Wolverine's current back-story (correct me if I'm wrong)...

[worstblogever]

So then let me again, point this out... Marvel Database's own web entry for "Marvel Time" acknowledges that there are some characters the Sliding Time scale does not mesh up well with. Both Xavier and Magneto, the two characters you're whining about people not understanding how to apply the sliding time scale to... cannot have it applied to them by its own admission. Hell, IT SPECIFIES A WHOLE RULE ABOUT THEM, EXPLAINING WHY.

The Limit of Suspension of Belief: Magneto and Xavier

Magneto is a man being torn apart at both ends by Marvel Time. His character is defined by two facets: On the one hand, his having been imprisoned in a concentration camp during WW2; on the other, his status as Xavier's colleague, friend, and rival.

Magneto's ties to WW2 are unbreakable. There hasn't been another tragedy of the same nature perpetuated on such a scale since (and hopefully never will be). Disconnecting Magneto from WW2 would take all the power of his personality from him. And WW2 is becoming more and more distant as Marvel Time slides forward. This isn't an age issue - he was reduced to infancy by Mutant Alpha at one point. Yet another life-extending story could be fit into the increasing time gap as necessary. The problem is that his connection to Charles Xavier is also slipping into the future, because Charles's background is sliding forward.

Originally, as a Soldier in the Korean War, Charles was not so different in age from Magneto. That they could be colleagues made a lot of sense, especially as Charles was involved with psychological treatment of survivors of the holocaust. (One wonders how modern treatments of Charles's past handle Gabrielle Haller - indeed, the lack of any modern treatment on that part of his history is probably because any such treatment is impossible). As Magneto becomes increasingly Charles's elder, a connection of friendship and a true sense of collegiality becomes impossible. They can still be rivals, but the deep connection they developed as young men together cannot happen when Magneto has moved well past young by the time Xavier is even born.

Xavier is generally portrayed as ~40 years of age. If he served in Vietnam (which seems to be the most recent version), he should be more like 60. Of course, Magneto is more like 90. And this discrepancy is only going to increase as time goes on. Its not that Magneto cannot continue to be alive until well after he's 200 if need be - some excuse can always be arranged - its that a 200 year old Magneto relating to a 40 year old Xavier as a friend and equal is an impossibility of character. Even if it would normally beggar belief, Magneto would never condescend to call someone so much younger and inexperienced than him a colleague. The original Xavier really could make a pretense of understanding Magneto's pain, he was close enough in age to understand the horrors of the holocaust firsthand (from working with survivors) and to be treated with respect by Magneto. A much younger Xavier could never hope for Magneto's respect.

Yet, you're clinging to that same premise and saying everyone else is wrong for pointing out what is currently still canon, regarding both characters, even as mathematically implausible it might seem, that is Marvel Canon.

Barring a serious retcon that you now just acknowledged, has yet to occur, in Xavier and/or Magneto's histories, there is no way to apply it to them. And considering there are more flashback events to involve them during "First X-Men" within a timeline that takes place prior to Fantastic Four (vol. 1) #1, when that sliding time scale begins... it's only going to solidify their exclusion from it, as ridiculous as their ages will one day be.

Again, from that "Marvel Time" page...

You can't take what the writers say so seriously as they are always contradicting each other (eg. retconning). This includes official statements and references to people's ages, birthdays, etc.

Sometimes 'Marvel Time' is not always used by writers so there are contradictions. Sometimes events are referred back to in real time. Sometimes events in the past have been retconned/overwritten. Sometimes characters refer to events as a month ago when they only happened a week ago, etc. Some times the same historical events happens twice because different writers use different timescales.

So there is no official absolute correct solution to contradict.

And yet, you're trying to contradict what we're saying has been written about two characters by some writers, because it would contradict what others have.

Would you like to continue undermining your own argument by citing things that don't apply to specifically what you want to apply them to, or are we about done here?

[SoupStainedTie]

The easiest way to fix the Xavier/Magneto problem, especially as WW2 and Korea get further and further away:

A story taking place in the past (perhaps when they were both already in their 50's or 60's) that reveals that both of them were somehow de-aged, or had their aging slowed. Maybe Gabrielle Haller was with them, and she got a piece of it too.

We're already approaching the time where Xavier and Magneto would have been very old men during X-Men #1. Too old. Mutant Alpha/Cloned Shi'ar body will never explain that away. Something will have to be done.

[bat39]

The easiest way to fix the Xavier/Magneto problem, especially as WW2 and Korea get further and further away:

A story taking place in the past (perhaps when they were both already in their 50's or 60's) that reveals that both of them were somehow de-aged, or had their aging slowed. Maybe Gabrielle Haller was with them, and she got a piece of it too.

We're already approaching the time where Xavier and Magneto would have been very old men during X-Men #1. Too old. Mutant Alpha/Cloned Shi'ar body will never explain that away. Something will have to be done.

