Warning: This article contains spoilers for X-Men '97 episode 8, "Tolerance is Extinction - Part 1"

Summary

• X-Men '97 episode 8 may have actually proven that Magneto's philosophical beliefs about humanity and mutantkind's coexistence are right.
• Bastion's Operation: Zero Tolerance poses a significant threat to mutantkind, using humanity as enhanced weapons.
• The validity of "Magneto was right" has been debated for many years, but X-Men '97 episode 8 may have settled this argument.

One of Marvel's oldest mutant debates might have been settled in X-Men '97 episode 8 might have proven that Magneto was, in fact, right all along.

After X-Men '97 episode 7 finally revealed the Marvel cameo appearances, and even more devastation that could prove Magneto even more right.

Why Magneto Was Right

"Magneto was right" is a popular slogan attributed to the Master of Magnetism, referring directly to his views on humanity and mutantkind's coexistence. While Professor X and the X-Men believe humans and mutants can live peacefully side-by-side, Magneto, fueled by his trauma as a survivor of the Holocaust, believes humans should be eradicated, allowing mutants to become the dominant species on Earth. On several occasions, Magneto has put these innate beliefs on the back-burner, just as he has in X-Men '97, enabling him to be a huge asset to the X-Men team, but the sentiment of "Magneto was right" persists.

This has been an important theme throughout X-Men '97, particularly after Magneto officially took control of the X-Men and set out to do some good. Magneto's trial being interrupted by the X-Cutioner and the Friends of Humanity that led to Storm being depowered, the devastating attack on Genosha that culminated in Gambit and many other mutants' deaths, and the evolution of Bastion's Prime Sentinels in X-Men '97 episode 8 perhaps all Magneto's philosophy. Even Valerie Cooper declared Magneto to be right in episode 8, shortly before she released Magneto in an effort to thwart Bastion's destructive conquest against mutantkind.

Marvel Comics' History Of "Magneto Was Right" Explained

"Magneto was right" is a phrase first popularized by young mutant Quentin Quire in Grant Morrison's New X-Men series shortly after Magneto's apparent demise during Cassandra Nova's attack on Genosha in 2001's E is for Extinction event. This storyline inspired X-Men '97 episode 5, " It," which also marked Magneto's apparent death, though he was later revealed to have been taken captive by Bastion in episode 7. It makes sense that "Magneto was right" would become important in X-Men '97 following this major event, as many around the world are beginning to realize the danger that humans pose to mutantkind.

Since Quire coined the phrase, the "Magneto was right" debate has been one that has persisted for many years, similarly to how the "Thanos was right" craze began in the MCU in the wake of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. 2023's Magneto series by J.M. DeMatteis relied heavily on the "Magneto was right" debate, and suggested that he actually had been right the whole time, though from a particular point of view. This translated perfectly into the relevant and sobering reality of X-Men '97 episode 8, which saw regular humans enhanced into weapons to use against mutants across the world.

X-Men '97 Played On Modern Concerns Perfectly

In the real world, the rise of artificial intelligence and major technological advancements are becoming a scary prospect for many, yet this forms the perfect backdrop for the events of X-Men '97 episode 8. Bastion enhancing regular humans into superpowered and weaponized Prime Sentinels is pure nightmare fuel, and this poses perhaps the most significant threat ever to the X-Men team. Designed by human-Sentinel hybrid Bastion, and utilizing regular humans as weapons, Operation: Zero Tolerance is a pure human endeavor against mutantkind as a whole, which could prove once-and-for-all that Magneto's harrowing philosophical beliefs truly are right in X-Men '97.