Magneto Vs. Thanos: Who Would Win and Why?

Magneto is one of the most powerful mutants we’ve seen in the Marvel Universe, capable of controlling all forms of magnetism. On the other hand, Thanos, the Mad Titan, is an Eternal who dedicated his whole life to study ways to enhance his powers and abilities as much as possible. The question is if they went one-on-one, who would win, and why?

If both Magneto and Thanos had full power and all their gadgets, powers, and abilities, Thanos would win 9/10 times – especially if he has the Infinity Gauntlet. While Magneto’s magnetism manipulation is extremely powerful, he’s still just a human mutant.

Thanos is an Eternal and travels around galaxies studying, trying to find ways to enhance his physical and mental powers. He’s extremely durable and can take a beating unlike anybody, whereas Magneto is physically fragile in comparison. It wouldn’t be a walk in the park, but Thanos wins in most cases. Here’s why.

Magneto and His Powers

Magneto, a.k.a. Marx Eisenhardt, is a Marvel Comics character appearing for the first time in The X-Men #1, back in 1963. The X-Men operate against different threats than the Avengers, usually having a bit of a darker undertone. 

Magneto is a mutant supervillain that was later revealed to be a Holocaust survivor. His hard life caused him to adopt a philosophy where mutants should rule the world over humans instead of aiming for a peaceful co-existence, like Professor X and the X-Men.

He and X are old friends, but their different perspectives cause them to be on opposite sides. Still, Magneto later becomes somewhat of an antihero, even a superhero, as he realizes his wrongdoings and even joins the X-Men.

As for his powers, he is one of the most powerful mutants on Earth. Let’s see what he can do.

Magnetism Manipulation

Magneto’s name, logically, comes from his abilities gained with mutation. He can manipulate all forms of magnetism, from which most of his other powers stem from. That doesn’t only mean he can make metal things move – he can create magnetic force fields, levitate non-magnetic objects, etc. His powers are so strong that he can easily lift 30 000 tons without breaking a sweat.

He uses his abilities to fly as well, but there’s more. Magneto can turn invisible by warping the visible light that surrounds him. Also, he uses the electromagnetic force fields as protection – they are strong enough to withstand several thermonuclear weapon explosions simultaneously. It also allows him to survive in deep space.

That practically makes Magneto invulnerable to most kinds of damage. However, if you can get through his defense, his body is just as fragile as an ordinary human’s. He goes tired (although much slower than humans), and hungry, and has other physiological needs that make him vulnerable.

Other than that, his magnetism manipulation allows him better reflexes and reaction time and even allows him to manipulate gravitational fields, create wormholes, and teleport.

Intelligence & Telepathic Resistance

Even humans with incredible physical strength have a problem defending themselves against mental powers, such as telepathy. Magneto knows his old friend Xavier is one of the strongest telepaths in existence, so he uses his helmet to protect him from all telepathic attacks.

He can fend them off with ease, and only the strongest, most unexpected attacks come through to touch him. To aid his powerful mutation, Magneto is also very intelligent and tends to plan before acting.

Superhuman Strength

Magneto isn’t physically strong, but his mutation allows him to move objects and force fields with a thought. As I mentioned before, Magneto made a 30 000 t submarine levitate with ease, meaning his energy manipulation probably knows no boundaries. He can even make energy flow through him, making him physically stronger.

Thanos and His Powers

Thanos is an Eternal, a being from Titan who has immense physical and mental strength, unfathomable to human beings. The first time we saw Thanos was in The Invincible Iron Man #55 in 1973.

He was born with the deviant syndrome, making him physically stronger but different from his kin. He felt rejected by life and society, so he spent his life trying to find ways to enhance his powers and abilities. So much so, he became one of the most powerful beings in the universe – even without the Infinity Gauntlet that makes him virtually indestructible.

Superhuman Physiology

As I mentioned, Thanos is an Eternal, meaning his physiology is a lot different than that of a human. In fact, it’s far superior. And, when you pair it with his studies and enhancements that made him even stronger, you get a being capable of fighting Galactus-level threats. Magneto is a human mutant, but Thanos is a superhuman mutant.

First, he has almost unlimited physical strength. He first-fought The Hulk and man-handled him like a ragdoll. His ability to synthesize cosmic energy and use it at will puts him at a whole different level of strength. He had undergone bionic amplification, mystical and magical enhancements, and even Death resurrected him herself, making him even more powerful.

He might not be as quick as some other cosmic entities, but with the Space Stone, he teleports with a thought. Thanos is extremely durable and virtually doesn’t get tired, and he can take the hardest hit without even getting scratched.

Expert Combatant

Not only is Thanos physically dominant, he knows how to use his strength. He is an extremely skilled combatant, both in hand-to-hand combat and using weaponry. Before he got the Infinity Stones, he went from world to world, conquering and killing half of the population.

His immense battle experience paired with his above-genius intellect gives him a strategic edge before any battle even begins.

Invulnerability

Because of his Eternal physiology and the enhancements he made to his body, Thanos is virtually invulnerable to almost any kind of attack. Apart from being capable of withstanding incredible amounts of physical damage (like Iron Man hitting him with a moon), Thanos also has very strong telepathic abilities, allowing him to defend himself from almost any mental attack.

Mental Powers & Energy Projection

Thanos is also capable of telekinesis and telepathy, as he has gone through many magical enhancements to improve his mental powers. Further enhancing these abilities is access to a plethora of mystic artifacts and magical weapons.

Thanos also presented the capability to project plasma energy beams, using them as weapons as well.

Magneto Vs. Thanos: Who Would Win and Why?

By now, I believe it’s already clear who I’m going with – Thanos would win against Magneto in a one-on-one battle 9/10 times. He is just at another power level, no matter in what category you compare them.

Thanos is physically stronger, more durable, and more powerful in terms of magical capabilities. His life-long studies and enhancements make him closer to a cosmic entity-level strength than to that of a human. He’s not just an Eternal – he is by far the strongest Eternal in existence.

• RELATED: Strongest Eternals (Ranked)

Magneto is one of the most powerful human mutants on Earth, but his powers are simply dwarfed compared to Thanos. And, if The Mad Titan had the Infinity Gauntlet, it wouldn’t even be a contest.

With the Infinity Gauntlet filled with all six Stones, Thanos could snap his fingers and make Magneto cease to exist. Without the Gauntlet, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park, as Magneto is more than capable of defending himself, but I just don’t see how he could hurt Thanos before The Mad Titan crushes him to dust.

Even if the fight goes the distance, Thanos is more damage-resistant and has unlimited stamina. He would outlast Magneto in that case as well.

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