This article contains SPOILERS for A.X.E.: Judgment Day #4!Magneto is dead and Professor X might the only one who could save him, but doing so would require Charles Xavier to commit the ultimate betrayal. The two men have a relationship that defies labels, having been bitter rivals, close friends, and even the deliverers of mutant sovereignty over the course of their lives. However, the events of the A.X.E.: Judgment Day crossover have conspired to tear them apart like never before. No matter what happens next, what Professor X and Magneto once had is gone forever.
For mutantkind as a whole, death has not held the same finality it once had for some time. Krakoa's Resurrection Protocols have ensured that most mutants have functional immortality. Even those who would slip through the cracks due to the constraints of Cerebro have a way back through the Waiting Room as well as the Siege Perilous for X-Men lost in Otherworld. In fact, only a mutant in a very specific set of circumstances could truly die at this point in mutantkind's history. It just so happens that Max Eisenhardt, also known as Magneto, has found himself right in the middle of said circumstances upon his death.
The current X-Men Red series has posed many questions about the value of life and death in the Krakoan age, as well as foreshadowing Magneto's passing. The promise of this story beat is delivered on in A.X.E.: Judgment Day #4 by Kieron Gillen, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia, VC's Clayton Cowles, and Tom Brevoort. Despite the presence of the Progenitor and his forthcoming judgment, war still rages between mutantkind and the vast majority of Eternal society. Through sheer force of will and a mastery of magnetism, Magneto holds his body together long enough to deliver the final blow needed to defeat Uranos, the Eternal's ultimate weapon. In doing so Max expends the last of his strength, and not even synchronizing with Storm's abilities can preserve him any longer. The Progenitor judges Max Eisenhardt a success and waves Magneto on as he dies.
Professor X May Have Already Betrayed Magneto
Normally, Magneto would enter the resurrection queue, and considering his importance within mutant society he would likely have returned to life within the hour. However, Magneto previously deleted his psychic back-ups from Cerebro in X-Men Red #4 from Al Ewing, Juann Cabal, Andrés Genolet, Michael Sta. Maria, Federico Blee, VC's Ariana Maher, and Jordan D. White. Having completed his life's goal, Magneto has nothing left to live for. Therefore, removing himself from the Resurrection Protocols to be in solidarity with Arakki mutants turns out to be quite an easy decision for Max. Of course this decision is predicated on the trust that Professor X will not keep making psychic back-ups of Magneto in secret. Charles Xavier has made morally dark choices in the past, but disregarding Magneto's consent to bring him back would be an ultimate betrayal of their relationship.
To be clear, no evidence has been given to suggest that Charles has secretly kept Magneto's Cerebro back-ups active. Yet, Professor X's single-minded self-righteousness led him to fail the Progenitor's judgment; it's not hard to imagine Charles justifying betraying Max this way out of some belief that mutantkind is better off with Magneto alive rather than at rest. In an age where anything feels possible, some X-Men have emphasized consent's role in accepting Krakoa's gifts. Hopefully Professor X has taken that lesson to heart, otherwise his most evil act may be saving Magneto's life.
A.X.E.: Judgment Day #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.