Can Magneto Control Blood? Magneto’s Iron Control Explained

The X-Men are such a popular Marvel franchise not just in the comics but also on the big screen. There are so many versatile mutants out there with unique abilities that it’s hard to rank their power. However, Magneto is widely considered one of the most powerful mutants due to his magnetism control. Seeing that blood contains iron, can Magneto control blood?

Magneto can control blood in numerous ways, and he has done it both in the comics and the movies. His powers must be extremely strong to manipulate the iron in the blood itself. However, Magneto can manipulate electromagnetic fields to alter one’s blood flow without really controlling the iron.

We’ve seen that on several occasions in the comics, making me believe that it’s a power Magneto commonly has. However, ripping the iron out of someone’s blood would require incredibly powerful magnetism to work – a level that’s not basic power to Magneto. Let’s dive a bit deeper to see how it could work and how Magneto has controlled blood in the past.

Magneto’s Powers: Master Of Metal Or Magnetism?

There’s a common misconception about Magneto’s powers that make many casual fans think: how could this guy be one of the most powerful mutants when all he does is move metal around? Well, if that were true, it would be silly to think he’s the toughest mutant out there. Only, that isn’t the truth. Not the entire truth that is.

You see, Magneto is not the Master of Metal. He’s the Master of Magnetism, meaning not only can he move metallic objects or objects with magnetic properties – he has complete control over magnetism in general. That includes electromagnetic fields in the environment, including Earth’s gravity, the electromagnetic fields within and around a human body, etc.

That’s actually how Magneto achieves flight or throws objects that aren’t made of metal. He manipulates the magnetic field around himself (or the object at hand) in the opposite direction from Earth’s gravity (or in the direction he wants it to go).

I’ve seen speculations that he flies by controlling his metallic helmet. I’d imagine that would cause some serious neck injuries, so the only logical explanation would be the manipulation of magnetic fields instead of manipulating metallic objects only.

That being said, could he actually control blood due to the iron found in hemoglobin? Science-wise, it would require an extremely powerful magnetic field to do so – like, cosmic-level magnetic field strength. Comics-wise, it’s possible and has happened before. Here’s how and when.

Can Magneto Control Blood?

The magnitude of Magneto’s powers varies over the years – much like all the other characters in comics. Therefore, his ability to control blood depends on numerous factors. First of all, he’d have to be at his peak power levels to just rip the iron right out of your blood.

You see, while there are iron atoms in each hemoglobin cell, the collective amount of all the iron in a human body is around 3.5-4 grams. In a solid-state, magneto could easily manipulate a little 4-gram iron marble. However, dispersed into atoms in the blood, the magnetism of each atom is so weak that it’s almost completely non-magnetic.

Magneto would have to have insanely powerful magnetism to just rip the iron out of someone’s blood. And, if he used such powerful magnetic fields, it would literally disrupt the iron in the Earth’s core, meaning it would disrupt the entire planet and have cataclysmic consequences.

So, no, Magneto cannot pull iron atoms out of a person’s body. However, whether he can control blood is a completely different question, to which the answer is – yes. Every object, or a person, forms an electromagnetic field. Some objects and materials – such as metals – have stronger magnetic fields, but all objects have them nonetheless.

Pair that with the Earth’s gravitation, which is, in essence, a very strong electromagnetic field, and Magneto can manipulate those fields to disrupt blood flow or even change its direction. He’s done that in Magneto: Dark Seduction #3, where he reversed the blood flow of the entire Avengers team, causing such pain that they were practically completely immobilized.

Now, if you’ve seen X2: X-Men United movie from 2003, you might ask: wait, didn’t Magneto rip the iron out of that prison guard’s body? Well, yes, he did, but before that, Mystique drugged the guy and injected him with enough liquid metal that Magneto could detect and then pull it out of his body with his powers.

There were many epic things Magneto has done with his powers related to blood and body manipulation. Let’s go through some of his best stunts.

Magneto’s Best Body Manipulation Features

I’ve already mentioned the prison guard in the X2 movie and the blood flow situation from Dark Seduction #3. So, what else did Magneto achieve with his powers when it comes to body manipulation?

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the X-Men: Fatal Attractions crossover storyline. Magneto was insanely powerful here, and he physically ripped out all of the adamantium out of Wolverine’s skeleton by using his magnetism control. Logan survived only due to his rapid healing factor, but the entire scene was just brutal.

Also, he’s manipulated people’s actions on several occasions by using his powers. For instance, he knocked out people cold numerous times throughout the comics by stopping the blood flow to their brains.

In Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #304, Magneto manipulates the X-Men’s bodies with his powers in a way that completely freezes them in place, rendering them incapable of moving or using their powers as he casually walks among them.

These are only a few examples of how powerful Magneto can be. However, if his powers went down to molecular or atom level – enough to pull the iron out of one’s blood – he’d simply be way too overpowered. It would be a no-contest for anybody.

Like, he could pull out sodium from the sea, form huge chunks of it, and then drop it back into the water, causing massive chemical explosions – on a whim. And, that’s only the simplest thing. If he were to get creative, there’s virtually nothing he couldn’t do. Luckily for us as readers, Magneto is extremely powerful, but not to the level where fighting him makes no sense.