Are you sitting down? I certianly hope so, because the following article is bound to make you stabby with rage. As your attorney I advise you to instruct anyone around you to leave the area. And, just to be safe, I would remove any breakable objects that are within arms-reach. Okay. Are you ready? Here we go.
Recently while speaking with Digital Spy and other members of the press, STAR TREK: PICARD and X-MEN alum Patrick Stewart revealed that he's spoken with Marvel mastermind Kevin Feige about the possibility of reprising his role as Charles Xavier, leader of the X-Men, for the MCU. Exciting, right? I mean, who wouldn't want that? Well, as it turns out, the person who doesn't think it's a good idea is the legend himself, Patrick Stewart.
"I met with Kevin Feige a couple of months ago and we had long, long conversations," he explained. "And there have been moves and suggestions, which include Charles Xavier."
I know, I can hardly breathe as well. Unfortunately, Stewart feels as though his character's turn in James Mangold's LOGAN was the perfect way to say goodbye to the mutant mentalist.
"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," Stewart added. "Here's a tiny anecdote. The first time that Hugh [Jackman] and I saw the film in public was at the Berlin Film Festival, which is where the movie premiered. Shortly after Xavier's death scene, I found myself getting very emotional but I had to keep a hold of myself because we were sitting in the middle of this cinema. And then I saw Hugh's hand come up to his eye and wipe away a tear. I thought, 'Dammit, the bugger's crying. Oh, let it out Patrick.'"
As Stewart recalls, he'd held on for as long as he could before he "sat there snivelling" alongside an emotional Jackman. Truth be told, I bawled my eyes out during that scene as well. Oh, and I'd cried when Logan took a dirt nap, too. I've no shame in admitting this. None whatsoever.
"Hugh took my hand, and we held hands with the last seven or eight minutes of the film because there was so many things we were upset about," Stewart recalled about the tear-jerking scene. "We were moved by the story. We were moved by one another. We were moved by the movie. But we also both made the decision that we were saying goodbye to our characters as well. In that sense, it was not just the deaths of those two men in the franchise, but it was also goodbye to our part in them as well."
As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I do agree with Stewart's opinion that LOGAN served as a fine goodbye for both his Professor X as well as Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. That being said, what do you all think? Would you like to see Feige and company work some Marvel magic to bring Stewart back? Maybe Mickey Mouse can back a dump truck's-worth of money onto his lawn and unload? Perhaps the MCU can arrange some manner of time-hopping cameo? Just for old time's sake?
Eh, I suppose that Stewart's sense of closure is more important than all of our hopes and dreams combined. After all, wouldn't it be wise for the MCU to wipe the X-slate clean and start from scratch? After all, Fox's X-films were far from perfect, and it would be cool to see many of those iconic characters re-tooled for a bold, new universe of films.
What say you, X-fans? Sound off in the comments section below and let us know if you're cool with Stewart walking away from his X-role for good.