Issue(s): Vision and the Scarlet Witch #6
Cover Date: Mar 86
Title: "No strings attached!"
Credits:
Steve Englehart - Writer
Richard Howell - Penciler
Frank Springer - Inker
Jim Salicrup - Editor

Review/plot:
What could be more appropriate for the Vision and the Scarlet Witch's family themed book than a Thanksgiving issue? And what's Thanksgiving without some awkward family tension, supplied here by Wanda's decision to invite her father, Magneto.

Also attending are a few Avengers (Wasp, Captain America, and the recently added Sub-Mariner), Dr. Strange, Quicksilver, Crytal, and Luna, the Vision's "mother", Martha Williams (but not her biological son, Wonder Man), Glamor and Illusion, and the Vision and the Scarlet Witch's real estate agent, Norm Webster.

Having all these characters interact is a shared universe goldmine, with the Wasp referring to Ultron as her kid, Norm Webster asking Crystal if she ever gets lonely on the moon...

...and Captain America and the Sub-Mariner perhaps inappropriately suggesting that since the Vison was built from the android Human Torch, this is practically an Invaders reunion.

One connection that i'm surprised wasn't made was between the Wasp and Magneto, who spent some time together not too long ago during the first Secret Wars.

After all that (and the muddled comment about the New Mutants and Power Pack; see below), a narration panel apologizes for all the "continuity"...

...and proceeds to a Last Supper rendition of the Thanksgiving meal, with Magneto presumably sitting alone on the opposite side of the table.

It's too bad that the Illuminati wasn't really operating at this point, because if Professor X had been able to get word to Namor and Dr. Strange, or, through Iron Man, to Captain America, that he really supported Magneto's reformation, things might have gone smoother here, which might have helped in the long run. Cap has accepted Sub-Mariner into the Avengers, so you'd think he'd be more open to Magneto's outreach attempt here.

Magneto eventually departs thanks to the cold reception he's getting, but he quickly turns around when he realizes that someone is lurking outside Wanda's house. He quietly calls out the Vision and Quicksilver and helps them face down an attack by the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, sans the Scarlet Witch but including a Magneto and a Quicksilver.

The Brotherhood turn out to be constructs created by the Toad, who apparently still has access to the Stranger's equipment. He's demanding that he now be called the Toad-King, and his goal is the destruction of the Avengers, X-Men, and even Magneto for all of the abuse heaped on him over the years. The trigger for the attack at this time is learning that the Scarlet Witch is pregnant, since he is still obsessed with her.

This characterization of the Toad ignores his recent portrayal in Amazing Spider-Man #266, something Englehart will rectify later in this series.

It's also funny how Magneto's reformation doesn't make him talk any nicer to the Toad.

The Toad is stopped thanks to Quicksilver changing costumes with his duplicate..

...and Magneto asks the Vison and Quicksilver not to tell the Scarlet Witch about this, because he intends to earn her acceptance and thinks that taking advantage of this attack would be too demeaning. Or something. I find his reasoning a little unclear.

This should really be a monumental moment for Magneto, but it's marred by clunky dialogue and Howell's equally clunky art...

...and more importantly it doesn't seem Chris Claremont had any interest in developing out Magneto's relationship with his children, so none of this impacts the character in X-Men or New Mutants.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Magneto says that the New Mutants wanted to visit Power Pack for Thanksgiving, leaving him alone. Considering they didn't show up at Power Pack's party in PP #19 and didn't even know Power Pack yet, Magneto probably misheard them or got it confused with where Kitty Pryde and Wolverine were going. Englehart possibly had this mixed up with Power Pack #20, which takes place at Christmas, since both this issue and PP #20 had a Mar cover date while Power Pack's Thanksgiving issue was published the previous month. The Avengers have to appear here after Sub-Mariner joins the team in Avengers #262.

References:

• When Wasp tells Martha Williams that she and Hank Pym never had children but Hank "built one once", there's a reference to the current issue of West Coast Avengers, which "has the strangest development yet in that strangest of all sagas". That would be West Coast Avengers #6.
  
