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Classic X-Men revealed the fate of Magneto’s first daughter Anya, whose tragic demise helped push Magneto onto a destructive path.
Magneto has one of the most tragic origin stories in the history of the Marvel Universe. He survived one of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century and even found love and happiness in the aftermath. But not long after, that joy was taken from him — with perhaps the greatest example being the loss of his first daughter, Anya.
Considering that he mentions her to Scarlet Witch during the Hellfire Gala shortly before being accused of Wanda Maximoff’s murder, it’s worth looking back at the tragically short life of Anya Eisenhardt — and how the Marvel Universe could have been different if she had survived into adulthood.
Over the course of World War II, the future Magneto — then just a young Jewish boy — survived being trapped within a Nazi Concentration Camp. Eventually escaping alongside his first love Magda, the pair retreated into the wilderness — as revealed in Classic X-Men #12 by Chris Claremont and John Bolton. Eventually, the pair found their way to the local Carpathian Mountains and took the name Eisenhardt. Erik and Magda enjoyed peaceful lives — accepted by the town, marrying, and even having a daughter they named Anya. Seeking better fortunes for his growing family, Erik moved them away from the small village into the Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa and was taken advantage of by his employer — until his powers began to manifest more and resulted in him almost subconsciously attacking the man.
Although Erik brushed off the incident and returned to the inn where they’d been staying — and was shocked to discover it on fire. Fully manifesting his powers, he was able to quickly find and rescue Magda. But before he could rush back into the burning building to save a terrified Anya, his employer — alongside his cronies in the local police — advanced on Erik and beat him. Restraining him and ignoring Erik’s pleading, they keep Erik from making it back into the building before it burns down, killing Anya. Enraged, the man who would become Magneto unleashed the full brunt of his powers and slaughtered the men around him. This not only pushed Erik to fully embrace his dark view on humanity, it also horrified Magda enough that she fled Erik and left him behind.
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Anya’s death is one of the tragedies that most defines Magneto and his hatred for humanity, serving as one of the things he would draw upon as inspiration in his crusade to “save” the world from the evils of man. Her demise wasn’t even caused by hatred or fear of his powers, but out of the casual cruelty of men unaware of the powers they were messing with. If Anya had survived, perhaps the Marvel Universe would be a radically different place. Maybe she would have become a superpowered hero like Polaris, or become a mentor to his other potential kids Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Perhaps Magda would have remained with Erik, tempering his rage with the love of family. Maybe Magda would have even been born a human — teaching Magneto acceptance and equality in a way he never has otherwise.
If Anya had survived, it’s likely Magneto would have never become the full-fledged villain he would one day become. Without her, there was nothing to ground Erik to the world except his rage, prompting him to become one of the world’s most feared mutants. It’s a shame that Anya never got the chance to live a full life — and potentially change the fate of countless others in the process.
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