#ComicBytes: Professor X and Magneto, the ultimate frenemies
What's the story
There is no relationship in Marvel as complicated as the one between X-Men leader Professor X and Magneto, his mortal enemy.
In all the Fox-produced X-Men films, this relationship has been brought forward many times to form the crux of its stories. But still, there is a lot left to cover.
Let us take a look at the timeline of their time together.
First encounter
Two powerful mutants start their friendship in Israel
Charles Xavier (Professor X) first meets Erik Lehnsherr at a hospital in Israel.
He finds out that Erik is a mutant when Baron von Strucker and his troops attack the hospital and Erik uses his metal-controlling powers to pull one of their escape vehicles apart.
Together, they fight the Nazis, but their different philosophies regarding mutant lives on earth, are at odds.
Animosity
Xavier builds a school, Magneto wages a war against humanity
Xavier becomes a nurturer, and builds a "school for gifted youngsters," which was in truth a training ground for mutants, where he becomes Professor X.
Erik goes a different path and assumes the identity of Magneto and leads the Brotherhood of Mutants, waging war against humanity.
In order to protect humanity, Xavier's X-Men often come in between, making the old friends mortal enemies.
Friendship
But....the friendship never died
There are times when Xavier and Erik make peace with one another when they face a common enemy, just like what we saw in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
In comics, Xavier and the X-Men defend Magneto against the other non-mutant superheroes in Secret Wars timeline.
Xavier also picks Magneto to replace him as his school's headmaster, but he goes the other way.
Dawn of X
The current storyline has brought them together again
In the 2019-20 Dawn of X storyline, Xavier and Erik forge their most powerful alliance.
Together, they establish a new nation on the sentient mutant island of Krakoa. All mutants are welcome on Krakoa, even those who have been the X-Men's most ruthless enemies.
The Hellfire Club, former members of the Brotherhood, and even Apocalypse assume leadership roles on the island's Quiet Council.