Yeah, that's precisely my point. All the de-ageing of Magneto and Xavier AFTER the formation of the X-men means nothing if they become increasingly older at the time of X-men # 1.

Its really a mess whichever way you look at it. Assuming that as of 2012, the X-men were formed '15 years ago'...around 1997. Now Magneto, who was born in 1928, would be 69. But if Charles was around 40 (at most) when he formed the X-men, then he's not only thirty years younger than Eric, but it means he couldn't possibly have met Eric in post-war Israel, treating Holocaust survivors like Gabrille Haller, since he would only have been born in 1957. Assuming he first met Eric when he was in his 20's, Eric would have been in his 50's at the time...they would hardly be contemporaries and would in fact belong to two different generations! (Hell, the age gap between Eric and Charles would be greater than that between Scott and Charles!)

On the other hand, if Charles is 'permanently' born in, say, the early 1930's, then as per current continuity, he formed the X-men when he was in his mid-60's. Okay that isn't COMPLETELY implausible, when one also considers that just a few years after that he was cloned and de-aged...but in about 20 years time, he will have been in his mid-80's when he formed the X-men and so on.

In fact, rather than constantly retconning Wolverine's origin, I would really like to see a modern retelling of Xavier's history. In the recent 'X-men Origins' one-shots, I noticed a conspicuous lack of an Xavier one-shot...

[coveredinbees]

The easiest way to fix the Xavier/Magneto problem, especially as WW2 and Korea get further and further away:

A story taking place in the past (perhaps when they were both already in their 50's or 60's) that reveals that both of them were somehow de-aged, or had their aging slowed. Maybe Gabrielle Haller was with them, and she got a piece of it too.

We're already approaching the time where Xavier and Magneto would have been very old men during X-Men #1. Too old. Mutant Alpha/Cloned Shi'ar body will never explain that away. Something will have to be done.

What about Voght, Sage, Moira, Storm and Juggs? I think the best way to solve the problem is to ignore it, or pretend it's the 80s in the MU. I just ignore it. It doesn't matter. WW2 and Korea are important, but not dates. Just don't think about them?

doesn't fit in with the sliding timescale though. Going by your explanation, that would make Xavier in his 80s when he was cloned. In ten years, it will be moved to his 90s. That's not true since he was in his late 40s or early 50s when he was cloned.

Korea happened later. I guess.

[bat39]

Most of Xavier's backstory can fit along a sliding timescale.

The Korean War per se is not really important to Xavier-its just important that he and Cain Marko fought together in SOME war when Cain came across the Cyttorak gem and became Juggernaut. It could be Vietnam...hell it could be the Gulf War for all we know and care!

Xavier met Moira in college, so that's not necessarily tied in with any historical period. Ditto for his first meeting with Ororo, which occurred when he was a young man traveling the world, and his battle with Shadow King, and later Lucifer. None of these are necessarily tied into any specific time period as far as we know.

The only issue is his relationship with Magneto. His first meeting with Magneto can't easily be 'slid forward' without radically changing the nature of their relationship...though I suppose it may well be inevitable after a point.

[SoupStainedTie]

Most of Xavier's backstory can fit along a sliding timescale.

The Korean War per se is not really important to Xavier-its just important that he and Cain Marko fought together in SOME war when Cain came across the Cyttorak gem and became Juggernaut. It could be Vietnam...hell it could be the Gulf War for all we know and care!

Xavier met Moira in college, so that's not necessarily tied in with any historical period. Ditto for his first meeting with Ororo, which occurred when he was a young man traveling the world, and his battle with Shadow King, and later Lucifer. None of these are necessarily tied into any specific time period as far as we know.

The only issue is his relationship with Magneto. His first meeting with Magneto can't easily be 'slid forward' without radically changing the nature of their relationship...though I suppose it may well be inevitable after a point.

Another fix to the situation (which I actually think would be the best one, now that I think about it), is to reveal that Magneto was kept in stasis in Wundagore for decades, just like Wanda and Pietro.

This would allow Xavier to become part of the sliding timescale (erase the Korean War ties), and Magneto's sliding time would just increase the amount of years he was kept in stasis. The age at which he was put in or released from stasis would be similar to Xavier's age at the time, to keep them as peers.

Seems easy enough.

[bat39]

Another fix to the situation (which I actually think would be the best one, now that I think about it), is to reveal that Magneto was kept in stasis in Wundagore for decades, just like Wanda and Pietro.

This would allow Xavier to become part of the sliding timescale (erase the Korean War ties), and Magneto's sliding time would just increase the amount of years he was kept in stasis. The age at which he was put in or released from stasis would be similar to Xavier's age at the time, to keep them as peers.

Seems easy enough.

Yeah, you may have a point there!

That way, Magneto is still a relatively young man, not only physically, but even mentally, when he meets Xavier.

[ZNOP]

Butterum or Polar Bear?

?? Wolverine has been running around Canada butt-naked for decades if not a century... What need does he have for physical warmth??? Or, is the Polar Bear keeping his beer below freezing?