Ian McKellen lets slip details on how much damage Magneto does in Avengers: Doomsday

Having handled the master of magnetism for 26 years now, you’d think that Ian McKellen would know to keep his lips sealed when it comes to upcoming superhero outings. Unfortunately, though the X-Men star and soon-to-be new addition to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday has spilled some details about Magneto’s part in the eagerly anticipated sequel, and it turns out he might have created a spot of bother for New Jersey.

During an interview on Jake’s Takes, McKellen expressed his love for the character that he’s played five times across the original X-Men franchise. "I didn't realise how popular he was," McKellen confessed. "I thought he was the villain, but no, I think people rather like his attitude. It was fun working with all those younger actors who were so confident about the parts they played in many other movies.”

Talking about his first turn as Erik Lensherr in the 2000 movie, McKellen recalled, “I remember the camera behind me, my hands raised up, and as they did that, two police cars in front of me were raised up by cranes. When I, at a signal, dropped my hands, the cars dropped. These were not special effects.” It was here that he revealed just what kind of action he’ll be involved in with Avengers: Doomsday. “Nowadays, I think things will become a little bit easier, though. I did destroy New Jersey the other day. Oh, I perhaps shouldn’t have said that.”

It’s likely that the damage McKellen is referring to will involve the X-Men uniting with whatever heroes from Earth 616 make their way over to his reality following the arrival of Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.). Of course, following the release of the latest trailer that was X-Men focused, they look to be in enough bother themselves, with Cyclops (James Marsden) fighting off Sentinels in an eye-watering throwdown.

Unfortunately, we’ve still got a long time to wait to see just what kind of state New Jersey gets left in when Magneto, some more X-Men, and the mightiest heroes of Earth-616 unite in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026. Should you need to keep up to date on every other MCU story heading our way this year, check out our guide here.