had to apply for him each of those times, and I was striving to make my application for him as perfect as possible. Electromagnetism This has many different aspects; and I call it electromagnetism because his power goes far beyond magnetism alone. Electromagnetism covers the spectrums of light, heat, electricity, magnetism, and radiation. Magnus has demonstrated most, but not all in direct use, of these over the years. By means of this power he can use this as a weak, crude form of telepathy, with a link with the Earth's electromagnetic field, Magneto is able to form protective bubbles and shields; with such a force field up about him, and there has been little known to effect it, he can even go so far as to be able to survive within the depths of space. Magnus has been known to venture out without a suit on many occasions relying on the strength of his powers alone. All of these power stunts are detailed below. Magnetism Magnetism is caused by a difference in electron energy levels, to make a long, long story short. There are many magnetic compounds which don't contain iron. There are also thousands of heavy metal (rubidium, niobium, magnesium, chromium, copper, silver, nickel, Germanium, silicon, arsenic.. I could go on. Basically, anything in the 'transition metal' part of the periodic table. And they're in almost everything.) compounds and heavy metals which make magnets that are hundreds and hundreds of times stronger than a normal 'ferrous' magnet. (Ferrous metals are those that contain elements of iron within them) Magnus has shown an incredible degree of ability and skill with this. Able to work on a molecular level he can alter the shape and densities of metal to what he can imagine. He has a range of nearly three miles, but his control in this diameter depends entirely on how close the object is to his person. Within a half a mile his control is complete, but the further you are removed the less his ability to effect it, and sense it. At the full distance, Magneto can do little more than move a thing around, and without any great deal of delicacy. His strength level is huge, with the capacity of over 25,000 tons. In X-men issue #1 (Not Uncanny) Magneto lifted a Russian submarine off the floor of the ocean. As this was about the only example I could find for the limits of his lift capability, I went out and looked up the weight of a Russian Typhoon-class. It has a weight of 26,500 tons, and a full displacement of 48,000 tons. (This also does not take into account that said submarine was full of water {The weight of seawater is over 64 pounds per cubic foot.} and was on the floor of the ocean {At 1150 feet down the water pressure can be over 500 pounds per square inch.}. These two factors would have raised the weight by multiples, and so his lift would really be well beyond that 25,000 number.) (NOTE: This weight limit is for metal only. Magnus can lift objects that contain metal, but the less metal within an object the less of it he can lift. It is purely proportional to the metal contained there in. Like he could lift a submarine, as the 25,000 tons suggests, but he could not lift a building of the same weight as easily for it is made of far more concrete and glass than metal...) He can sense metal, allowing him to know any that is within the vicinity of his power range. It has never been told what sort of metals he was able to detect, but I believe it to be all metals. Large concentrations are of course easier to detect than small ones, but if metal is around and he were looking, the man would be able to discover it. Electricity Magneto generates high levels of bioelectric energy. (He should never wear rubber-soled shoes across carpet. That'd be some static spark. Luckily for those who know him he has little in the way of a sense of humor.) We're taking immense levels of energy... enough so he's creating ozone simply by existing. Part of his mutation makes his tissues resistant to that. Part of it causes that. Where in most people, ATP synthesis ends with the electrons being plugged back into the beginning of the cycle, in Magnus, they're dumped wholesale into his nervous system. Which is made of something very like myelin and nerve tissue, but with a much higher conductivity. Although much more difficult than his magnetism power, Magnus can create short bursts of electricity which can be directed towards an intended target. Electricity is just electrons moving down something.. like a copper wire or even air. This ability is not often used for how difficult it is to generate, control, and the fatigue it causes, but he has been known to nearly kill Kitty Pride with this, so I would have to say that it can be quite powerful. Heat There are millions of compounds which could be made 'super-magnetic' by a simple disruption of electrons... in essence, heating the compound. Many of these compounds can be found in rocks, and in the soil (In just about anything