I was already excited about the reunions we’re getting in Doomsday, specifically seeing our original Magneto and Professor X (and real-life besties) together again. Turns out, even Avengers get starstruck when meeting their heroes. When Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen reunited on set, it was a legendary moment that had two of their co-stars in awe. Honestly, I can’t get over Stewart and McKellen’s reactions when two Avengers were caught staring at them on the Doomsday set.
I can’t say I blame them, either. With us inching closer to the upcoming Avengers movie, naturally everyone wants to know what it was like with these X-Men legends. Well, Anthony Mackie got reflective with Polygon about what it was like for him and co-star Sebastian Stan to work with these incredible actors, and they’re just like the rest of us. Mackie shares the confusion they caused for their co-stars:
The day before [Stewart] passed, I was talking to Sebastian for some reason – I talk to Sebastian Stan a lot – and we were laughing about when we were on set. Sir Patrick and Sir Ian come on set, and they hug, and they just stand there and talk in full costume. We start to freak out, like, ‘Oh shit! Yo, this is amazing, right?’ They look at us. They give us this quizzical look like, ‘What’s wrong with you two?’ and they walk off.
I can only imagine what the two long-time friends were thinking. Though something tells me they probably had a laugh about it. Since Stewart has passed away, it has been a bittersweet memory for Mackie, but one he’s undoubtedly going to cherish. This isn’t the first time the actor has shared what it was like working with two icons. He has talked about the amazing experience he had working with them (and Kelsey Grammer). At the time, he said these were actors he “always wanted to work with.”
He’s not the only one on set who felt that way. Others have shared what it was like meeting Stewart and McKellen. His co-star Danny Ramirez has previously shared that he hung onto every word they said, because “you never know what nugget might change your life.” This is a feeling Mackie knows well, and he had the nicest things to say about his experience working with Stewart:
He was so kind, and he was just so easy to be around. He was very personable. At that level, at that stage in his career, I just didn’t know what to expect. I was very happy and very honored that we had the opportunity to work with him.
It sounds like the two didn’t let being starstruck get in the way …too much. Though nothing will be quite as humorous as picturing Captain America and the Winter Soldier staring at Magneto and Professor X. The upcoming Doomsday will be the first time we’ve seen the two reunite as their X-Men characters, though Stewart has reprised his role as Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Hopefully, this appearance has a better outcome for the professor.
We don’t know the specifics of what their return entails. However, we did see a teaser of it released by Marvel, and I know it’s a scene that’s going to make me cry. It’s okay, I’ve already accepted my fate. It’s going to be difficult not to think about what McKellen has shared about his late friend while watching the movie, but I’m going to try. As for the character of Professor X, we will see him again in the upcoming X-Men reboot, with Christopher Abbott taking on the role. However, the role of Magneto (as of this article) has yet to be addressed by Marvel.
We will be seeing the two legends when Doomsday finally lands on the 2026 schedule on December 18. In the meantime, you can watch unforgettable moments between them by rewatching the X-Men films with a Disney+ subscription.