• Namor holds a grudge against Magneto for tricking him into fighting the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #7. Namor also tells the Scarlet Witch that he "fancied" her once, also during UX #7.
  

  Namor doesn't mention the other failed alliance with Magneto from Fantastic Four #102-104.
  

• Wasp thinks about the time Magneto turned the Avengers and X-Men against each other, circa Avengers #53, and specifically references how the Toad's betrayal of Magneto helped the good guys win.
  
• Dr. Strange remembers that Magneto nearly destroyed the Defenders in Defenders #15-16. (The preceding three references do not have footnotes, but i'll note they come after the "continuity" narration panel.)
  
• There's also a flashback/re-draw of Magneto's rescue of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver from Uncanny X-Men #4.
  
• Holly Ladonna, the young woman that Vision got the ashes from last issue, also shows up at the party looking for the Vision. Wanda recognizes her as "the girl at the library" from Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4. At the end of this issue, Wanda accepts Holly as a pupil in the art of witchcraft.
  
• Toad attacked the Avengers with the Stranger's equipment in Avengers #137-138.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Your comment about Claremont not being interested in Magneto's relationship with his children brings up a point Roger Stern once mentioned. He intended to include Magneto in his early run of the Avengers with Quicksilver looking for him, but he was shot down because the X-Men editor "owned" that character. I would have loved to have seen Stern's take on the character and his interaction with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.

Chris probably knows this but in case others don't, Roger Stern's aborted Quicksilver/Magneto plot is shown in Avengers #243, Avengers #244-245, and Avengers #247.

I love Magneto showing up for Thanksgiving saying "Men call me -- Magneto!" I might have to try that this November.

A post-Sienkiewicz, pre-Simonson issue of New Mutants did show a signed picture of Wanda on Magneto's desk.

Kinda jerky of Cap to refer to the "main" members of the Invaders. Even when they're not present, Cap makes Bucky and Toro sit at the kids' table.

As a kid and even now, I thought the Vision and Scarlet Witch being married was weird.

Imagine my surprise when I found out Wanda was pregnant!

Given the fact that Magneto has tried to kill just ever hero in that room, I'd say their reaction was mild.

Hmmm, I guess the Wasp would prefer to think about events from Avengers #53 and not about the quality time she and Magneto shared in Secret Wars. ;)

Regarding the first panel here "Men call me--Magneto!", this is Englehart and Howell's tribute to the last page of X-Men #17. Check out fnord12's entry for that issue:
http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/uncanny_xmen_1416.shtml

Ah, I now see you'd already mentioned the Wasp-Mags Secret Wars connection in your commentary, fnord. Sorry!

Oh i thought you just meant she *preferred* to think about the other issue. If you hadn't said anything i would have never known you weren't reading my fabulous commentary.

Thanks for pointing out the Magneto dialogue, by the way. Interesting in light of Englehart's re-use of old FF dialogue at the end of his FF run (e.g. Fantastic Four #329), and maybe shows that he didn't only do it for satirical reasons.

LOL, that's what I get for trying to sneak in visits to this site during work ;) -- I rushed through it and focused on your bulleted note about Avg #53.

Your commentary is indeed fabulous and is what separates this site from other purportedly similar sites.

Namor's second reason for being mad at Magneto seems somewhat petty compared to his first.

lol

"Men call me Magneto!" snicker.

Why did it take to long to give him a real name?

It's nice to know that the characters in the Marvel universe have family get-togethers during the holidays that are just as awkward & uncomfortable as people do in real life.

"Men call me -- Magneto!"

I'm not sure I want to know what women call him :)

Ben, PAD used the joke with the Foreigner in Spectacular Spider-Man 117.

I'm a little disappointed that the X-Men: First Class movie didn't use that classic line when Mags rolled out his villain identity at the very end, instead of "I prefer Magneto."

And Fred Hembeck used that joke with the Watcher in 1982's Fantastic Four Roast.

Hembeck *and* PAD? Well, at least I'm in good company with my bad jokes :)

Magneto looks like Vinnie Colleta in that introductory panel