When Ian McKellen was cast as Magneto in 2000’s X-Men, fans were intrigued—but the actor himself had doubts. Despite his towering reputation as a Shakespearean great, McKellen worried he didn’t physically match the imposing comic-book version of the mutant antagonist.
At 5’11” with a lean build, McKellen felt far removed from the exaggerated, muscular Magneto often depicted in Marvel comics. In the 2017 documentary McKellen: Playing the Part, he candidly admitted he initially thought he was miscast. “If you look at the comics, Magneto is usually drawn from a low vantage point, legs wide apart, this superhuman body of muscles and power,” he said. “Then there’s me, Ian McKellen.”
Rather than dramatically transforming his physique, McKellen relied on the film’s costume and props departments to help bridge the gap. Padding added to his chest and legs helped create a more physically commanding silhouette, allowing him to focus on embodying Magneto’s emotional intensity and ideological conviction.
McKellen ultimately found deep resonance in the character’s worldview. As a longtime civil rights advocate, he connected to Magneto’s fierce defense of mutant identity, even when it veered into extremism. He has previously likened the character’s philosophy to more militant strains within real-world civil rights movements—contrasting with Professor X’s more conciliatory approach.
Though the film faced controversy over director Bryan Singer in later years, McKellen’s portrayal of Magneto remains widely praised. Alongside Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, he helped anchor a franchise that redefined superhero films for a new generation.
