Poll Position: Luke Skywalker vs. Magneto

I return to our "Versus" roots this week for the following Throwdown Spectacular:

{democracy:198}

I'm assuming we're dealing with a full Jedi Luke here, the guy from Episode VI. So that means Magneto can probably grab that robotic hand and try to rip it out of Luke's forearm. On the other hand, you can be pretty sure Skywalker's going to be grabbing back with the full power of the Force at his command. Which will be the more powerful tool? Considering Yoda was far superior to Luke in Force-power, and yet even he could lift an X-Wing only very slowly, while Magneto routinely chunks tanks and planes and ships around, I would think Magneto wins.

Still, as a Jedi, Luke I am sure is equally adept with either hand, so the loss of one might not be a major inconvenience. We also learned during Empire that even a half-trained Jedi gets used to having big chunky blocks of metal flung at him, which is one of Magneto's favorite tricks.

The key question in this fight to my mind is, could Luke get close enough to Magneto to bring his light saber into play? If he can, I think Magneto's toast. He can throw up all the magnetic shields he wants, I doubt it's going to get in the way of a well-placed Jedi saber slash.

What do you think? Who would win, and why?

34 Responses to Poll Position: Luke Skywalker vs. Magneto

  1. Drew_Blues11 says:

    Where are they fighting? because that can change the battle very easily. is it on the Death Star or Possibly Genoshia? because that battle could easily be shifted in Magneto’s favor. while if you are in the Hoth system or Savage Land. then Magneto would have very little metal to command.

  2. Bael says:

    Given that you can contain high energy plasmas like a lightsabre blade in a magnetic bottle effect, I don’t think that really matters that much.
    I give it to Luke because he is a better rounded warrior. He’s inhumanly fast, agile, and strong, with good telekinetic attacks and defenses. He can change up his attacks and strategies faster and more effectively than Magneto, and just outlast his human endurance if need be.

  3. thejay says:

    with all do respect to a jedi’s cunning tactics, magneto is older and meaner, and knows well how to operate outside his power set.

  4. Anarchangel says:

    I don’t think Luke would have the advantage of his lightsaber since, I’m assuming, it’s made of metal. Or parts of it at least.

    That said, he has many other tricks up his sleeve that could be used. He’s far faster and more athletic that Magneto.

    Ultimately though, I have to agree with thejay. Old Eric is, in my opinion, far more cunning. And I think that could be the deciding factor.

    Magneto wins.

  5. TopHat says:

    The thing is, while Magneto is well known as a master of magnetism he can also control the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Gamma radiation, gravity all that jazz. Alot more diverse than the Force.

  6. Shade2075 says:

    Magneto, given that the light saber would be the first thing to go. Speed also has nothing on Magneto his son Quicksilver could attest for that.

  7. Jessica says:

    This one was difficult. Ultimately, I’d have to say Luke because he doesn’t just control metal, he controls everything. Magneto is limited to only metal objects and even though he can control the electromagnetic spectrum, that only works for that. Luke can control the Force, which is in everything. Also, Luke has shown that he is not completely dependent on his lightsaber for fighting, that he can manipulate the Force in other ways, which I think would be a deciding factor. I mean, sure, Magneto could rip Luke’s arm off but Luke could hurl bolts of lightning at Magneto and take him out. It also depends on what version of Luke we are looking at. If we are only counting the movies, then Luke is pretty raw. But if we are counting Expanded Universe Luke, then he’s seen more than his fair share of war and tactics. In the Expanded Universe, Luke eventually becomes the Grand Master and with that comes some pretty cool powers. Also, he is shown to be a brilliant tactician in the books. Altogether, I’d have to say Luke would kick Magneto’s butt.

  8. Joel says:

    I have to say Luke. I think people are forgetting that the force is more then just “I pull stuff, I push stuff” Luke is also granted agility speed, strength, plus he essentially has a sixth sense. I would agree that his lightsaber would be useless since I assume the handle is metal. I still think Luke would win. Also, It is true that Magneto is an old man who has great powers but is physically weak, whereas Luke has great powers (debatebly not as great as Magneto’s) AND great physical prowess.

  9. JInkieZoinks says:

    ROTJ Luke would fight valiantly but ultimatley loose to Magneto. But if we are talkin about from after the battle with the Emperor and Vader, then I’m afraid Magneto won’t have much of a chance, mainly because Luke has learned the greatest power of a Jedi, the simple idea that any conflict is resolved before it begins with the foresight and wisdom being a true jedi brings. Magneto is a very intelligent foe but against someone who can simply feel how the universe will react to whatever his enemy will do and then respond to it needs more than great power and intelligence to defeat.

  10. Doornik1142 says:

    Why is everyone acting like a Jedi is useless without a lightsaber?

    Hello? Mind-trick? Force-choke? Precognition? Telepathy? (and before you say it, there is no reason to believe Magneto’s helmet would protect against a Jedi mind-probe; magic telepathy trumps mundane telepathy)

  11. Patriot_Missile says:

    I voted for Magneto because he withstood a Prof.X brain barrage AND a follow up from Psylocke’s psyblade with the Genoshan army firing at will, ending with a coup-de-gras from Wolverine, who carved an “X” from shoulders to kidneys… and Magneto ripped the admantium from him then. Later, Magneto paralyzed the entire School For Gifted Youngsters via the “iron in their blood” and made them listen to his super-villainous shpiel… He could probably crush the Death Star if he tried.