really.). And when you mess with the electrons in a compound, shoving them into higher energy states, the compound heats up. Simply put he can generate small fields of heat, even perhaps to direct it in something close to a beam attack. But this is incredibly difficult, and has never been shown in the comics. He could feasibly create fields of temperatures hot enough to peel paint off walls, and ignite most combustible compounds. Radiation Now, in altering the spin of electrons, and being able to cause them to not only jump to higher energy states, but to drop to lower energy states, Magneto is able to generate -electromagnetic radiation-. In other words, high-energy light, x-rays, gamma rays, both hard and soft UV, and visible light. In large quantities. Anywhere that there is matter. He could cause radiation damage/burns if he chooses to create flashes of X-rays or gamma rays. (Yes, this is repeated below, but it is the explanation for both stunts.) This takes a great deal of his concentration, and I doubt he would do it for the fact that Magnus himself is not immune to radiation at such levels. Yes, he is immune to really low levels of it for he emits higher levels of radiation than a normal human because of his powers, but anything of the levels that I mentioned above would be fatal. Light Now, in altering the spin of electrons, and being able to cause them to not only jump to higher energy states, but to drop to lower energy states, Magneto is able to generate -electromagnetic radiation-. In other words, high-energy light, x-rays, gamma rays, both hard and soft UV, and visible light. In large quantities. Anywhere that there is matter. He can create flashes of UV light that will scar and damage human retinas, blinding individuals partially or fully. Possibly he could even create lasers, and or stop laser attacks by dispersing the light, thus rendering it harmless. These are not fully detailed as he has never been shown in the comics doing anything like these. To do any sort of direct light manipulation would take a great deal of his concentration. Now, most of his other power effects give off light as a by product of the sheer power levels that he is trying to wield. This is for the most part only a harmless illumination and not some form of attack. Link to the Earth's Electromagnetic Field Magnus is tied very closely to the Earth EM Field. As is it effected, so is he. He knows instinctively all that happens to it, and with this link is granted an odd sort of immortality. The Earth lends him strength by it's simple existance. He draws on it all unconsciously. POWER EFFECTS Render Invisible Light moves though the world on waves, and these waves can be controlled with electromagnetism. One of the most interesting aspects of this is the ability to warp light, basically rendering one almost completely invisible. This is like the effect in Predator, where the creature warped the light about itself so that it blended in with its surroundings. Now, while moving, anything covered in this field of warped light is going to leave a slight, visual disturbance. If Magnus were to have this effect up, and chose to remain still he would be nearly undetectable via sight. Smell, and that tell tail electro-magnetic signature of the man, are not at all going to be disguised. (Magnus turned himself invisible in Vision and Scarlet Witch I #4) Detect Invisible It also grants him the ability to detect invisible or cloaked creatures and objects by tracking their movements along the magnetic lines. All living things generate bioelectrical energy, as well as electromagnetic radiation. Magnus just senses it personally, rather than with the intervention of machines. Because of this bioelectrical energy even an invisible person is going to create a disturbance within Magnus' sensing range. Flight Ever seen two magnets repel each other? Magneto can create, in the very air around him, what are in essence gaseous ultramagnets out of the ions around him. These ions 'adhere' to him in a 'coating', and with a thought, he can flip their polarity to be the same as that of the earth's magnetic field, allowing for flight. In issue #112, Magneto was flying along by himself and was matching the Avengers Quinn jet. After talking to some others I have guestimated this speed to be around Mach two. This is when flying alone, however. When carrying people this speed drops considerably for the amount of concentration it requires to both attune to the Earth and protect those he's carrying from the elements and the effects of magnetism. Effect Plastics and other none normally magnetic items Magneto can alter the spin and energy levels of electrons, giving him control over anything which has d-shell electrons, or pseudo-d-shell electrons... that'd be any element from potassium on up. Potassium & up are commonly used in making resins, which would give Magneto some control over some plastics. I'd say that