X-Men: Magneto Testament #1

In his modest home, Jakob Eisenhardt is trying to assemble a necklace of many small, hand-crafted metal pieces. He cries out “Ach!” in frustration as he fumbles the pieces and they scatter across the floor. He comments to his younger brother, Erich that he is dropping more links than he is fixing these days. Erich suggests teasingly that his brother has gotten fat during his time in the civil service and that his fat fingers can’t handle “an honest man’s tools”. Jakob replies that his fingers are fine; it’s his eyes that are the problem. Jakob gets down on the floor to retrieve the loose pieces.
His son arrives and tells him not to worry, he’s got them. In a miraculously quick time, Jakob’s son Max has gathered the metal trinkets and hands them to his father. His uncle smiles at the raven-haired lad and jokingly asks him if he’s going to keep his poppa out of the poorhouse. Jakob tells Max that his uncle is only joking but that he should see the piece that Max has been working on. Max holds up a necklace made entirely of metal with ornately shaped pieces that dangle beautifully. Erich asks what this is and Jakob tells him that Max has made this entirely from scraps he found on the workshop floor. Jakob praises his son’s craftsmanship and points out the delicate craftsmanship. He adds that it’s even more impressive given that Max is only nine years old!
Erich smiles and compliments Max’s work. He tells his brother “You know what this means… he’s got a girl.” Max’s mother asks “Who’s got a girl?” Max quickly hides the necklace and says “Nobody.” To which his mother replies “Exactly!” Max’s uncle Erich just laughs but Max’ mother does not find it amusing. She asks Erich if he wants to run around acting like he does, especially in times like these. Erich smiles and tells her “All the more reason to have some fun.” Uncle Erich tells Max “Life is short” and proceeds to teach him Lesson One: he should smile if a pretty girl gives him “that certain look.”
Max’s mother asks his father if he’s just going to sit there while his own brother teaches their boy such nonsense. Jakob places his hand on his wife’s shoulder affectionately and smiles at her. He then asks Max if he thinks the look she’s giving him may be “that certain look.” Mrs. Eisenhardt blushes and gets momentarily flustered by her husband’s flirty comment. She smiles softly, calls him a “man” in a slightly annoyed tone laced with amusement and affection and orders him to come into the kitchen and help her with the food. Jakob wraps his arm around his wife and leads her to the kitchen. Max seems bewildered by this but his uncle ruffles his hair and continues his lessons on dealing with girls. “Lesson Two: If a pretty girl invites you into the kitchen… always say yes.”
The next day finds young Max at school, preparing to compete in a series of physical challenges. The group of schoolboys stands stiffly at attention as their headmaster addresses them. He tells them that they are everything, sons of the nation upon whom the hopes of their fathers and forefathers rest. He espouses the school’s goals of training their minds, hearts and bodies but warns that teachings will only take them so far and that they must find the strength and will to seize the glory that is their birthright.
As he says all this, Max Eisenhardt is distracted by a pretty young girl named Magda. Magda’s mother is a cleaning woman at the school. Max tries to get Magda’s attention and when she finally looks up at him, he smiles broadly. The blond-haired boy next to Max sneers and says with derision “Trash loves trash.” Max glares at the boy who smiles with smug superiority.
The boys engage in a variety of trials: foot races, long jump, and wrestling. The blond boy easily pins Max down as they wrestle and taunts him by pointing out that Max has been “Dead last in everything.” Max looks over at Magda as the boy says nastily “I’m sure the little scrub’s very impressed.” Max tries to rebuff the boy but the group is then called back to attention by the headmaster. He calls to the boys to look at Max. He begins with “He’s really the perfect example isn’t he? Small. Weak. But vicious.” He accuses Max of being a nasty loser who “snaps at the victors like a little dog.” Max sinks under the scrutiny of his headmaster, staring at the ground. The headmaster points this out as a further sign of weakness, which he sees as a sign of cowardice. He tells the other boys that this sickens him and the stupid look on Max’s face “truly turns my stomach.” Max’s teacher, Herr Kalb interrupts this harsh dissection and tries to point out that Max is near the top of his class in almost every subject. The headmaster says that this is merely a sign of his “degenerate cunning” and “vastly different from real intelligence.” Herr Kalb reluctantly agrees with his superior. Max seethes with anger as the other boys smile smugly.
The headmaster calls the boys to participate in their final event: the javelin throw. Max is still a bit dejected from the racist criticism of the headmaster as he picks up the javelin. He catches a glance from Magda and this brings a smile to his face. He gazes at the field before him, littered with the javelins thrown by his classmates. He leans back and throws the metal javelin with all his might. To everyone’s surprise (including Max himself) it soars boldly through the air, landing several feet beyond the furthest javelin. The headmaster grimaces at this achievement and eyes Max suspiciously. Herr Kalb tries his best to suppress a satisfied grin.
Max is awarded a gold medal for his javelin throw and stands atop a platform next to the boys with the second and third farthest throw. The silver medal has gone to the blond boy who taunted Max earlier in the day. Naturally, he is visibly bitter that Max has beaten him. After school, Max bounds happily out of the school with his gold medal dangling about his neck. He is stopped by Herr Kalb. Kalb tells Max that he is gifted and special but that he needs to be careful. He shares a Japanese proverb: “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” He asks Max if he understands what he is saying. Max apologizes and says that he has to go or he will be late.
Max rushes off, trying to catch up with Magda and her mother as they leave the school. He follows them into a crowded town square. He calls out to Magda and she turns and reaches out for him. Her mother tries to pull her away. Max holds out a small box and tells her it is for her. Magda smiles brightly as she takes the box and says simply “Bye, Max!” The words lift Max’s spirits and he smiles broadly with elation. His sentiment is echoed by the crowd who is cheering wildly and raising their hands in salute. The square is filled with Nazi flags and banners as the townspeople cheer for the assembled Nazi troops. A man looks down at Max and tells him to “Hail our heroes!” Max looks around and realizes for the first time what has drawn the crowd. On the platform in front of him is his uncle, Erich. He has been badly beaten by the Nazi soldiers. Around his neck is a sign painted in red. The German phrase translates to “I have shamed a German woman.” The Nazi soldiers continue to beat Uncle Erich as the crowd cheers them on.
September 15, 1935 – The Nazi party introduce the Nuremberg Laws. These new laws declare that Jews cannot be citizens of the Reich. Marriages between Jews and German nationals and their kin are forbidden. Sexual relations between Jews and Germans are forbidden. In addition, Jews are forbidden from hoisting the Reich and national flags or bearing the colors of the Reich. As the people cheer these pronouncements, Erich Eisenhardt is beaten publicly to demonstrate the enforcement of the Nazi edicts. Max pushes through the crowd towards his uncle, who falls to the ground. Blood fills one of his eyes. The other is swollen nearly shut. Blood gushes from his nose.
That evening, Max shows the medal he was awarded to his father and the rest of the family. Uncle Erich is recuperating from the beating he received on the couch nearby. Jakob looks at the medal and tells his son that they gave him medals too. He takes down a medal he received for his service in World War I. He tells his son that he was even called a “hero.” It was his service record that allowed him to keep his job with the government for so long. He quotes President Hindenburg who said that the Jews who bled for Germany in the Great War were German enough for him. From the sofa, Erich tells his older brother “no more, Jakob. No More.” Jakob asks what he means by this. As Erich cradles his bandaged hand and speaks through a badly swollen lip, he says simply “They’re never going to stop.” Jakob asks what they should do then, “…run away?” Erich replies “Exactly.”
Jakob tries to brush off this idea but his daughter Ruth chimes in. She tells him that her uncle may be right. At the flower shop where she works the people call her “Greta” and assume she is German and a Christian. Her father corrects her and tells her that she is German. Ruth says that she lets them assume this because it is easier that way. Jakob slumps against the table and asks his wife what she thinks. “No more room for us in the land of Goethe and Schiller and Beethoven and Mendelssohn?” She pulls him to the kitchen and asks for his help with dinner. He smiles and looks down at Max “At least you showed them, huh?” he says proudly. He hands Max his medal which is emblazoned with the eagle and swastika symbol of the Reich. He tells his son, “They can’t take that away.”
The next day at school, the headmaster orders Max to stand before the other students. He announces that it has come to his attention that the javelin that Max threw the day before was defective. He tells them “This Jew has won nothing.” He demands that Max return the medal the next day as it belongs to a German boy… unless Max is able to duplicate his feat with a regulation javelin.
Soon Max stands on the practice field once more. The other boys are watching as are the headmaster, Herr Kalb, Magda and her mother. Max looks worried. The javelin in his hand is considerably heavier than the one from the previous day. He tells this to Herr Kalb who replies that it is regulation weight. Max tells him that it is heavier than that. Herr Kalb is clearly sympathetic and tells Max to just throw it. Max glares at the headmaster with anger and throws the javelin with all of his might. It soars far, all the way to the back wall of the school. Herr Kalb looks shocked and the headmaster seethes with anger. Max looks towards Magda who smiles and brings her hand to her neck. She is wearing the necklace that Max made for her. This brings a smile to his face.
Later that day, Max is summoned to the headmaster’s office. The headmaster tells him that the Reich has no place for “cheating, Jewish scum” and tells Max that he is expelled. Max glares angrily as the headmaster tells him that he has three minutes to get out of his sight. As Max walks down the corridor, he hears shouting coming from another room. He hears a cracking sound and the door opens. A pair of Nazi soldiers is beating Herr Kalb who begs them to look at his papers. As they drag Herr Kalb away, Max looks down at the floor. A splatter of blood stains the marble.
Max looks up as someone calls out “Hey, Eisenhardt!” Standing behind him is the blond German boy and several of his friends. The boy cracks his knuckles and Max runs. The boys chase him out onto the schoolyard where several other boys are waiting. Max stops running and punches one of the boys. But he is quickly overwhelmed by the gang of boys. They force him to the ground and begin beating him up with the golden Reich medals they have been given. The medals are soon streaked with Max’s blood. The words of Herr Kalb ring in his ears, “Max…you’re special. Gifted. You have immense promise. But you need to be careful… the nail that sticks up… gets hammered down.”