Q:

Did Bryan Singer make up the idea that Magneto's helmet blocks telepathy?

In the first X-Men film by Bryan Singer, "X-Men", the following conversation takes place between Wolverine and Professor X:

PROFESSOR X: This device amplifies my powers, allowing me to track mutants across great distances; that's how I intend to find Rogue.
  WOLVERINE: Why don't you just use it to find Magneto?
  PROFESSOR X: I've been trying, but he seems to have found some way to shield himself from it.
  WOLVERINE: How would he know how to do that?
  PROFESSOR X: Because he helped me build it. Now, if you'll excuse me. 

This scene indicates that the Professor's telepathy is somehow being blocked. After the train station fight sequence, we are given an explanation why, shown here: 

WOLVERINE: You said he wanted me.
  PROFESSOR X: I made a terrible mistake; his helmet, somehow designed to block my telepathy. I couldn't see what he was after until it was too late. 

What makes this statement so intriguing is that in the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby series, "The X-Men", Magneto and the Professor are shown communicating telepathically on several occasions, and later in the 90s, the show "X-Men: The Animated Series" showed that the Professor was able to get inside Magneto's head with no problems whatsoever, regardless of the helmet. So, I was curious; did Bryan Singer simply invent the bit about Magneto's helmet, or was this something from one of the comics that was overlooked in the animated TV show?

A:

According to Wikipedia:

Magneto has been frequently depicted as able to resist all but the strongest or most unexpected of telepathic attacks. A number of explanations have been proposed for his unusually strong resistance to telepathy, among them ... technology wired into his helmet (the explanation given in the X-Men film series and several comic plotlines)

On the other hand, there are sources claiming that, in the comics, he installed mind control circuitry in his helmet, but the resistance is all natural or the result of his powers:

Magneto seems to have some “natural” resistance to telepathic intrusion, and over time his force of will has augmented his natural and learned telepathic defenses. In the past, Magneto has also shown himself capable of Astral Travel and passive empathic sensitivity.

....

During the Silver Age, Magneto did install technology into his helmet which allowed him to control other's minds. This was seen in (Uncanny) X-Men #18, and again the X-Men vs. Avengers miniseries in 1987. However, there is no hint or statement in the 616 that Magneto inserted tech into his helmet to block telepathic attacks, nor has he ever seemed concerned when his helmet is removed in a telepath's presence.

The Marvel Wikia claims that the helmet does protect him:

The helmet Magneto wears may be what contributes to his ability to resist all but the strongest or most unexpected of telepathic attacks, achieved due to technology wired into the helmet itself. 

It also seems to be explicit canon in the Fox, Marvel 1602, and Ultimate continuities that it's his helmet that provides the resistance.