    Unless Luke can do better than Prof.X and the X-Men, he lost the fight before it started.

  12. Lbclark3 says:

    Magneto, probably. Seeing as magneto is an older and most likely more experienced fighter he’d be able to come up with a plan to beat Luke. Like destroying luke’s lightsaber would be his first choice or even using it against Luke. Although if they were fighting in an area with little metal Luke would be able to use the force to manipulate the surrounding landscape. And being younger and more physically fit he could beat magneto in a fist fight. So it basically boils down to the fighting arena. New episode for deadliest warrior anyone?

  13. Myro says:

    For everyone that keeps thinking that Magneto’s some old shriveled guy, what you need to realize is that due to various cloning, genetic manipulation, and the usual comic book weirdness, the truth is that Magneto is still physically a relatively young man, despite having been alive during the Holocaust. And Magneto can focus his powers to heighten his physical abilities, including his reflexes to the point of grabbing Northstar out of the air or intercepting Quicksilver at full speed.
    Also, Magneto makes use of his telepathy blocking helmet because he regularly goes up against the most powerful mutant psychics in the world. The truth is that he’s sufficiently powerful enough to resist a garden-variety psychic. And if Jabba can resist Luke’s Jedi mind trick, I would think Magneto is up to the task as well.

    This one isn’t going easy for either of them. An older, more experienced Luke would stand an even chance, but ROTJ Luke Skywalker probably ends up losing.

  14. Wulf says:

    I’m of the opinion that Luke would win despite Magneto’s advantage of controlling metal. Yes, Magneto could ruin Luke’s prosthetic hand and potentially turn Luke’s sabre against him, but Luke might be able to use the Force without his cybernetic hand. Luke is probably more agile than Magneto due to his Force abilities, and there are plenty of Force tricks Luke can use to distract Magneto. And besides, even if Magneto defeated Luke in battle, Luke would become one with the Force. But I figure Luke would win in a one-on-one battle.

  15. Zaheelee says:

    It is quite simple. Luke draws his lightaber. Magneto laughes and condenses lightsaber into a small little chunck of metal. Then, Magneto takes control of Luke’s robotic arm and uses it to strangle Luke with it.

    If this were a popularity contest, I would have voted for Luke, but the fact that his arm is made of metal is really a fatal flaw when dealing with Magneto.

  16. knight1192a says:

    Come on, seriously? Magneto would be dead before he could do anything. Luke would just pull what he did on the Gamorreans in RotJ, and he wouldn’t stop. Luke used the dark side twice in that movie, once to Force choke the Gamorreans and once in the battle with Vader. Plus Magneto’s helmet would be useless if anyone thinks Luke couldn’t use mind control on him. All Lulke would do is TK it off him.

  17. Anarchangel says:

    @ knight1192a (16) The helmet’s made of metal. He should, theoretically, be able to keep it on with his powers. I never understood how he managed to lose it so often in the comics.

  18. Doornik1142 says:

    Zaheelee (15)

    Comments like this are why I really hate these polls. I’m sure you mean well, but you clearly haven’t done your research and are just picking Magneto because you’re an X-Men fanboy.

    Why would Luke just sit there and let Magneto strangle him with his own cybernetic hand? Why wouldn’t he mind-trick Magneto, or use TK to crush Magneto’s head with a large rock? There are any number of things Luke could do to stop Magneto in an instant. And unlike Magneto, Luke’s powers aren’t limited to just controlling metal.

  19. dblade says:

    @Doornik1142(18): Mr. Pot, is that you?

  20. Joshua says:

    Magneto now has the ability to manipulate the entire EM spectrum? I guess it’s really been a long time since I paid a visit to the House of X. Seems like Marvel has tweaked Magneto a little too much if you ask me. Going to start calling him “The God-Damned Magneto” since it won’t be long before (…like Batman standing toe-to-toe with Darkseid) he’ll be taking down Galactus and Dr. Doom with relative ease.

    Still, against a relatively green Luke, Magneto does edge out a victory.

  21. Kaldath says:

    We are assuming of course that Lukes Hand and lightsaber are made out of a magnetic metal. In a Universe that routinely employ Robots in combat one would think that Magnetic shielding and non-magnetic materials would be common manufacturing materials

  22. knight1192a says:

    @ Anarchangel. That’s a huge problem with Magneto for me, not all metal is magnetic. Yet Magneto seems to be able to use his power of magnetism on any and all metals. Personally, I still say Luke would TK the helmet off his head, and the Force would let him keep it off Magneto’s head if he so choose.

  23. This is very simple folks. Forget Magneto’s special helmet and advanced powers and physical Jedi stomping awesomeness…all he needs to do is gather about him a shield of Cloud City handrails (ya know the ones that a light saber just sparks off of) and voila, no worries. Then he can kick Luke’s arse with Luke’s own metal hand and light saber.

