The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently treading through its Multiverse Saga as various storylines converge for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. The ongoing saga has already brought together multiple different continuities, notably with cameos in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Now a new rumor suggests this trend will continue with an important X-Men character in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Of course, Disney’s acquisition of Fox – and thus the X-Men brand – made this quite likely. In fact, we’ve already seen actor Patrick Stewart return as Professor X in the Doctor Strange sequel. As for the new rumor, however, a much different X-Men character is reportedly returning for Avengers: Secret Wars.
The upcoming Avengers movie is expected to unite multiple Marvel continuities with an all-new crossover event. Reports have currently suggested that the likes of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, and even Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider are all on the table. For this rumor, however, we could be seeing actor Ian McKellen in Avengers: Secret Wars. As noted below by insider @MyTimeToShineH:
Ian McKellen will return in Avengers: Secret Wars pic.twitter.com/C6GUfeDgH1
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) September 18, 2023
Ian McKellen is known by fans for having played Magneto throughout Fox’s X-Men movie franchise. He first portrayed the iconic supervillain in the original trilogy of X-Men films: X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand from 2000 to 2006. He returned to make cameos in The Wolverine and X-Men: Days of Future Past. And while a younger version of the character was portrayed by Michael Fassbender, fans would no doubt appreciate seeing McKellen reprise the role for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It’s worth noting that this rumor should still be taken with a grain of salt, however. But with the inclusion of one X-Men actor in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the doorway is certainly open for any number of franchise favorites to return, especially with so many cast members already coming back for Deadpool 3.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional Marvel news. Though the film is still several years away, hopefully we can expect to have more Avengers: Secret Wars details in the near future. Especially confirmation for whether or not Ian McKellen will actually return.