Deadpool & Wolverine has broken box office and streaming records since being released earlier this summer, and we expect both characters to have a bright future in the MCU (for the remainder of the Multiverse Saga, at the very least).
We'd expected the movie to feature a long list of X-Men franchise cameos; instead, the focus shifted to characters like Blade and Elektra, seemingly saving the team's return for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After all, it's in those movies we expect the heroes of Earth-616 and Earth-10005 to cross paths.
Which Variants we'll see remains to be seen, particularly as Marvel Studios can pluck actors and characters from two different timelines: the original X-Men trilogy and movies like First Class and Days of Future Past.
Talking to Collider, Magneto actor Michael Fassbender shared his love of Deadpool & Wolverine and admitted he'd be open to reprising the role of the Master of Magnetism down the line.
"Well, you know, I loved working with Hugh [Jackman]. You know, he’s an absolute gentleman; he’s so talented," Fassbender told the site. "I’m a big fan of Ryan [Reynolds] and what he’s done with the Deadpool series."
Revealing that the Merc with the Mouth is probably his "favourite" Marvel character, he'd add that he's "always open to things" and it's "just [about] time."
"I’ve got two little boys. I want to be available to them and be around," Fassbender added. "So right now, my focus and energy is really going to be on The Agency, but you never say never."
Fassbender playing Magneto again seems far more likely than Sir Ian McKellen returning, and we've previously heard that Marvel Studios wanted the Dark Phoenix star to play a member of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' Illuminati.
Last year, Fassbender was asked if he feels his time as Erik Lehnsherr has truly ended following the release of the poorly received Dark Phoenix in 2019.
"You know, I think we had a great run," he said. "I thoroughly enjoyed it. By the time Dark Phoenix was over, I was like, 'Well, you know, I was lucky: we had a fantastic run of it.' I enjoyed the time and then it came, I think, to its natural conclusion."
Looking to the future, we're bound to eventually get a new Magneto in the MCU, though the character has received an awful lot of screentime over the years. With that in mind, utilising some of the X-Men's other foes would be welcomed by comic book fans.
Would you like to see Fassbender suit up as Magneto again?