The X-Men are soon set to make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. After two spectacular portrayals of Magento, who would make a great master of magnetism? Here are five choices for actors who could play Magneto in the MCU.
Michael Fassbender
Let’s begin this by addressing the elephant in the room. Michael Fassbender was an excellent Magento and he is still at an appropriate age to portray the character again. Now, if the X-Men were to be introduced, the assumption is that they would be somewhat comics accurate so Marvel might go a little older for Magneto this time. But if Fassbender had another shot at the character, fans would likely love it – much like with the return of Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin.
Mads Mikkelsen
He has already been in the MCU before as Kaecilius in Dr. Strange, but there is no denying that Mads Mikkelsen would make a great Magento. The Danish star has proven his acting skills time and time again, with incredible range, someone who will be able to communicate the relatability of the character. And he might be a little more towards the age range that Marvel is looking for – unless they plan to cast very young X-Men.
Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz might make a fantastic Magneto, especially if he sticks with the German accent. In the comics, Erik Lehnsherr (aka Magneto) is German. It would be interesting for the character to be played with a full German accent instead of a British one for once. Plus, like everyone else on this list, he’s a tremendous actor, putting out brilliant performances in film like Django Unchained.
Charles Dance
Most people nowadays probably know Charles Dance from Game of Thrones. but he also featured prominently in Gosford Park and The Imitation Game. He’s a little on the older side. But Sir Ian McKellen playing the character churned out some of the greatest Marvel performances of all time, so maybe an older version of the character might work this time as well. We also know he is no stranger to longwinded monologues, designed to teach a lesson to whoever he’s talking to.
Jason Isaacs
There is no one on this list that looks more like a comic accurate Magneto than Jason Isaacs, it is simply uncanny. No stranger to franchises, he played Lucious Malfoy in Harry Potter, Commander Zhao in Avatar: The Last Airbender and has voiced numerous DC Comics characters in different animated properties. Isaacs would also be able to bring in a shared Jewish heritage with the character. And who knows, maybe if Marvel cast him as Magento they could cast Ralph Fiennes as Professor Xavier.
There you have it, our top five picks for Magneto if he were to join the MCU in an X-Men movie. Did you like our picks? Would you put someone else on the list that we left out? Let us know in the comments below!