X-Men franchise star James McAvoy has addressed Charles Xavier's live-action future. McAvoy gave life to Professor X in the younger continuity of Fox's X-Men movies. The actor was one of the many rumored names to appear in Deadpool & Wolverine, but he did not return to the role in the film. While Patrick Stewart played Charles Xavier in a Marvel Cinematic Universe cameo, McAvoy seems to have moved on, or at least the actor thinks he will not return to the role, as his new comments suggest.
Speaking with BuzzFeed UK, James McAvoy revealed that he believes Charles Xavier will be recast instead of the actor coming back for the MCU's X-Men.
According to McAvoy, he suspects his role as Mr. Tumnus from The Chronicles of Narnia and the X-Men franchise's Charles Xavier are more likely to be recast for the upcoming Narnia Netflix reboot and the MCU's X-Men movie than for him to return to his past characters. However, McAvoy still has a chance of coming back as Professor X in the MCU's movie slate. Check out the full quote below:
"That's very kind. Although, I suspect, with both [Mr. Tumnus in Narnia ] and [the X-Men's Charles Xavier], we will be seeing someone else play those roles."
What This Means For Future X-Men & MCU Movies
Charles Xavier Should Be A Big Part Of The MCU
McAvoy delivered great performances as Charles Xavier. The actor brought to life the character at different periods of his life, showing him hopeful, depressed, angry, happy, and everything in between. McAvoy would be an easy fit to make the MCU's Professor X a complex character, but based on the star's comments, it seems like that will not be happening. While McAvoy could still end up playing Charles Xavier in a multiverse cameo, the MCU will most likely start anew with the role in the X-Men movie.
While McAvoy was a pitch-perfect Charles Xavier, the final movies in Fox's X-Men universe failed to excite.
If McAvoy were not to return to the role, then the MCU's Charles Xavier position would be completely open, as the 84-year-old Patrick Stewart would simply be unable to commit to the franchise. Perhaps that is for the best. While McAvoy was a pitch-perfect Charles Xavier, the final movies in Fox's X-Men universe failed to excite. Due to that, a near-complete reboot, keeping only Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, his roster of characters, and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine if he wants to stay on, would allow the X-Men to have a fresh start in the MCU.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes writer Michael Lesslie is the one set to pen the script for the MCU's X-Men reboot. The movie is in early development, and while Deadpool & Wolverine introduced more mutants to the MCU, the full-on debut of the team is expected to come only after 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars concludes the Multiverse Saga. James McAvoy's Charles Xavier could make an appearance alongside multiverse characters in the Avengers film, while the actor's comments about the role being recast are likely to be proven true when the X-Men film comes around.
