"If you've got Mystique as your girlfriend the fun you could have in bed - I've just imagined X-Men 3 might open with me in bed with Patrick Stewart"

Ian McKellen’s witty remark about Mystique playfully highlights the unique possibilities of intimate relationships when superhuman abilities are involved. Mystique, a character in the X-Men universe, possesses the power of shapeshifting, she can assume the appearance of anyone at will. McKellen considers the humorous and imaginative potential of a romantic relationship with someone whose form is endlessly changeable. The suggestion of fun in bed is a double entendre, blending innocent delight with a more risqué connotation, and leans into the adult humor that often accompanies comic book adaptations among their grown-up fans and stars.

By referencing the prospect of waking up next to Patrick Stewart, McKellen layers the joke further. Stewart plays Professor Xavier, McKellen’s friend and co-star, in the X-Men films. The punchline mischievously suggests that Mystique, using her powers, could transform into Stewart’s character, or even Stewart himself. The idea conjures an image that is absurd, surprising, and likely entertaining for cast and audience alike. It also reflects the camaraderie and close relationships among the actors, hinting at McKellen’s affection for his colleague and their well-known friendship both on and off the screen.

The comic effect arises from the collision of everyday human experience (waking up next to a loved one) with the outlandish possibilities of mutant abilities, and from the shock value of suddenly sharing such intimacy with a familiar friend. There is a playful irreverence as McKellen imagines a future film opening with this scene, poking fun at cinematic conventions and blending reality with fiction. The quip encapsulates the lightheartedness and speculative fun that permeates the world of superhero storytelling, where the extraordinary can intrude upon the ordinary in astonishing ways, and where even bedroom dynamics are subject to the unpredictable magic of the mutant world.