Patrick Stewart on the Reluctance of Reprising His Professor X Role

It’s pretty much common knowledge at this point (at least with hardcore MCU fans) that the one and only Patrick Stewart recently reprised his iconic role as Professor X for the recent film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – blowing the minds of long time fans of the previous Fox helmed X-Men cinematic franchise that launched more than 20 years ago.

With Disney/Marvel absorbing all mutant inclusions in their Fox merger, fans practically speculate upon every MCU release about the eventual addition of mutants to the current era of Marvel’s live-action films. Professor X’s reveal, along with The Illuminati in the new movie, brings the X-Men franchise into this world (well, marginally in a multiversal context) and cracks the door to make it a plausible reality down the road. In the meantime, getting Stewart back to portray Charles Xavier is such a phenomenal achievement that it seemed unlikely to the actor himself.

Explaining his attachment to the project, Stewart first tells Variety, “Well, it was a day-and-a-half’s work [in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]. I was in a very different environment from the one that I had ever been in, in any of the X-Men movies. And just like [the Star Trek series] Picard, I was grateful for it because I could think refreshingly about who he was and how he related to others. Just like Star Trek: Picard, I was a little unsure at first if it was a wise thing to do. Given that Logan had been such a powerful movie, and we watched him die in Hugh Jackman’s arms. So having seen [the Doctor Strange sequel] on Monday night, I’m very happy and very proud that I’ve been part of that.”

After seeing Professor X get a happy conclusion in X-Men: Days of Future Past, then a tragic ending in Logan, it was as wonderful as always to see Stewart back for more. Regardless of that universe’s rough patch…