Ian McKellen calls Superman a joke and James Bond a twit in a recent interview.

Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Magneto

Ian McKellen has had, and continues to have, a long and very successful acting career. What could have caused him to speak out so strongly against both Superman and James Bond? Find out inside the full article!



Ian McKellen has been a part of the X-Men franchise for 15 years as the villain Magneto. It is a role that he brought to life and it has become a part of pop culture. But why would he taken on a role in a comic book film at a time when the genre was failing? According to an interview that McKellen did with UPROXX, it has to do with the depth of the role and the concept of the X-Men story.

"Were you hesitant to do the first X-Men? I know you worked with Bryan Singer on Apt Pupil, but comic-book movies were in a bad place then, following a Batman movie no one liked.

That’s true, yeah. 

I know Bryan Singer had a vision for the film. But it was different then.

Well, he persuaded me. X-Men was about something. Superman isn’t really about anything. It’s a joke. The nerd changes his underpants and becomes a Superman. That’s James Bond: “Shaken, not stirred,” silly, stupid, British twit… and then, Action Man! But X-Men is about the problems of being a mutant. And we’ve all felt we’re mutants on occasion. So, that was the hook for me. And don’t forget, I didn’t have to sign to do anymore than one; I’m just doing a movie."

Do you agree with McKellen's thoughts that as opposed to Superman or James Bond that the X-Men are about something real with the concepts of struggling to fit in and find your place in the world? They may be harsh words but there is some truth there.

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Source: UPROXX