Warning: contains spoilers for X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #1!
In 1993's now-classic X-Men #25, Magneto ripped the unbreakable adamantium coating from Wolverine's bones. It was a brutal move that's entered Marvel lore as a devastating loss, but the Master of Magnetism just improved on this gruesome attack. In X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #1, on sale now in print and digital, Daken (Wolverine’s son) attacks Magneto. As Daken brags about the lack of adamantium in his body, Magneto proves that he can still use his powers to devastating effect, nearly killing Logan's son in the process.
Comic fans know the story of Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton. Grafted onto him by the Weapon X project, it was his healing factor that kept the process from killing him. In 1993, Marvel published the 'Fatal Attractions' storyline, which ran through the various X-Men titles. In the story’s penultimate chapter, issue 25 of X-Men, Magneto uses his powers to rip the adamantium out of Wolverine, and it nearly kills him. Eventually, Wolverine would get his adamantium back, but X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #1 - written by Leah Williams, with art by Lucas Werneck, colors by Edgar Delgado and letters by Clayton Cowles - proves that Magneto still hasn't lost his edge.
The culmination of the Hellfire Gala saw the murder of the Scarlet Witch, once believed to be Magneto’s daughter, on Krakoa. Now X-Factor, assisted by the X-Men and X-Force, are investigating her death. The clues are pointing to Magneto as the culprit, and the three teams confront him. Magneto maintains his innocence and refuses to turn himself in, leading to a confrontation. During the melee, Magneto once again uses Wolverine's adamantium to control him, only to be impaled from behind by Daken, who boasts, "No adamantium to manipulate inside me," while his proud father watches and grins. However, Magneto is not daunted, telling Daken the metallic ore in Krakoan soil will be enough to make him suffer. Magneto summons the ore and drives a flurry of blades into Daken, taking him out of the fight.
Where once Magneto might have needed a more apparent source of metal to attack, his powers have developed to where he can always find and weaponize what he needs. Brutal as his internal attack on Wolverine was, it has gone down in history as Logan facing an opponent who had an obvious and unavoidable advantage over him. Against Daken, Magneto proves that while this may be true, the nature of his powers means any brawler will find themselves brutally outclassed, whether or not their bones are coated in metal. Magneto has trained to defend Krakoa studiously, learning how best to employ his powers on the island, and Daken pays the price for underestimating him.
Magneto is capable of great compassion at times, but he can also be incredibly cold and is capable of horrific violence. In X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #1, he shows that some version of his gruesome attack on Wolverine will always be possible - adamantium skeleton or not - but in doing so, he also makes it abundantly clear that he's capable of the murder that may see him permanently imprisoned by his former allies.
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