The oldest and best known villain of Marvel's X-Men is indisputably Magneto, the master of magnetism. Fans have been discussing him since long before any X-Men comics were adapted for the screen, but now the actor famed for playing him has brought up a question about how those discussions pronounce his name.Sir Ian McKellen portrayed Magneto in five of Fox's X-Men films, beginning with 2000's X-Men. For many, he's become the definitive live-action version of the character.
McKellen tweeted his question in response to a CBR article about Magneto. "While we are at it," he asked, "why is Magnet-o (controller of ferro-magnetic substances), pronounced Magneeto?"
The question may not have any straight answer. The character's creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby may have found the pronunciation more appealing, or let the comic's readers decide how to say it based on how the word looked to them. In any case, there's never been any variation on the name in any medium in which it's spoken.
Sir Ian McKellen has a long and varied career in Hollywood. In addition to playing Magneto, he famously portrayed Gandalf in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies.