Patrick Stewart Met With Marvel's Kevin Feige, But He Has No Intention Of Playing Professor X Again
Sooner or later, the X-Men will find their way into the MCU. It might not happen for a while, but it's inevitable now that Disney owns Fox (sorry, make that 20th Century Studios). But how will Marvel approach this? Will they be bringing back familiar actors from X-Men films past, or recasting from the ground up? We have some idea of behind-the-scenes goings-on thanks to Patrick Stewart, who played Professor Charles Xavier in several X-films. According to Stewart, he had a meeting with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, and the subject of Professor X came up. But don't get too excited – Stewart says he's not going to reprise the role.
Patrick Stewart always seemed like the go-to choice to play Professor X, and that's exactly what happened when Hollywood finally got around to making a live-action X-Men film. Stewart played the role in six films, capping things off with Logan, where Professor X met his demise in an emotional scene. And it's because of that final moment in Logan that Stewart is unlikely to ever reprise the role.
Speaking with Digital Spy, Stewart revealed he had recently met with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, and the subject of Professor X came up:
"I met with Kevin Feige a couple of months ago and we had long, long conversations. And there have been moves and suggestions, which include Charles Xavier."
But before anyone, anywhere, could get their hopes up, Stewart shot down any chance of returning to the role: "Here's the problem... If we had not made Logan, then yes, I would probably be ready to get into that wheelchair one more time and be Charles Xavier. But Logan changed all that."
Whether or not Feige was seriously considering having Stewart reprise the role remains in question – he could've simply met with Stewart as a courtesy. There's also the fact that Stewart isn't the only live-action Professor X. James McAvoy has been playing the younger version of the character since X-Men: First Class. For now, the future of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains up in the air, but we can at least rule out the possibility of Patrick Stewart in the MCU.
Unless he changes his mind...