if he can affect blood because of iron, he can affect plastics due to the ionic impurities from the process of making said plastics. Of course effecting plastics is much, much more difficult than effecting direct metal. Of course if someone went through the trouble of creating a plastic which couldn't be effected then Magnus simply couldn't effect it. EMP Magnus is able to create an electromagnetic pulse that will disrupt any technological equipment within the radius of the attack that is unshielded or other wise protected against such things. His range covers hundreds of miles, but is not yet at the level where he can EMP the whole Earth. (It is my firm belief that Magnus was using a power booster during this stunt and cannot do it on his own.) An electromagnetic pulse is ... okay, let me explain electromagnetic radiation. First off, if you view it as a wave, it travels forward. The electricity portion is moving rapidly up and down as it travels forward. The magnetic portion is moving rapidly side-to-side as it travels forward. Now, each vector that's travelling forward carries tremendous energy. Visualize a point, and then waves, travelling outward from that point in a circle. These high energy waves depolarize everything they touch. They reverse the magnetic poles, and the electrical charge on everything they come into contact with. And since electricity is the flow of electrons from a negative pole to a positive pole, imagine what that would do to an integrated circuit. Or anything magnetic, or a resistor, or even a fuse. One nasty side effect of this is that this type of radiation also effects humans. The comics always seem to leave this factor out. Anyone within a few feet of the source of the effect will be given a normally lethal doze of radiation. It would also effect the brain waves within the human body to some extent. Wave of Force Slam two electrons together and you get energy. Slam enough of them together at once (Enough actually means like three or four. It doesn't take much.) and you get a devastating wave of concessive energy akin in nature to a 'sonic boom', capable of fusing sand into glass, knocking down buildings, and destroying anything living in its path. Magnus can achieve devastating force for a radius of two blocks. Anything outside of this radius will have diminishing effects. Effect Iron in Blood Again, as the title suggests, Magnus can effect the very iron in a living beings blood. He uses this effect commonly to hold people immobile, to lift them, throw them about, or even causing anemia, weakness, or fatigue. Hemoglobin contains, at the heart of the protein structure, six iron molecules, one per subsection. These iron molecules are in a certain ionic state; that is, they must be Iron 3+ molecules. Magneto can change the ionic state of these iron molecules to Iron 2+, which renders the hemoglobin inactive, and red blood cells incapable of carrying oxygen. Shields Magnus takes ions and forms a shell of 'ultramagnetism' about the area he's protecting. Basically, the reason things collide with that and are deflected is because the ultramagnets are able to generate a small magnetic-electrical field in anything containing electrons with a p-orbital or higher (that's everything after helium) which is the same polarization as the ultramagnet, which repels it. The strength of these shields is equivalent to the Blob's body armor. (See Note below.) Also, as he desires these shields can be completely air tight. Even to the effect of containing an environment. Remember that air is a mixture of nitrogen, which contains p-orbitals, oxygen, which also contains p-orbitals, and other heavier gasses. It's only about 3 percent hydrogen, and 3 percent helium. The force field works from both sides-- as the air molecules 'bonk' into it, trying to escape, they are repelled from the ultramagnetic gas, back towards the center of the force field. Now, if this wasn't space, at 2 degrees above absolute zero, you'd be able to feel the edges of this field heat up and gradually become red-hot (Magneto would need to concentrate a bit more to make a vacuum proof force field, and to be able to keep his shield from heating.). But seeing as how it's a hot thing in a cold place, the heat is drained into space harmlessly. This heat generation is what generally what makes his shields so visible to the naked eye. That and the small amounts of electricity that is generated along with that heat. Magnus commonly uses his shields to protect him from the vacuum of space. His air limit is only a couple of hours; even less should he choose to have other people with him. The more people he carries the less time his air will hold. These shields are highly obvious when effect as they crackle constantly with bright blue electricity. Nor do they provide any sort of protection from scanning equipment. By the very nature of his power, Magnus can hide from detection what is in the