CHECK OUT OUR MERCH: https://www.redbubble.com/people/blin...

In an effort to follow Charles Xavier's teachings & philosophies, Erik Lehnsherr dons a costume, and attempts to be the hero the world needs, to bridge the gap between mutants and humans. It does not go well....

A WORD FROM CHRIS

There have been countless interpretations of the X-MEN, so I'm not about to bother with which part of the lore this story fits into. This story is simply meant to embody the fundamental ideological divisions between Magneto and Xavier, and how they will never be able to see eye to eye. It is also my explanation for why Magneto wears a bright red costume, and purple cape. Sure, we can just say he's extra and call it a day, but what if there was something more, something deeper, behind his natural flare? That's what I wanted this story to explore in this story.

I basically said it without saying it, that Magneto based is costume on Superman, which I think makes for an incredible new way to look at him. We all want to be saved. We all want to see good triumph over evil. Even those of us who have a warped view on reality still want the twisted versions of their own heroes to win. For Magneto, specifically being a Holocaust survivor was a hell of an eye opener. Witnessing such horrors first hand, then seeing that literal fear resurfacing again between mutants and humans is beyond traumatic. And if he were a true fan of Superman, Magneto would clearly have a strong sense of justice, as well as a desire to see it through. Given his superhuman abilities, it only makes sense that he would attempt to embody the sort of hero he wanted to be rescued by, as a child.

However, that is why Magneto will never be Superman. Superman is unwavering in his pursuit of truth & justice, and always tries to find the good in people, regardless of how flawed they are. This in many ways mirrors Xavier's outlook on life. It's quite ironic, actually. Magneto has the godlike powers of Superman, but it is Xavier who truly embodies the spirit of the character. All of this is what I wanted to try and showcase in this 10 minute short.

The whole thing was shot in 2 days, with day one being the lynching scene at the park, and day two, the bookend dialog scenes between Magneto and Xavier. Production was actually pretty painless, which is rare when you're filming with little to no budget. I would say finding the house to film the dialog scenes was probably the hardest, given there aren't many cost effective places in Hollywood that also happen to look like something from the 20th century. However, Peerspace helped solve that problem.

With the exception of his helmet, I made the entire Magneto costume myself. The helmet, of course, was from Marvel Legends, and was actually the reason this whole thing was able to happen. I was walking through Target and found the helmet on sale. So I said to myself, 'okay, that's a damn good helmet, if I ever come up with a story for Magneto, I'll totally make something.' Flash forward about 7 months later, while watching X-MEN'97 when that idea finally hit me.