Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen knew each other for nearly 50 years before becoming close friends on the set of X-Men.
Around that time, Sir Patrick passed on the role of Gandalf, which his good friend would go on to make his own. In a later interview he stated “My dear friend Ian McKellen became a living legend with his performance as Gandalf in The Lord Of The Rings.”
The two will appear together one final time in Avengers: Doomsday. ❤️