Avengers: Doomsday Unveils Ian McKellen’s Magneto Suit — And It’s His Best Yet

Merch leaks are not gospel, but they are rarely random. Case in point: a new Avengers: Doomsday promo bag just gave us the clearest look yet at a pile of returning Marvel icons — and yes, that is Sir Ian back in the red.

What surfaced and why fans care

Renowned SFX and makeup artist Gi Ponci posted a photo of an official Avengers: Doomsday merch bag that crams in 28 confirmed characters from the movie. Beyond being a handy roll call for Avengers 5, the art looks like our best peek so far at final-ish designs for the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and a few other heavy hitters.

The internet zeroed in on the X-Men section for obvious reasons: Ian McKellen’s Magneto and Patrick Stewart’s Professor X appear with updated looks, and the designs lean more comic-book-forward than we have seen in a while.

"We finally got a better look at Magneto, Beast and Yelena Belova for Avengers: Doomsday."

- Culture Base, September 24, 2025

Magneto in full comic crimson (finally)

Magneto is sporting his classic red — the bold, comic-accurate robes that live-action movies usually shy away from. Historically, film Magnetos have skewed dark and tactical (blacks and browns), with one brief nod to the classic suit in X-Men: First Class before later entries ditched it again. If this bag is to be believed, Doomsday is embracing the look that made Erik Lehnsherr an icon.

Professor X ditches the yellow chair

Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier appears to have retired the bright yellow floating wheelchair he used in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The new art suggests a more understated presentation — cleaner, calmer, less theme-park-yellow.

The rest of the lineup, at a glance

• Gambit: Channing Tatum’s card-slinging mutant is shown in gear that matches what we just saw in Deadpool & Wolverine.
• Cyclops and Nightcrawler: James Marsden and Alan Cumming show up in comic-accurate suits — a very nostalgia-friendly swing.
• Beast and Mystique: Kelsey Grammer looks extremely blue (in a good way), and Rebecca Romijn appears in a white-suited take on Mystique that stands out against the rest.
• Fantastic Four: They are included in the art as part of the 28-character spread, signaling the broader crossover vibe this sequel is chasing.
• Yelena Belova: Also highlighted in the chatter around the bag, suggesting she has a notable role in the mix.

Inside baseball worth noting

Studios often lock in merch art close to a film’s finish line, but things can still change. So while this is likely representative of the movie’s final looks, it is not a sworn affidavit. Consider it a strong preview, not a courtroom exhibit.

Either way, the takeaway is pretty simple: Avengers: Doomsday is pulling deep from Fox-era X-Men, giving some of those characters their most faithful live-action designs yet, and stacking them alongside the Fantastic Four and the MCU regulars. If you have been waiting for the multiverse era to hit that sweet spot between nostalgia and comic accuracy, this bag says the pendulum just swung your way.

(First picked up by SuperHeroHype’s Apoorv Rastogi.)