30 Greatest Marvel Movie Villains
2. Magneto - Ian McKellen (X-Men 1 & 3)
By far the best X-Men villain, Magneto succeeds so well primarily for two reasons: firstly, he has an impeccable motive (being a Holocaust survivor and all), and is acted superbly by Ian McKellen.
More than anything, though, Magneto has complexity: his devotion to keeping mutants safe is admirable and understandable, even if this frequently brings him to blows with the X-Men, and he ironically almost carries out the very same genocide against humanity that he encountered in the Holocaust.
His relationship with Professor Xavier is also deep and multi-faceted, not merely a hero-villain pairing but a yin-and-yang of deep understanding and respect, no matter their ultimate actions.
Sure, Michael Fassbender gave an almost equally brilliant performance as the younger Magneto, but his villainy is more scaled back and ambiguous for the most part.