Yesterday evening, the news broke that Star Wars actor Adam Driver has reportedly joined the cast of Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot as Magneto. The trades have yet to chime in, but the rumour was shared by two largely reliable scoopers on X.
Depending on who you ask, it's either inspired casting or a disappointing choice of actor to bring Magneto back to theaters after Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender previously played the character. However, the response has been largely positive.
There have been some grumblings about Marvel Studios not choosing a Jewish actor to play Erik Lehnsherr, but neither of Driver's predecessors had that background. It's also unlikely that this version of Magneto will be a Holocaust survivor, given that the reboot is expected to be set in the present day.
In some newly shared fan art, we get an idea of what Driver could look like as the MCU's Magneto. Given that Disney let him down by scrapping plans for The Hunt for Ben Solo, it's a little surprising that the actor was willing to work with the studio. Of course, Marvel Studios works largely independently of the House of Mouse, and this role must have sounded particularly compelling to Driver.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963's X-Men #1, Magneto is widely regarded as one of Marvel's greatest villains. A Holocaust survivor, Magneto possesses the Omega-level mutant ability to manipulate magnetic fields.
While he has often clashed with Charles Xavier and the X-Men over his belief that mutants should rule rather than coexist with humanity, Magneto has, in recent years, become a hero and joined the X-Men. With Mister Sinister rumoured to be the reboot's big bad, it's unknown what role the Master of Magnetism will play in the story.
Filmmaker Jake Schreier has pointed to Chris Claremont as a key source of inspiration, and we can likely expect a similar vibe to his Uncanny X-Men relaunch. In 1975, it put characters like Colossus, Storm, and Nightcrawler front and centre alongside familiar faces, such as Cyclops and Wolverine.
It's previously been reported that the movie will feature a lineup similar to X-Men '97, though there's also chatter about us getting the original five "First Class" mutants. That may ultimately hinge on whether we're getting a teenage team or a pre-established group of heroes.
You can check out this Magneto fan art in the Instagram posts below (as an aside, neither artist uses generative AI in their work as far as we're aware).