  24. my wife agrees with Joshua….he is the god damned Magneto! Nuff said. Luke needs to go into Taji’s station for his power converters, NOT meet Magneto at the flag pole. Consider what Magneto could do to an AT-AT or AT-ST or a cruiser or an X-wing or the hilarious positions Magneto could arrange with Luke and R2’s little phallic door opener XD

  25. Oquies says:

    You do realize the Jedi mind tricks only work on the week minded? Helm or not Luke could do nothing for mind tricks there. If Luke can throw lightning bolts he wins if not he loses.

  26. Sean Murphy says:

    I know this may come as a shock to you young’uns, but originally, Magneto was not limited to just metals. Metals were the easiest for him to control because he could control them directly, but magnetic force fields have always been portrayed as solid, and that has allowed him to pick up people, paper, gold, pretty much anything he wanted. He has demonstrated low-level psychic powers of his own, and will strong enough to easily resist Jedi mind tricks. The lightsabre is useless against him because it could not penetrate his force field. It is dangerous to Luke because Magneto could take it away and use it against him. Luke’s hand could also be taken away and used against him. Luke’s heightened agility can be neutralized as easily as Beast’s or Nightcrawler’s heightened agility has been. Magneto has demonstrated multiple times the ability to multitask in combat, manipulating multiple guns and cars and shielding against multiple superpowered opponents all simultaneously. And finally, on sheer power – Magneto once pulled a Russian submarine out of the sea and destroyed it, and has levitated a base the size of an aircraft carrier into orbit. Even Force Lightning, which can sometimes be blocked by a lightsabre, may not be able to penetrate a magnetic force field. It would be an interesting fight, but without some sort of hokey plot twist there can be little chance of Luke winning.

  27. Sutter_Kaine says:

    Couldn’t it be argued that Magneto’s ability to demonstrates a brand new, previously unseen ability every five minutes is a hokey plot twist?

  28. Kaylin88100 says:

    I was going to make a brilliant, witty observation about the respective supporters of the two sides, but I laughed so hard at Sutter Kaine’s comment (#27) that I forgot what I was going to say… 😛

  29. With the introduction of “midichlorians” in Star Wars (ummm… eugenics, anyone?), wouldn’t that make Jedis “mutants”?

    It would be a re-hash of Luke versus Darth Vader. Like Vader, Magneto would try to convince Luke that their powers would make them a force for order in the galaxy. Thus, they would join forces?

    @Sutter_Kaine(27): I was thinking the same. It would be more “justifiable” for a Jedi to come out with some unknown, inexplicable power than Magneto. Jedi have more mojo than the Master of Magnetism. The edge goes to Luke.

  30. Doornik1142 says:

    “You do realize the Jedi mind tricks only work on the week minded?”

    It’s not that simple. Jedi mind tricks are easier to perform on the weak minded, but that doesn’t mean a Jedi can’t mount a mental attack on someone with a strong mind.

    Saying that Magneto could resist any telepathic attack because he has a strong will is like saying a body builder could shrug off a shotgun blast to the stomach because he has strong abs. At a certain point, no amount of “strength” is going to save you.

  31. ajw says:

    Put simply magneto is just a jedi with no lightsaber, healing abilities, or telekinetic power over polymers, flora, fauna, gasses, or any other non metal thing. So at full potential, Luke would win no doubt.

  32. Skybandit says:

    The Light Sabre has a METAL hilt, so Magneto would simply turn it against him and play proctologist. Luke’s other “powers” were matched or bested by the first incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, giving Magneto the edge in experience. Even without the metal hand to drag him around with, even in Yoda’s swamp, Magneto could kick that snot nosed kids arse with one hand tied behind him.

  33. Jessica says:

    I don’t know. It doesn’t seem fair that if they are going to use the full extent of Magneto’s history (extensive battles and wars), then why would they not use Luke’s extended history as well? It doesn’t seem right. To date, Luke has appeared in several different wars and just as many (if not more) battles as Magneto in the Expanded Universe. Logically, I would assume that Luke’s extended history is being used for this poll. See above comments for why I think Luke would win.

  34. Ritoru Bushi says:

    Magneto commands the power of magnetism. Luke Skywalker commands the power of The Force. Give Magneto an enemy that has no metal in, or on, him and he has to resort to the surroundings. Luke Skywalker was given the title of Grand Master. A title only bestowed upon to the greatest and wisest of all Jedi Masters. This was the highest title a Jedi could reach, and literally made them the #1 leader of the entire Jedi Order spanning across the entire SW Universe. Magneto is a powerful mutant, probably one of the most powerful. In the Marvel World, has it ever been legitimately discovered that he was the most powerful mutant alive? In any case, my point being is, take away the lightsaber and the utility belt and Luke still has The Force to wield. And since Luke has already gone to the Dark Side he’s adopted and adapted Dark Side powers to be used for the Light Side. Also, Luke has taken down some of the most powerful Sith in the entire SW Universe. Magneto tries to takes down the world government with small-tactic terrorist plots. Luke has a whole universe, Magneto has a single planet.