Ian McKellen will be reprising his role as Magneto in X-Men: Apocalypse, but fans are still wondering how he will be worked into the storyline.  

Sophie Turner Taking 'Inspiration From The Comics' For 'X-Men: Apocalypse' Role 

Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier) let it slip during an interview with Oregon Live on Feb. 6 that McKellen is due to appear in the upcoming X-Men flick, but the details of Magneto's role in the film are murky. Both Stewart and McKellen appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014 as their "present day" selves sending Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back into the past to contact a young Xavier (James McAvoy) and a young Magneto (Michael Fassbender).

So does McKellen's return mean that X-Men is in store for more time travel? Will he actually come face to face with his younger self? The upcoming movie is set to take place in the 1980s, though it's uncertain whether or not the movie will first begin in the future as Days of Future Past had.

Ian McKellen Returning For 'X-Men: Apocalypse' 

According to ComicBook.com on Thursday, the story could follow the comic's Age of Apocalypse timeline. In this narrative, Professor Xavier's son, Legion, goes back in time in order to murder Magneto. Things go horribly wrong, however, and Legion ends up killing his own father instead. This leads to a world where Professor Xavier was never able to stop evil forces from rising, causing chaos to ensue.

If this storyline is adapted for the screen, McKellen's Magneto could appear in a world without Xavier looking back on their shared past. Perhaps he could even go back in pursuit of changing history. The accidental death of Xavier would also help to explain why McKellen would be appearing in the film without Stewart.

In addition to McAvoy and Fassbender, the new movie will also see the return of Evan Peters as Quicksilver and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner has been cast as a young Jean Grey, with Tye Sheridan (Mud) set to play a young Cyclops and Alexandra Shipp (Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B) set to play a young Storm.

X-Men: Apocalypse is scheduled to hit theatres May 27, 2016.

Tags: X-Men Apocalypse Marvel Movies