REVIEW: ‘X-Men: The Trial of Magneto,’ Issue #4

X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #4 is written by Leah Williams, illustrated by Lucas Werneck & David Messina, colored by Edgar Delgado, and lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles. It is published by Marvel Comics. Following the end of the third issue, the Avengers and the X-Men must battle a trio of kaiju attacking Krakoa. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Witch’s psyche has been ripped into three different aspects representing her past, present, and future; her sons Wiccan and Speed, along with her future self, attempt to convince Wanda to forgive herself for her past actions.

You may be asking, “Where is Magneto in all of this?” Well, the Master of Magnetism does make an appearance, but only on the last three pages. This is infuriating because the series is called The Trial of Magneto; one would expect Magneto to play a more prominent role in the proceedings. From the prominence she’s taken in the last two issues, it feels like this series should have been named The Death (And Return) Of The Scarlet Witch. I know Wiccan and Speed are her children, but it would have made much more sense if Magneto was the one to talk the Scarlet Witch down— he knows the cost of wielding immense power.

That being said, the Scarlet Witch struggling with her guilt is a story that Williams wholeheartedly embraces and one that’s been a long time coming. Granted, it’s not the first story to tackle Wanda Maximoff’s complicated emotions— WandaVision made sure of that —but the Christmas Carol style element of Wanda’s past, present, and future is a nice touch. The very first page also hints at the journey Wanda is taking, thanks to Cowles and series designer Tom Mueller. Cowles writes a series of words that Muller sculpts into a spiral, representing the cycle of life and death; a rather fitting bit of symbolism, given that Wanda has died and been reborn on Krakoa.

Both Werneck and Messina draw the hell out of the kaiju vs. hero fights. From Wolverine launching himself at one of the kaiju to claw out its multiple eyes to Rogue taking flight after literally coming back from a vacation with Gambit, there’s enough superheroic spectacle on display to satisfy any fan. They also draw a page featuring the combined forces of the X-Men and Avengers, and my mind nearly burst at the sheer amount of heroes on display. Paired with Delgado’s bright colors, this book continues to be a visual feast. It also shouldn’t surprise readers that red is the most prominent color in the book, given the focus on the Scarlet Witch; all three versions of Wanda even wear different shades of red.

X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #4 makes the baffling choice to sideline its titular character to the point where the series should have been given a different title. With only one issue left, I at least hope the series ends on a high note and puts the focus back on Magneto while resolving the identity of the Scarlet Witch’s murderer.

X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #4 is available now wherever comics are sold.