Though Spider-Man is most often associated with the famous motto, that "with great power, there must also come great responsibility," there's another Marvel character who lives his life by the same logic: Magneto. As revealed in an early issue of Ultimate X-Men, the mutant villain has his own version of the iconic line to live by — with a much darker twist.

Ultimate X-Men #5 by Mark Millar, Andy Kubert, Danny Miki, and Joe Weems shows Cyclops ing up with Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants. Cyclops left the newly formed X-Men in the previous issue, having had a fight with Charles Xavier, and witnessed a kiss between Jean Grey and Wolverine.

In the Savage Land, Magneto tells the frustrated Cyclops that humanity is "a fundamentally flawed creation," so mutants must replace them as soon as possible. Magneto says, "As the more intelligent species, one might even say that it's our moral responsibility," putting an evil twist on Spider-Man's own guiding principle.

Magneto Believes in "Great Responsibility" with an Evil Twist

The Magneto of Marvel's Ultimate Universe, though similar in many ways, has several notable differences to his Earth-616 counterpart. Primarily, the Magneto of Earth-1610 is depicted as a much more hostile, villainous take on the character, showing an outright disgust and hatred of the human race. Though Marvel's main Magneto certainly views humans as inferior and often plays the role of the villain, Ultimate Magneto takes these feelings a step further. He is repeatedly shown calling for the extermination of the human race, viewing it as the natural conclusion of his fight for mutant superiority.

Magneto's speech to Scott Summers, however, shows that Earth-1610's version of the villain has one important similarity to his Earth-616 counterpart: he still views himself as the hero. Through his own warped logic, Magneto actually thinks along the same lines as Spider-Man, with both characters believing that their immense power gives them a level of moral obligation that others don't have. While Peter Parker takes this to mean it's his job to protect others, however, Erik Lensherr finds his role in subjugation. He thinks it's his job to save Earth from humanity — and even save humans from themselves.

Ultimate Magneto & Ultimate Spider-Man Are Polar Opposites

Magneto's quote highlights an interesting distinction between himself and Ultimate Spider-Man. This darker, more vengeful version of Magneto is, in many ways, in line with the rest of the Ultimate Universe. When Marvel set out to create this new continuity, a more modern and grounded spin on their original universe, many of the heroes and villains received much harsher characterizations. Captain America is crueler, Hank Pym is more abusive, and Mister Fantastic eventually becomes one of Marvel's greatest villains. An even more villainous Magneto feels appropriate given how much more violent the Ultimate Universe is in general.

This all contrasts with Spider-Man, a notable exception to the Ultimate Universe's grittier characterizations. While many 1610 heroes are total jerks — as Spider-Man notes himself several times — Peter remains true to Uncle Ben's words, wanting only to help others. Ultimate Spider-Man has its share of tragic stories and angry outbursts, but the younger Peter Parker retains the character's humor and levity throughout, sometimes even more than his 616 counterpart's stories at the time. Magneto is one of Ultimate Marvel's greatest villains, but Spider-Man remains the universe's greatest hero — making his eventual death all the more tragic.

Ultimate X-Men #5 is available from Marvel Comics now.