For those reading the current Jonathan Hickman run of the X-Men, some might find it strange that Charles Xavier and Magneto are acting less like champions of mutant rights and more like cult leaders. However, this actually isn’t the first time Magneto was the leader of a cult-like group whose main goal was the succession of the mutant race. During the ’90s, a mutant extremist group known as the Acolytes followed the words of Magneto as if spoken by a god, which only led to hatred and violence.
First appearing in Jim Lee and Chris Claremont’s X-Men #1, the Acolytes debuted as mutant refugees from Earth attempting to use a space shuttle to reach Asteroid M, which served as the home of Magneto. Before reaching it, they engaged in combat with another shuttle full of humans that were also heading to Asteroid M. However, Magneto prevented both parties from reaching their destination by destroying their ships. After explaining that the Acolytes sought guidance and leadership, Magneto decided to bring both groups back to Asteroid M. While on the asteroid, a fight broke out between the two groups, leading to one of the humans shooting a depowered Acolyte.
This action enraged Magneto and convinced him to return to his former cause of mutant supremacy. Magneto would then return to earth to steal nuclear weapons from a destroyed submarine that he encountered earlier in his life. Before he could, he was confronted by the X-Men; though at first, he meant no harm, this would change after being attacked by Wolverine and Cyclops. Eventually, Magneto would escape from the X-Men with some of the nukes, but Rogue would quickly follow behind him and attempted to reason with him. This would lead to Rogue being shot by a human-piloted jet, an action that caused Magneto to take up the role as leader of the Acolytes.
This status-quo of Magneto being the godlike leader of the Acolytes would last quite a while with the X-Men comics. As more time passed, the Acolytes would prove themselves a pretty brutal group, whose actions would often undermine Magneto’s ideals, which often led to turmoil amongst him and his followers. Magneto would also find himself at odds with his self-appointed 2nd-in-command, Fabian Cortez, who would often attempt to manipulate and eventually betray Magneto in order to serve his own purposes. Eventually, Cortez would manipulate his team into a trap, leading many to Acolytes dying and the disappearance of the Magneto.
Despite Cortez’s betrayal, the way in which the rest of the Acolytes saw Magneto as a prophet makes them extremely memorable. Magneto would return to the group during the Fatal Attractions event, where he famously ripped the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton. This would lead to Professor X attempting to mind wipe his old friend, leaving him in a vegetative state. The Acolytes truly hate humanity, coming up with the word Flatscan as an offensive term for non-mutants. This caused them to attack with even less concern for human life than usual villains, even attacking a school bus full of children with the intent of kidnapping a young mutant.
In hindsight, the Acolytes seem like a means of reinvigorating Magneto as the biggest threat to the X-Men during the ’90s. Unlike Magneto’s former group, The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, The Acolytes seem legitimately racist towards non-mutants. Though Magneto and the Acolytes went their separate ways long ago, it’s clear from reading Jonathan Hickman’s run that Magneto takes well to the role of a cult leader.