field, but not the field itself. Note: There is a reason for my listing the strength of his shield as equal to Blob's, and not for putting it in tonnage amounts. Mostly this is because of the lack of way to be able to compare Marvel Comics Character's powers and real world physics. An example of this is.. if you have a loaded Semi truck that weighs about 40 tons (They can by up to 80 tons fully loaded) moving at 60 miles an hour it would hit a human form at about three tons of force per square inch. This will just about instantly kill any human being out there, and if the truck were moving faster it would leave you a lovely red mist all over the road way. Now try to apply this to Magnus' force fields.. Exactly how hard does Cyclops blasts hit at per square inch? Exactly how strong is Rogue? To really be able to figure out these fields I would have to work out most of the powers for just about everyone he's ever fought. No thank you. Psi Shield Telepathy is a mental effort by the probing telepath. What they're doing is what Magnus does-- they're reading static/active bioelectrical patterns. But Magnus generates so damn much electrical energy that he's essentially unreadable. Only the most powerful telepath's stands a chance of breaking through. This is a side effect of his force field and the diameter can be as large as one block (The same size as his force field). Weak Limited telepathy The human body is, in essence, a giant biochemical battery. The electrical impulses along myelin sheaths are our thought patterns. And patterns they are-- static patterns store memories, and non-static patterns contain thoughts. Magneto can distinguish both, and after years of practice, has become adept at 'reading thoughts'. Of course, this is not easy. It requires physical contact with the victim, and is rather painful for said victim. Also, his method has very little finesse and he can only gain surface thoughts. Pull the Metal out of Objects Something he has been known to do many times... Magnus will pull the metal out of the ground to form shields or objects he deems necessary. (Phew, this one is small when compared to the others. How this is accomplished is explained within the main Magnetism paragraph.) See/Sense Auras All living things generate bioelectrical energy, as well as electromagnetic radiation. Magnus just senses it personally, rather than with the intervention of machines. And it's a known fact that your emotions cause your body temperature/bioelectrical patterns to fluctuate. Normally I would think he keeps this ability to within a few feet of his person for he has no interest in being able to sense the hundreds of people that normally inhabit cities and the like. He can distinguish people by the 'feel' of this aura alone, and doesn't necessarily need to be able to see them. Magnus' vision does extend very little beyond that of a normal human. He can see into the IR and UV light spectrums, but not all that well. Mostly he relies on the 'feel' of things for that comes to him most naturally to him. To Magnus most people are surrounded by a faint, hazy field of energy that changes as their bioelectrical patterns fluctuate. This effect is more distinct in darkness. Astral Image Magnus can cast an image of himself anywhere within the boundaries of his power range. (In the comics he has been shown with a much greater range, but as with the EMP I believe this was done with the aid of an amplifier.) This image is obviously not real because it appears as a ghost like form. He can form what is basically an image composed of light; he can force the electrons in a room to give up energy, creating patterns of light in much the same way as a cathode-ray tube would. It's sort of like the screen on your TV set, except that it's massless. Magnus can not use his powers through it, although he can see the environment around it and speak. Nor can he use his powers while the astral image is being used. While he is casting the image his own body is vulnerable to attack as his attention is obviously elsewhere. He can not control his body while projecting on the Astral plane. These projections can only be held for a few minutes. Instantaneous travel This is not quite what it sounds... Magnus can, during flight, move into the upper atmosphere, and stop himself from moving in relation to the Earth spinning; or move, due to these 'ultramagnets', the opposite direction of that the Earth is spinning in. It may not sound like much, but it can allow him to travel 3000 miles a second. (This stunt was done by Guardian from Alpha Flight, but Magnus would be capable of it.) Create Volcanoes (I all but gagged over this one, but it's canon, Issue 150, so I included it. I have been told that in the issue he used a machine, but I left this effect in here because it was possible via his powers.) There are millions of compounds which could be made 'super-magnetic' by a simple disruption of electrons... in