X-Men Movies: 7 Perfect Performances & 7 That Sucked

4. Sir Ian McKellen - Magneto

So good is Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto that it's almost impossible to think of anyone else in the role in Bryan Singer's X-Men movies. Just like there's no way you could consider anyone else performing Gandalf either - both are roles that it feels like McKellen positively lived in.

His classical training helped Magneto massively, because at no point does his grand scheme to eradicate humans and allow mutantkind to take their rightful seat ever feel silly or like the ravings of a pantomime villain. Instead, he has majesty and presence more akin to Shakespeare and he adds a regal reverence to a costume that would otherwise have been supremely camp.

Crucially, his Magneto barely needs to show off his powers to convince how supremely powerful he is (though he does get the chance in The Last Stand). And on the flipside, there's a vulnerability to his character that occasionally comes out: he is, after all, a victim of the Holocaust and his drive to take revenge on humanity is entirely justified in his own head. And that's very important for how much it all works.