Star Wars Icon Adam Driver To Play Magneto In Marvel’s Upcoming X-Men Film

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 16 seconds ago

Right now, it’s a pretty weird time to be a fan of the X-Men. On the one hand, we’re all excited to see some of the original movie crew (including Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen) appear for one last adventure in Avengers: Doomsday. On the other hand, most of us are a little more excited about what comes next. Marvel is currently hard at work on an X-Men movie that will properly introduce new versions of these characters to the MCU. Aside from the fact that it will be directed by Jake Schreier (who brought us The Thunderbolts), we know almost nothing about this upcoming film.

Now, though, we have a potential bombshell regarding casting. Right now, multiple reliable Marvel scoopers are reporting that Star Wars icon Adam Driver will be playing Magneto in the MCU. This news is coming out ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, where Marvel may make this casting announcement official. Until then, rumors that Driver will be playing this popular foe have electrified the fandom and cemented the fact that some big names will be bringing our favorite mutant heroes and villains to life in the X-Men movie.

Magnetos, How Do They Even Work?

This is one of those cases where different scoopers have been reporting different versions of this story. Some (including MyTimeToShineHello) are reporting that Driver will be playing the villain of the upcoming X-Men movie, which triggered fan speculation that he might play a more unconventional Big Bad such as Mr. Sinister. However, others (including Apocalyptic Horseman) are reporting that Driver will be playing Magneto, the first and arguably best X-Men villain. While nothing has been confirmed by Marvel, news of Driver joining the MCU has electrified fans all over the world.

One reason that fans are so excited is that Adam Driver was the best part of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. Those movies were divisive, but even their biggest haters have acknowledged that Driver was always acting his heart out as Kylo Ren. Based on his experience acting in a galaxy far, far, away, we know that he will be comfortable performing in the MCU. Running around as a guy in a scary costume and helmet while giving supervillain speeches? He clearly has this covered. Of course, Driver’s more nuanced performance in movies like A Marriage Story emphasizes how he would also be at home playing a more complex and sympathetic Magneto. 

Marvel Going Metal

Of course, this casting rumor has sparked many questions among the MCU fandom. For example, who will play Professor Xavier, whose tangled history with Magneto is so foundational to X-Men lore? Also, will Magneto begin the film as a Big Bad, or will we see his slow descent (like in X-Men: First Class) into villainy? Will Magneto be a solo act when he squares off against Xavier’s gifted youngsters, or will he already have an Evil Brotherhood of Mutants to command? Hopefully, we’ll get answers to all of these questions and more in the coming days.

In the meantime, this casting rumor has generated plenty of hype for Marvel. It’s already shaping up to be a banner year for the studio: tracking shows that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be the biggest movie of the summer, and everyone from hardcore fans to filthy casuals is excited to see Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. return to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday. Now, excitement about seeing Adam Driver as Magneto has fans hyped about what comes next after Avengers: Secret Wars. Some thought audience malaise might finally sink Marvel, but as it turns out, even the dreaded superhero fatigue is no match for a master of magnetism!