essence, heating the compound. Many of these compounds can be found in rocks, and in the soil. And when you mess with the electrons in a compound, shoving them into higher energy states, the compound heats up. Magnus can generate magnetism. The side effect of this is the creation of things like volcanoes, and hot springs, by (As stated above) agitating the compounds within the Earth to such a degree that they melt; as well as create a great deal of pressure due to their increased energy levels. Thus he pressure would force these melted compounds to the surface and create in effect a small volcano. Magnetic Vortex Magnus can create stirrings in the air itself by generating gaseous ultramagnets from the ions present in the atmosphere in varying patterns. When the poles of the ultramagnets are the same, the ultramagnets repel each other with enough force to create a low pressure spot in the immediate atmosphere. When the poles of the ultramagnets are different, the ultramagnets attract each other, moving with enough force towards each other to create a high pressure spot in the atmosphere. By doing this in varying patterns, Magnus can create tidal winds of hurricane velocity, whirlwinds, or other wind-based weather effects. (Taken from issue #202) Misc: Photosynthesis and ATP Synthesis Magneto would also able to affect photosynthesis in plants, causing it to come to a halt, and the plant to die; since that's an electron transport process. Also, it's possible to affect ATP synthesis in humans, since that's another electron-transport process. In any living tissue or substance, he could generate excited states of electrons in compounds.... that are known as free radical compounds. Free radicals are, to put it bluntly, really, really bad things. They can kill you very quickly. Note: This power has never been shown, but like being able to control light, heat, and radiation, this is something that is possible via electro-magnetism. Flaw Gestures For some unknown reason Magnus uses a lot of gestures to control his powers. He really doesn't need these gestures, for his powers act through the manipulation of his will, but just about each time he makes grand gestures to direct the effects of his magnetism. I believe this to be a mental flaw of sorts. By suiting gesture to action makes it that much easier for him to direct the effects. Physically Normal Even though he is a mutant with an incredible gift, Magneto has the physical form of a man who engages in light activity. He is not overly strong, or endurant, nor does he have any defenses beyond the force fields he can create. He has some skill in hand to hand combat, but nothing exceptional. Now, I get a lot of people pointing to the comics and how he is drawn with all those rippling muscles.. eh? I'm sorry, but Magnus does not work out. He doesn't think he needs to. And no man who doesn't work out could ever appear as they draw him in the comics. I believe Marvel artists draw him all buff simply for the fanboys and girls out there. Magnus is tall, yes, and certainly not fat, but he couldn't pass for some bodybuilder.. not by any means. It is his will and majestic baring that makes him so impressive, not his pectorals. Chemical Imbalance Simply put, Magnus' powers are driving him insane. There is a chemical imbalance in his system that is triggered by his power use. The more he uses his powers, the worse it gets; and therefor the stronger he pushes his powers the more and more he begins to cross that line into insanity. If he were to stop his power use for a time this imbalance would begin to slowly correct itself to establish a more normal chemical balance. Miora made an attempt to correct this problem when Magnus had been an infant in her care, but she could not totally remove it. It is through her intervention that his body can make an attempt to compensate this effect at all. Unless Magnus were to seek aid in removing this problem, it will not go away. As it is, he refuses to even acknowledge that anything is wrong. I believe this chemical imbalance was created when Magnus suffered from Meningitis during his times in the concentration camp of Auschwitz. Meningitis brings about many side effects, of which only one is possibly permanent brain damage. Easily detectable Magnus' powers are as about as easy to hide as a leer jet in a tool shed. By simply existing he emits all sorts of magnetic energies, ozone, and other by products. Depending on his power output he would be detectable by even a simple compass. For those with advanced electrical equipment Magnus sticks out like a sore thumb. By means of his own advanced technology he is able to hide himself within the bases that he has hidden about the world, but has never shown any sort of interest in hiding himself when active in the field. Therefor, even though it really would be possible to create a device that hide the effects of his powers, he has never crafted one.