Xavier Meets Magneto for the First Time: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #161– September, 1982

Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #161: "Gold Rush!"

The issue opens with Charles Xavier who is trapped inside of his own mind for some time now.

Apparently there is an alien entity inside of his mind who is taking over him. Moira is there and so are the X-Men. They are aware of the battle going on inside of him, but they don't know why. Apparently, as Moira explained, when last they used a telepath to try and help Charles, he used the telepath to try and kill himself. Moira tells this to Scott, and this angers him a lot. Logan thinks it is because this reminds him to Jean Grey and what happened to her.

Ororo decides to speak with Scott. He lashes out at her. Apparently their failure at the pentagon (Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #158) has made it to the headline. That is some bad publicity for the X-Men, but as Ororo explains, it could not have been avoided. The mission needed to be done immediately. Scott says she should have spoken to him, and that maybe he should now be the leader. Ororo leaves angrily and says that if he asks for the position than it is his to take. Than Scott apologizes, of course. He has a hard time accepting so many bad things happening so close together. But Ororo manages to give him strength through an encouraging speech.

Lilandra, the empress of the Shi'ar Empire tries to give Xavier strength through her words.

However, in his mind Xavier is reliving his past. He is visiting Haifa, Israel, 20 years ago to be exact. He comes to visit a friend, a psychiatrist named Shomron, who is now working with Holocaust survivors. Shomron has a colleague, Magnus, who is also a Holocaust survivor. Xavier suspects that he is a mutant as his mind is closed to him.

Shomron has called Xavier to help him with a case. A Holocaust survivor who has been catatonic ever since she was released from Dachau, a concentration camp. Xavier dives into her mind and runs into a wall. Her past is too horrible to remember. Sensing his presence, the woman, Gabrielle, unleashes mental monsters to attack him. If he loses a mental battle, than he will die in real life as well. However, he wins and manages to crack her wall of defense and enters her memories. He lives her memories of the Holocaust as she sees them through a child's eyes. She is inside a cattle car, where people die and remain standing because everyone are crammed so tightly. He sees her grandmother die that way right beside her. Those who survived are sent to gas chamber to die. Gaby survives because she is young, healthy and beautiful. Hinting at the possible sexual abuse that she endures. In the end Xavier breaks through all of her defenses and Gaby snaps out of her catatonic state and starts crying. While he is celebrating with his co-workers, it is seems that other workers are celebrating for more sinister reasons.

Shomron, Xavier and Magnus spend a lot of time together, in therapy and sightseeing, because why have professional boundaries. Those just don't exists in comic books.

Xavier notices that Magnus is also deeply scarred by his experiences during the Holocaust. This is not surprising as everyone that survived remained deeply scarred and changed. You get the feeling that Magnus is Magneto. He tells Xavier that humans will try to kill mutants and the only way for mutants to survive is to rule. From his perspective the Holocaust can happen again and to anyone, any people.

We also see Xavier and Gaby spending time together. Xavier lets Gaby kiss him, because what harm can it do. Oh boy. A lot. That's why roles against it exists. Still, they are attacked at the moment by people who are coming for Gaby. Germans. Xavier gets a bullet to the head and survives with just a headache. The Germans manage to kidnape Gaby and put her on an aircraft. Another foreign aircraft which was closer falls apart into pieces along with everyone in pieces. Yes, Magnus is indeed Magneto.

Xavier realizes that Magnus is responsible and that he killed all those men. One person survived so Xavier reads his mind. That person went from being an SS officer to working for Hydra.

Apparently, Baron Strucker has Gaby. She has led Hydra to their prize. A really big pile of gold. Xavier and Magnus sneak into the cave with the gold to take Gaby away, but they are spotted. So the plan is for Xavier to take Gaby while Magnus stops all of the bullets coming their way. However, these are too many traumas for Gaby in too short of time span and her mind starts to fall apart. While Xavier tries to help Gaby, Magnus fights against Strucker. Unfortunately for Strucker he is wearing a metal glove, so bye bye hand. Apparently, Magnus can also make people fly because he creates a crack in cave and sends Xavier and Gaby flying to the surface. Then he sends the gold. Then himself. And then he makes the cave collapse on Strucker. I guess that won't kill Strucker as he remains a popular villain. However, Magneto makes it clear that humans are the enemy and that mutants are superior to them in his eyes.

Magnus tells Xavier in a great speech that he is too trusting, that it is a mistake to believe in the goodness of men. He tells Xavier that "mutants will not go meekly to the gas chambers. [They] will fight." And they will win. Clearly his Holocaust experience damaged him significantly. Thinking that hate will always win and atrocities are around the corner and that peace is only a pretense that never lasts.

Still, Xavier wakes up from his coma calling for Gaby. Like she broke her mental barriers, so did he in the end. Xavier thanks Lilandra, whose voice helped him find his own way back. According to him. We don't see that in the issue itself.

However, Lilandra must return to duty, so she organizes a goodbye party.

Xavier is too weak to attend Lilandra's party, but all of the X-Men are there. Including Carol Danvers I think. Suddenly, Lilandra falls into a comma similar to that experienced by Xavier. It is caused by Deathbird and her Brood. The X-Men try and fight, but Deathbird detonates a bomb that was under their table and they all lose consciousness from the blast. Deathbird proclaims herself the new empress. Deathbird has her crown and the brood plan to turn the X-Men into hosts for their mother. Lovely. The issue ends with this this cliffhanger.

Please follow me and upvote my posts to help yourself stay up to date with everything that is nerdy and awesome.

Resteems will also be most appreciated.

See you in my next post.