10 Great Movies Starring Doctor Who Actors You Need To See

Back in the early 2000s, superhero movies had not yet become the all-encompassing weapon of box office destruction they are today. In fact, superhero movies were still regarded as silly. Their reputation having taken quite the beating in the late 90s due to Joel Schumacher’s two less-than-stellar Batman efforts.

In 2000 however Fox released the first X-Men movie, and it was, surprisingly, rather good. This would be followed by Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and the superhero genre was officially off to the races.

Veteran actor Ian McKellen stars opposite equally legendary performer Patrick Stewart in the X-Men films, with McKellen taking the role of the villainous Magneto. Magneto suffered the horrors of the holocaust as a young man and now, as an adult, his sees the signs of humanity reacting to mutants in the same way the Nazis did to the Jewish people and decides to strike them first.

The sequel is the place where McKellen really shines, however. He is able to really feel out the role and take his time. There is less over-the-top villainy than in the original film and he clearly feels more comfortable in the role.

McKellen would be brought back to reprise the role several times over the following years and it is easy to see why. Playing a sympathetic villain who still feels like a threat is difficult and his ability to play off of Stewart’s Professor X is magnetic (ha ha) to watch.