After reaching mainstream audiences playing Baltimore drug lord Stringer Bell in the cult HBO series "The Wire" more than a decade ago, the 42 year-old actor has come a long way, with a Golden Globe to his name as he joins some of the biggest film franchises in Hollywood - and now, Idris Elba's cover in Maxim marks history.

For the first time in its decades-long history, Maxim has chosen to put a man on its cover instead of a hot and famous woman, as Idris Elba's cover makes history for the famous male-directed magazine.

According to Time Magazine, Idris Elba's cover marks the first time ever that any man poses solo for the front of the magazine, although there have been times where men have accompanied women; and the reason for his appearance, weeks after he was confirmed as part of the "Star Trek: Beyond" cast, is the ongoing speculation about whether he'll be taking over Daniel Craig's role as James Bond in the next films.

"This is the very first time, and there was no one else in the world more badass than Idris," Kate Lanphear, Maxim's new editor-in-chief, told Racked.com about that steamy Idris Elba cover. "For me, he was really the perfect embodiment of what I think the new Maxim man is. He's multi-dimensional, he's complex, he's sophisticated, but he's down to earth."

As far as those James Bond rumors go, while Idris Elba's cover keeps some mystery, the interview inside the magazine's pages leave things clear: there's no chance he will be replacing Craig in that Aston Martin, and while there has been growing support for him in social media, the actor actually thinks it's that very buzz that has damaged any real chances he may have had.

It's no big deal, though, while "Luther" continues, he gets a villain role in "Star Trek" and goes back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Heimdall for the next "Thor" movie - not to mention that historic Idris Elba cover on Maxim!