As the U.S. and Soviet Union reached a consensus and launched their missiles, the conflict between mutants and humans escalated to its peak—one side had to fall.
Humans are inherently selfish, reluctant to share their power. The Earth is vast, but it cannot accommodate two superpowers, let alone two highly intelligent and infinitely potential species.
Of course, it's not entirely impossible for mutants and humans to coexist peacefully. If Earth were to face a greater crisis or invasion, mutants and humans might just stand together as natives of the planet, fighting side by side.
Just like this time, to eliminate the dangerous mutants, the U.S. and Soviet Union, two nations at odds like fire and water, were able to join forces.
Charles still held hope for the future. Realizing Erik was about to strike back, he hurriedly tried to dissuade him.
He believed that with Erik's power, defeating these enemies would be easy—almost effortless. In fact, with these modern weapons, powerful as they might be, they wouldn't be able to harm Erik; instead, they would be captured by him.
Just like in the video playing now, Erik, with a flip of his hand, had already seized control of the missiles, suspending them in midair, and redirected them toward the warships.
These missiles were enough to flatten the entire island. Now that they were turned around, destroying those warships would be effortless.
Charles tried to reason with Erik, urging him not to act impulsively. "The soldiers are just following orders," he said. "They're innocent, merely executing commands from those higher up. They shouldn't bear the consequences of rash decisions made by their leaders."
But Erik was unmoved. He glanced at Charles coldly and said, "People following orders made my life a living hell. I won't be a victim again!"
With a push of his hand, the missiles surged forward with full force, speeding back toward the warships. The sharp whistling filled the air as the commanders aboard the ships turned pale. They knew they had hit an impenetrable wall—there was no escape, no way out.
"Erik, stop!"
At this critical moment, Charles tackled Erik to the ground, trying to prevent him from making things worse. He didn't want to see the conflict between mutants and humans reach the point of no return.
In Charles' view, Erik stopping the missiles was enough to intimidate the military. They had come to do good, to save the world. But if Erik destroyed the warships, killing thousands of soldiers in the process, their noble cause would be tarnished, and mutants would face global backlash and violent suppression.
However, Erik had made up his mind. He wrestled with Charles, determined to carry out his plan.
In close combat, Charles was no match for Erik, who had endured much suffering since childhood. Charles had only one chance to win—by using his telepathic abilities to control Erik.
But Erik was wearing his helmet, which blocked all telepathic interference. Despite multiple attempts, Charles couldn't remove it.
In the heat of their fight, some missiles lost control and exploded in midair. But Erik quickly regained command over the rest. Hank, Banshee, and Alex tried to intervene, but Erik simply flung them away with a wave of his hand.
To better focus on controlling the missiles, Erik finally struck Charles, punching him hard to break free from his grip.
Under Erik's control, the missiles drew closer and closer to the warships. Death loomed over them.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. Moira, the agent, had seized the moment when Erik was fully focused on the missiles to fire at him. But the metal bullet was no match for Erik's powers. With a casual flick of his hand, he deflected it as if brushing away dust.
"Ah!"
Unfortunately, Charles, who had just gotten back on his feet, was hit by a stray bullet. The bullet struck his spine, and with a painful scream, he collapsed to the ground.
Erik was horrified when he saw this. Forgetting the missiles, he rushed to check on his friend, immediately using his powers to pull the bullet from the wound.
The missiles exploded in the sky, turning into brilliant fireworks, and the soldiers on the warships breathed a collective sigh of relief. They had narrowly escaped disaster.
But Charles was in terrible shape. Though the bullet had been removed in time, he could no longer feel his legs. He knew he would likely spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
Furious, Erik turned his anger toward the agent who had fired the shot. The metal dog tags around her neck suddenly became a deadly weapon, wrapping tightly around her throat. If it weren't for Charles' repeated pleas, Erik would have shown no mercy. He didn't care about taking lives, but he did care about his dear friend.
Yet Charles had come to a painful realization. They were no longer on the same path. Erik looked at him, conflicted and frustrated. "This is what they want, Charles. They want us mutants to turn against each other. I warned you. I wanted you to stand by me. We're brothers. You and me, we're in this together. We're supposed to protect each other. We want the same thing!"
Though their ideals clashed, both Erik and Charles shared the same goal: a better future for mutants. This was the core reason they had become close friends. However, even when the goal is the same, taking different paths can be irreconcilable.
After this ordeal, Charles knew he could no longer 'change' Erik. So he finally admitted, "I'm sorry, my friend. We don't want the same thing."
The two old friends, who once shared the same dreams, locked eyes in silent understanding. Erik's gaze filled with sadness, but only for a moment. He had fully embraced his transformation. He was no longer just Erik—he was Magneto.
He understood that Charles, like himself, was firm in his beliefs. Now that their paths had diverged, there was nothing left to say.
Leaving the agent to tend to the injured Charles, Erik stood up and addressed the other mutants. "If this society won't accept us, then we'll build our own. The humans have made their move, so we must be ready to make ours. Who will join me?"
Unlike Sebastian Shaw, who preached mutant superiority, Magneto was more pragmatic. He knew that the mutants' situation would only get worse from here on out.