Avengers: Doomsday is set to bring back Ian McKellen's Magneto, and new images have teased his return to Marvel with an unexpected new look.
As part of Marvel Studios' massive live-stream announcing the Doomsday cast, McKellen was confirmed to take on his first-ever MCU project as Erik Lensherr. This will be his first time suiting up as the ultra-powerful antagonist since 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, helping his mutant brethren battle the Sentinels.
McKellen will be part of the MCU's biggest infusion of X-Men characters yet after Deadpool & Wolverine helped the mutants take their place in the greater franchise in 2024. Now, with this being the Magneto star's first time playing the role in well over a decade, he will do so looking a touch different than when he was last seen.
Ian McKellen Photographed Near Filming Location For Avengers: Doomsday, With A New Look
The X account for the Bethnal Green Safer Neighborhood Team shared a picture of Avengers: Doomsday star Ian McKellen near the movie's main filming location.
The account showed a picture of the Magneto actor on the street smiling for a camera with two police officers amidst a large gathering of people in Bernthal Green, UK.
Principal filming for Doomsday is taking place at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, which is about an hour away from where this photo of McKellen was taken.
The biggest reveal from this picture is that McKellen is now boasting a white beard. This would be the first time Magneto has been seen with a beard, as all 4 of McKellen's other portrayals of the character have seen the character as clean-shaven.
It's likely that McKellen hasn't filmed any scenes for Doomsday yet, so the possibility that he will shave before shooting starts remains.
More importantly, this picture also disproves the legitimacy of a rumored set photo that made rounds on the internet recently.
The image seemed to show McKellen donning one of his old Magneto costumes as he walked next to fellow Doomsday star James Marsden, who is reprising his role as Cyclops. Not only is he beardless here, but Marsden appears to be in a costume directly taken from his appearance in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand.
This comes shortly after Avengers: Doomsday kicked off its production schedule, with set photos teasing it to be one of the MCU's biggest movies in history.
Magento's Potential Role in Avengers: Doomsday
McKellen is one of half a dozen former X-Men movie stars joining the madness of Avengers: Doomsday, including Alan Cummings' Nightcrawler and Rebecca Romijn's Mystique. This will be his fifth time embodying the magnetically gifted mutant and his first time next to groups like the Avengers and the Thunderbolts.
His specific role in the fifth Avengers outing is difficult to pin down, considering how long it has been since fans saw him. In that last movie, he played both sides of the fight, showing his opposition to some of Professor X's methods while still fighting the Sentinels alongside the rest of the X-Men.
More than likely, Magneto will have to put aside his difference with Charles Xavier once again as they cross multiversal borders and meet the rest of this film's cast. Together, they will have to stop a man said to be Marvel Studios' most iconic villain — Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom.
While Magneto's magnetic-based powers will certainly come in handy, he will have to work closely with the rest of this movie's heroes to hold off Doom's incoming reign of terror.
There is also a chance he could play both sides of the fight and join Doom, similar to the way fans saw his more villainous side in the animated X-Men '97. Although Doom is the primary antagonist in the next two Avengers movies, seeing him form allegiances with other big bads would not be shocking.
No matter what happens with Magneto, seeing him next to Patrick Stewart's Professor X and other X-Men will be a thrilling prospect as they join a space occupied by Earth's Mightiest Heroes. With filming now moving forward, new details on their roles could make their way out in the coming weeks and months.
