A stunning new cosplay of Magneto re-imagines the Master of Magnetism as a Mandalorian warrior, recognizing his fierce devotion to the protection of his people and his indomitable pursuit of this goal.
Magneto is one of the X-Men’s most well-known characters, which is in large part due to his sympathetic yet morally complicated goals and origins. Magneto has always fought for the future of mutantkind, but his methods have frequently been considered extreme, bringing him into conflict with the X-Men. But even at his worst, Magneto is still an understandable, even tragic antagonist, which is what drew readers to him. This is not a bank robber, mad scientist or cliché world-conqueror, but someone who has gone through unimaginable loss, is desperate to prevent it from happening to his people again, and is willing to do whatever it takes.
This warrior-like devotion to his “clan” shines through in a cosplay by uncgwhoviangirl that combines that Master of Magnetism with a Mandalorian suit of armor. Uncgwhoviangirl has created an outfit that expertly blends Magneto’s classic look, including the eye-catching red coloring, with the already iconic costume popularized by Din Djarin on the Disney+ hit show, The Mandalorian. An additional image taken with two other cosplayers shows that the “Mandneto” armor, as she named the cosplay, fits well next to other Mandalorian armor-wearers like Boba Fett.
This redesign, aside from combining two highly popular franchises, opens interesting questions. Does Magneto follow something similar to the Mandalorian Code? As fans of the show already know, Mandalorians are not a traditional race, but a group of individuals united by a shared ideology or creed, which they call the Mandalorian Code. While the details of the code remain vague, the main tenets revealed so far are accepting a challenge via combat whenever offered and honoring one’s word. Additionally, a strong focus on protecting and helping your clan/fellow Mandalorians comprises part of their beliefs. These are traits that Magneto has traditionally displayed, but never more so than today, when he serves on the Great Ring of Arakko (formerly the planet Mars). Arakko is a society of warriors, plagued by invasions, war and strife for millennia, and their culture has become harsh to match. Magneto’s attempt to find his place in this “broken land” is one of the main story elements of the ongoing X-Men Red, created by Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli.
There are many parallels between Arakko and Mandalore, which presumably inspired the outfit. Magneto has shown an even greater dedication to protecting his people than before, and has recently faced impossible odds in the defense of his new home. He has shown he will not back down from a challenge, or break his word. While Magneto does remove his helmet regularly, which more extreme Mandalorian factions would take offense at, they would approve of his determination, strength and honor. This cosplay successfully highlights not just Magneto’s power, but his more heroic qualities as well, making a strong case that we should view the Master of Magnetism as a protector first, like the Mandalorian.
Source: uncgwhoviangirl