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14th Sep 2019

Denzel Washington is a perfect fit to play the new Magneto

Rory Cashin

denzel magneto

Rumour has it that the two-time Oscar-winner is being lined up for the villainous X-Men role.

Ian McKellan was 61 years old when he first played the role of Magneto in that first X-Men movie, and by the time Days Of Future Past arrived, he was 75.

The actor was the perfect age to slot into the comic-book history of Eric Lehnsherr, which began as being a Holocaust survivor, and a harboring an anger and fear of “normal” men from a very young age.

However, that no longer works for a current-day setting for the character, as while Magneto’s metal manipulation powers are impressive, they just won’t seem as threatening being used by an octogenarian, which is the age bracket that Magneto would need to be in to still be a Holocaust survivor in a modern-day movie.

Over the years, one of the major comparisons made between Magneto and his BFF/life-long nemesis Professor Xavier is that they are essentially a mutant equivalent to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, one using violence to achieve their goals, and one attempting to find a peaceful resolution.

Which is where the role begins to line up perfectly for Denzel Washington, who was previously been Oscar-nominated for the title role in, yep, Malcolm X.

It was one of his eight Oscar nominations to date, two of which he went on to win, and his career has consisted mostly of completely avoiding big budget blockbusters or any kind of franchises.

However, he does seem to be coming around to the idea lately, as last year saw him act in his first ever sequel – The Equalizer 2 – and during the press trip for that movie, he told JOE that would “never say never” if Marvel approached him for a role.

Well, considering Disney now own Fox, who own the rights to the X-Men, and they will be looking to course-correct that franchise following the blundering misstep of Dark Phoenix, and this week We Got This Covered reported that Disney have indeed got Washington on their wish-list for the role.

Updating the character to a timeline that includes a version of Magneto that was learning about his powers in a world that was being torn apart by racial tensions is not only timely and potent, but a smart reimagining to be potentially smartly played by one of the best actors in the world.

Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige has already said that it might be a few years before they tackle the possibility of folding the X-Men into the rest of the MCU, but hopefully they won’t wait too long, because we really want to see Denzel in that awesome purple helmet and cape combo as soon as possible.

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