# X-Men Magneto question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729 "2003-12-13T04:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/1 "2003-12-13T04:17:46Z")
OK, I just saw the first X-Men movie, and had a question. (Yes, I’m a little behind in my movies. Sue me. 🙂 ) At the climax of the movie, we see Magneto vs. the X-Men at the Statue of Liberty. Magneto uses his magnetic powers to bend the statue’s metal and disable the X-Men. He even, apparently, uses the statue’s metal to help himself fly around. However: the S of L is made of copper, a non-ferrous metal, so Magneto’s mutant magnetic power should be inneffective, shouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@MonkeyMule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMule)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/2 "2003-12-13T04:30:47Z")
ANything can be effected by a magnetic feild if I remember corectly. Knowing that Magneto is powerful enough to desrupt the earths magnetic field, so I gues he could generate those type of fields. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/3 "2003-12-13T04:35:01Z")
Free bonus question: what song was Mom practicing on the piano at the start of the “Rogue kisses her boyfriend into a coma” scene? It sounded Bach-ish, but I can’t place it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/4 "2003-12-13T04:51:21Z")
My impression is that in the movies, at least, Magneto’s power doesn’t actually have anything to do with magnetism. It’s just really powerful telekinesis which only works on metals. Why does it only work on metals? Because that’s what his power is. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/5 "2003-12-13T04:52:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MonkeyMule \* > ANything can be effected by a magnetic feild if I remember corectly. [I’m told](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_339.html) that only ferromagnetic materials respond to magnetic forces. I’d guess that’s why your body doesn’t explode when you get an MRI. 😛 Having not read the X-Men comicbooks, I’m willing to accept the answer “Magneto can effect all metals. Just because”. OK, cool. But the movie and his name seem to imply his powers are magnetic. No? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/6 "2003-12-13T04:53:31Z")
I see **Chronos** has provided the “that’s just how it works” answer. OK, I can live with that. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/7 "2003-12-13T04:59:07Z")
I saw a few years back they made a magnetic field so strong they levitated a frog with it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/8 "2003-12-13T05:22:49Z")
Only the Statue of Liberty’s outer skin is copper. The framework (and I presume the rivets as well) are iron. There is more than enough ferromagnetic metal in the structure for Magneto to use, and presumably the metallic members used to secure the X-Men to the inner wall of the statue’s head were iron girders, not copper. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/9 "2003-12-13T05:30:33Z")
In the comic book, Magneto’s uniform is lined with steel mesh, and he uses his magnetism on that to enable himself to fly. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/10 "2003-12-13T05:46:37Z")
If he were to vary the magnetic field, it would induce electrical currents in copper, which would, with enough finesse, cause the copper to act as an electromagnet. That would make it manipulable by magnetism. So, Stan, do I get an official No-Prize? On the other hand, in Magneto’s entry in the old Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, they describe him as a living embodiment of the unified field theory. While he finds it easiest to control magnetism and to use it on metals, he has shown the ability to generate and control all the forces of nature. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/11 "2003-12-13T05:54:31Z")
Far as I can remember, Mags rides the earth’s magnetic field as his way of flying. Doesn’t ride on metal. But Number Six’s explanation sounds good to me. I wasn’t aware of that but it seems likely. Would also explain why Mags had to …oh wait, you haven’t seen the second movie. Others should know what I am getting at though. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/12 "2003-12-13T06:12:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > Only the Statue of Liberty’s outer skin is copper. The framework (and I presume the rivets as well) are iron. :smack: Quite right. I was taking Magneto’s comment in the film too literally. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/13 "2003-12-13T06:16:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Carnage \* > …oh wait, you haven’t seen the second movie. Others should know what I am getting at though. Perversely, I saw the second movie first. Please, carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/14 "2003-12-13T06:20:47Z")
…why Mags had to ride out of prison on that metal disk, not having his costume back yet. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/15 "2003-12-13T08:01:04Z")
_My_ question is…even after Cyclops knocked Magneto out at the Statue of Liberty, how were the authorities able to restrain Mags’ powers long enough to build the “Plastic Prison” that they put him in? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@MonkeyMule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMule)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/16 "2003-12-13T08:08:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*_My_ question is…even after Cyclops knocked Magneto out at the Statue of Liberty, how were the authorities able to restrain Mags’ powers long enough to build the “Plastic Prison” that they put him in? \*\* Keep him KO’d with drug, easyest way I can think of ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/17 "2003-12-14T02:55:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*_My_ question is…even after Cyclops knocked Magneto out at the Statue of Liberty, how were the authorities able to restrain Mags’ powers long enough to build the “Plastic Prison” that they put him in? \*\* Saran wrap. ---
**Author:** ![AmbushBug](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ambushbug/32/4600_2.png) [@AmbushBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmbushBug)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/18 "2003-12-14T08:03:28Z")
Wasn’t it earlier in the movie, during the “cop standoff”, where Magneto stopped a (presumably thinly-copper-jacketed lead) bullet? Same problem, no? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/19 "2003-12-14T12:43:42Z")
IMHO all metals are ferromagnetic 80% of the time in the X-men universe. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729/20 "2003-12-14T12:58:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shade \* > \*\*IMHO all metals are ferromagnetic 80% of the time in the X-men universe. \*\* That’s probably why Adamantium is supposedly an Iron alloy, not an entirely new element, at least. …Of course, if they were inventing a new element, they could have just said that it happened to be magnetic anyway. :smack: Ah, well. Ranchoth (…though I’ve always wanted to see a story that made the shocking revelation that Adamantium was actually a _Nickel_ alloy. 😉 ) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-magneto-question/218729.md?page=2)