Anthony Mackie has spent more than a decade inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe machine, so you might assume it takes quite a bit to leave him starstruck these days. Then Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart walked onto the set of the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, and suddenly the current Captain America was just another fan trying to work up the nerve to say hello.
Mackie recalled meeting the two X-Men legends while speaking with IMDb, and his story about introducing himself to the returning mutant actors is ridiculously sweet. Marvel announced the first Doomsday trailer confirmed McKellen and Stewart were returning for the new Marvel movie, alongside several other veterans of Fox’s X-Men movies, while He returns as Sam Wilson. The 8 Mile star started by describing just how surreal it was to see the pair on set.
I’ll tell you this, this is the funniest story of all time, alright. So, Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart, I’m like ‘Holy moly, they’re here. I gotta say what’s up? I got to talk to them.’ Their first name is Sir. This is amazing, right?
Honestly, “their first name is Sir” is a pretty great summation of what it must feel like to suddenly find Professor X and Magneto hanging around your workplace. What a sight to see, and apparently even Robert Downey Jr. was nerding out over the OG stars.
Eventually, Mackie made his way over to the Lord of the Rings star and introduced himself. He said McKellen greeted him with, “Hello, son,” which already sounds exactly like the sort of thing you would hope Gandalf says when you meet him. Then McKellen asked:
So, I got to Ian McKellen, he goes, ‘Hello, son.’ I’m like, ‘Ian McKellen! Sir, you’re amazing! This is amazing to work with you!’ And he goes, ‘Oh, so what are you doing in the film?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m Captain America.’
Apparently, nobody had given Magneto the complete MCU orientation packet. The Shakespearean actor's response was only five words, but the Desert Warrior actor clearly has not forgotten it. He continued:
And he goes, ‘Wonderful, and you deserve that.’ Thank you, Sir Ian. Thank you.
That is a lovely bit of encouragement coming from someone who helped define the modern superhero movie long before Mackie ever strapped on a pair of Falcon wings.
The encounter also offers a fun glimpse at just how strange the Avengers: Doomsday set must be. McKellen first played Magneto in 2000’s X-Men, while Stewart debuted as Charles Xavier in the same movie. Mackie did not enter the MCU as Sam Wilson until Captain America: The Winter Soldier more than a decade later. Now all three are appearing in the same Avengers movie.
Marvel’s enormous Doomsday cast also includes James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming and Kelsey Grammer from the X-Men films, alongside MCU veterans including Chris Hemsworth, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Letitia Wright and Paul Rudd. Robert Downey Jr. is returning in a very different role as Victor von Doom.
Chris Evans will return as Steve Rogers, which makes Mackie’s place in the movie especially interesting now that Sam carries the Captain America mantle. Whatever happens when all these characters finally meet on screen, the Twisted Metal actor already got one pretty great crossover moment out of the production. Captain America received Magneto’s blessing.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters Dec. 18, 2026. Until then, fans can revisit all the Marvel movies in order, even the Fox era, streaming with a Disney+ subscription.
