After sitting under the watchful eye of Fox Studios for the better part of two decades, the X-Men brand name, characters, properties, and stories has now transferred all of its movie rights to Marvel Studios. As of 2019, the process has begun to have those characters finally debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Among those characters who fans are excited to see back on the big screen, Magneto sits at the top of that list.
Despite his status as villain and occasional anti-hero, Magneto has a large fanbase from both comic fans and mainstream movie fans. Onscreen, the role has been brought to life through memorable performances from Oscar nominees Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender, so whoever gains the part for the MCU has big shoes to fill.
10 Denzel Washington Is A Surprising Rumor
Magneto and Professor X have always drawn comparisons between, respectively, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Rumor has it that Marvel wants to do something radically different with the material by making Professor X and Magneto products of the Civil Rights era.
This rumor dates back as early as 2019, when there was buzz that Denzel Washington was at the top of Marvel's shortlist for the role. It's unclear as of if Marvel still intends to cast a Black man in the role of Magneto or if they still want the two-time Oscar winner to be that man— if they ever did, as again, those were only rumors— but it'd certainly be a unique choice that'll make for an interesting, modern interpretation.
9 Daniel Craig Is The Best At Being Stoic
Magneto has a knack for having a calm exterior, but may occasionally erupt with an unprecedented amount of rage. More important than the rage is the calm, stoic demeanor that he displays on average.
An actor who displays such a stoic nature in his performances is Daniel Craig. In fact, as seen in movies like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and throughout the James Bond franchise, Craig has kind of mastered the art of subtlety and calm. That's how he usually approaches most of his performances, so the role of Magneto might fit like a glove— or like a helmet— for him.
8 Giancarlo Esposito Knows How To Play The Perfect Villain
In the same vein as the Denzel Washington rumor, it was stated that Giancarlo Esposito was also on that same shortlist as Denzel Washington to possibly play Magneto— though, in Esposito's case, this seems a little more plausible. After all, Esposito has made a knack out of playing villains over the past decade, most notably playing Gus Fring on Breaking Bad.
Esposito played Gus with such unhinged, subtle vitriol that it's not hard to imagine how he could bring the same flavor to the Magneto character, while also giving Gus the kind of vulnerability needed for a sympathetic antagonist like Magneto.
7 Jeremy Irons Is Age-Appropriate
Jeremy Irons would fit closer into a more comics accurate version of Magneto if Marvel decided to go in that direction instead. Of course, with Magneto being a Holocaust survivor, still being a boy by the time it ended, his age would be significantly older.
At age 72, Jeremy Irons at least fits the bill highly enough where he's not too old, and can play the role for at least a couple of movies. Plus, Irons is no strange to playing comic book characters. His performances in playing roles like Ozymandias in Watchmen and Alfred Pennyworth in the DCEU suggest that he truly understands the assignment every time and he'll put nothing less than 100% into playing Magneto.
6 Kingsley Ben-Adir Would Be A Younger Take On The Malcolm X Parallel
Alternatively to someone who portrayed Malcom X decades ago, Marvel can also just get an actor who has played him more recently. Kingsley Ben-Adir is gaining worldwide critical acclaim in what is already considered a breakout performance in director Regina King's One Night in Miami.
Although Ben-Adir is on the younger side, it gives the role room to grow for at least the next decade of the character's MCU history, if the actor so wishes to play that part so long. Not to mention that between his performances in Miami and Bridgerton, he's currently having a breakout year. Snagging the role of Magneto would truly be a cherry on top and his newfound fanbase would certainly follow wherever he goes, whether they're superhero movie fans or not.
5 Oliver Jackson-Cohen Offers Longevity
Oliver Jackson-Cohen gained some newfound notoriety this year for his chilling performance as the title villain of The Invisible Man, right before starring in The Haunting of Bly Manor. At 34-years old, Jackson-Cohen is the youngest actor on this list, offering the kind of longevity that the MCU demands.
Besides his qualifications as an actor, Jackson-Cohen also is young enough to appear in several MCU movies as the character across several years, as most main characters are expected to do for such a franchise like this.
4 Kevin Janssens Offers A Fresh Start As An Unknown
In the United States, Kevin Janssens would be considered a complete unknown. In his early 40s and acting since the early 2000s, he's mostly made a living out of acting in movies made out of his native Belgium. But in 2017, Western audiences got a peek of him in Revenge, where he played the main antagonist, a man who acts deceptively charming to get what he wants.
His character in Revenge is calm, somewhat sincere in his manipulation before erupting with rage when he can't have his way, bursting into scary, violent tendencies. Magneto's character has been born from a similar ilk, needing that charm to recruit his Brotherhood of Mutants. Janssens would be a great choice, and getting a completely unknown actor like him would help audiences immerse themselves into believing him as Magneto.
3 Dan Stevens Already Has Marvel Experience
Dan Stevens' inclusion might seem like double-dipping at first, seeing as how he already played the son of Professor X in Legion. However, contrary to popular belief, Legion does not exist within the confides of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If anything, it's more of an adaptation of Marvel's comic portrayal of the character opposed to a movie iteration.
With that said, that would open him up to finally join the franchise. He was already exceptional in playing the psychic spawn of Xavier. He can bring that same sort of vulnerability, determination, and charm to the character of Magneto.
2 J.K. Simmons Could Make Magneto Sympathetic
J.K. Simmons has dipped his foot into superhero waters quite a lot in more recent years. He reprised his role of J. Jonah Jameson (which may or may not end up being a one-off cameo) and he played Commissioner Gordon for the Snyderverse (which Warner Bros. confirmed is as good as dead).
However, to understand why he'd work as Magneto, look no further than his performances in Whiplash and the more recent Invincible. Simmons plays unredeemable monsters in both, but there are scenes littered across where Simmons manages to make Terrence Fletcher and Omni-Man, respectively, come off as sympathetic, if only for brief moments before revealing themselves as wolves in sheep's clothing again. Sympathy is an essential part to Magneto's villainy and anti-heroism and Simmons would nail that aspect.
1 Michael Shannon Understands Morally Gray Characters
Michael Shannon quite possibly has the most experience out of everyone on this list in playing villainous characters, but more often than not, his antagonists have a morally gray component to them. In Man of Steel, he was a prideful general hoping to restore his planet to prominence. In Bug, he was simply a mentally disturbed young man.
Going back to the need for sympathy for a Magneto performance, Magneto is the very definition of a morally gray character. Shannon would provide the nuance necessary to not only make the character believable, but even make audiences secretly root for the bad guy.