Not everybody is an expert on rare Earth magnets and can tell the difference between neodymium or samarium cobalt magnets. However, people of all ages seem to have a basic understanding of magnetism, and it's often due to pop culture. Through the years, screenwriters, comic book writers, and directors have had a fascination with magnetism and its potential as a storytelling element. Here are just three examples of how magnets and their unique properties have been used in pop culture: Magneto - Marvel's master of magnetism Kids who grow up reading comic books may have more of an understanding of magnetic fields than their parents do because of the Marvel Comics character Magneto. First introduced in 1963 as the X-Men's arch-nemesis, Magneto appears in comic books to this day. For those who are unfamiliar, Magneto is a mutant - an individual who's born with special powers. In Magneto's case, those special abilities just so happen to be the ability to generate and control magnetic fields. Magneto has managed to gain fans outside of comic shops thanks to the success of the X-Men film series. The fictional mutant has been portrayed by two popular actors - Sir Ian McKellen, playing modern-day Magneto, while Michael Fassbender played young Magneto in the prequel "X-Men: First Class." Those who love the "master of magnetism" have a lot to be excited about in 2014, as the next X-Men film, titled "Days of Future Past," will bring both Magnetos together on screen for the first time. 'Be Kind Rewind' - A film about magnets' effects As far as film plots go, the one for the 2008 comedy "Be Kind, Rewind" was pretty out there. Writer and director Michel Gondry's flick shows what happens when a man, played by Jack Black, accidentally becomes magnetized and erases every videocassette in a VHS rental store. Black, along with an employee at the store, played by Mos Def, must recreate each of the movies Black wiped out, and hilarity ensues. While it's unlikely a human being can become magnetized the way Black's character did, magnetic fields can erase the information stored on VHS and other types of cassettes. So, unless you want to remake a few films or re-record music albums, be sure to keep your neodymium magnets away from your tapes. 'Breaking Bad' - Destroying evidence with an electromagnet You can't go far without finding someone who's ready to rave about AMC's critically acclaimed crime drama "Breaking Bad." Although the series is about to come to a close, fans are likely to remember its magnet-focused episode for many years to come. In the show's fifth-season opener, main characters Walt and Jesse need to dispose of a laptop containing information on their criminal activity that could put them behind bars. The only problem is it's locked up in an evidence locker. They decide that the best shot they have at destroying this critical piece of evidence is to use a powerful electromagnet, which will not only damage the computer's exterior, but erase the incriminating information on it. Walt and Jesse end up accomplishing what they set out to do, but not before making a ton of noise and damaging a lot more in that evidence locker than the laptop. If you're curious as to how to safely demagnetize something, check out this article. Discover More With Apex Magnets Of course, there are so many other examples of how magnets and magnetism have been used in pop culture, including these ways magnetism has been misinterpreted! These three examples just go to show how powerful - and sometimes dangerous - strong magnets can be. For four more ways pop culture has shown magnetism on the big screen, check out this blog post. Sign up for our newsletter to get these stories and more sent straight to your inbox each month.