Arguably no superhero franchise has nailed the concept of moral ambiguity better than FOX’s X-Men universe. The line between hero and villain has become incredibly blurred, forcing us to think of these characters more as genuine people – rather than comic book characters. No member of this universe embodies that idea more than Michael Fassbender’s Magneto. A new clip from X-Men: Apocalypse has just hit the web showcasing his upcoming descent into darkness, and it’s an acting tour de force. Check it out below.
The above clip shows Michael Fassbender’s Erik Lehnsherr walking into some sort of factory, and using his powers over metal to slam the doors shut behind him. He appears distraught, and quietly furious over something that has just happened to him. With pain in his eyes, he explains that someone at the factory told the police about him, and that he will now demonstrate his power by taking these men away from the people they love most in the world. When one of the workers pleads with him not to do anything drastic, Erik simply shrugs off the persona he has maintained for the last ten years and reaffirms his place as Magneto.
It’s unclear exactly what happened to Magneto prior to this scene that makes him snap, but it’s clearly nothing good. Trailers for the film have shown Magneto crying over the body of a woman at some point during the events of the film, so we can reasonably assume that whatever life he built for himself following his attack on the White House in 1973 will get torn apart in dramatic fashion. This tragedy will cause a great deal of pain in his spirit, and likely make him even more susceptible to the persuasion of En Sabah Nur a.k.a Apocalypse – which will subsequently lead to his indoctrination as a member of the Four Horsemen.
If nothing else, this clip should get you excited about X-Men: Apocalypse because it reminds us all of how damn good of an actor Michael Fassbender is. Over the last three X-Men movies, he has consistently taken the character of Magneto and endowed him with enough raw emotion to make him both a tragic hero and a deplorable villain. His chemistry with the rest of the X-Men actors has always been nothing if not top-notch, and we seriously want to see how this scene pans out. Will he kill these men, or will something interfere and save their lives?
Only time will tell what happens when Magneto walks into this factory for real. Find out for yourself when X-Men: Apocalypse blasts its way into theaters later this month on May 27.
