Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
The Trial of Magneto begins, as a post Hellfire Gala Krakoan nation of mutants reacts to the death of the Great Pretender, The Scarlet Witch, some with grief and many with literal cheers in the streets. It’s an excellent kickoff to a proper X-event with a hearty dose of mystery that could well drive straight to the upcoming Inferno event in the X-Men comics line.
Today I'll Answer:
+ Who killed the Scarlet Witch? Is she even dead?
+ Is the Trial of Magneto the best X-Men comic of 2021?
+ Theories and Predictions for what’s to come!
Writer: Leah Williams
Artist: Lucas Werneck
X-Factor investigates the murder of the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff, at the conclusion of the Hellfire Gala. A few things are clear from the introduction. First, as mentioned during a very good interview on the Battle of the Atom podcast, Leah Williams is pretty clearly writing Trial of Magneto as an extension of X-Factor, which was the original plan – this was going to be an arc in X-Factor, but the X editors thought it should be an event. Editorial meddling is frequently a big problem, and clearly lead to issues with X-Factor #10 and the series’ abrupt cancellation, but I will say ‘Trial of Magneto works well as an event. I don’t know that it should have also meant the cancellation of X-Factor, but I get the desire to see this fully fleshed out to its proper size.
The other piece here is Williams selling the terror and horror of Wanda’s murder. It’s vicious and brutal, and perhaps most vexing, Wanda doesn’t use her powers to try to escape or fight back, at least as far as the investigators can tell. During the investigation phase, I’ll admit everything about the conversation sounds to me like Quicksilver could be to blame. The detectives mention it was someone close to her, and that there’s no attacker DNA left on her person, meaning they used magic or a metallic weapon of some sort. The clear set up is to accuse Magneto, but given Quicksilver’s impetuous past, and arguably the fact that I’ve read Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum way too recently, this had me thinking Pietro was in play. As we’ll see I don’t think that’s right, but that was the initial reaction.
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About Comic Book Herald:
My name's Dave, and Comic Book Herald is a labor of love designed to help new, lapsed, and curious comic book readers explore and enjoy the wonderful world of comics. I've been developing reading orders, chronology guides, and detailed comics recommendations since late 2011. Comics can be confusing and intimidating; I try to help.
The Trial of Magneto begins, as a post Hellfire Gala Krakoan nation of mutants reacts to the death of the Great Pretender, The Scarlet Witch, some with grief and many with literal cheers in the streets. It’s an excellent kickoff to a proper X-event with a hearty dose of mystery that could well drive straight to the upcoming Inferno event in the X-Men comics line.
Today I'll Answer:
+ Who killed the Scarlet Witch? Is she even dead?
+ Is the Trial of Magneto the best X-Men comic of 2021?
+ Theories and Predictions for what’s to come!
Writer: Leah Williams
Artist: Lucas Werneck
X-Factor investigates the murder of the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff, at the conclusion of the Hellfire Gala. A few things are clear from the introduction. First, as mentioned during a very good interview on the Battle of the Atom podcast, Leah Williams is pretty clearly writing Trial of Magneto as an extension of X-Factor, which was the original plan – this was going to be an arc in X-Factor, but the X editors thought it should be an event. Editorial meddling is frequently a big problem, and clearly lead to issues with X-Factor #10 and the series’ abrupt cancellation, but I will say ‘Trial of Magneto works well as an event. I don’t know that it should have also meant the cancellation of X-Factor, but I get the desire to see this fully fleshed out to its proper size.
The other piece here is Williams selling the terror and horror of Wanda’s murder. It’s vicious and brutal, and perhaps most vexing, Wanda doesn’t use her powers to try to escape or fight back, at least as far as the investigators can tell. During the investigation phase, I’ll admit everything about the conversation sounds to me like Quicksilver could be to blame. The detectives mention it was someone close to her, and that there’s no attacker DNA left on her person, meaning they used magic or a metallic weapon of some sort. The clear set up is to accuse Magneto, but given Quicksilver’s impetuous past, and arguably the fact that I’ve read Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum way too recently, this had me thinking Pietro was in play. As we’ll see I don’t think that’s right, but that was the initial reaction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please like & subscribe Comic Book Herald to get all the new video guides, and help the channel reach more comic book fans!
You can subscribe to the Best Comics Ever podcast here:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/best-comics-ever/id1366035075
Find more from Comic Book Herald at:
-- comicbookherald.com
-- patreon.com/comicbookherald
-- twitter.com/ComicBookHerald
-- facebook.com/ComicBookHerald
-- instagram.com/ComicBookHerald
-- storenvy.com/stores/1279874-comic-book-herald
Video music by:
bensound.com
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
About Comic Book Herald:
My name's Dave, and Comic Book Herald is a labor of love designed to help new, lapsed, and curious comic book readers explore and enjoy the wonderful world of comics. I've been developing reading orders, chronology guides, and detailed comics recommendations since late 2011. Comics can be confusing and intimidating; I try to help.
