Patrick Stewart says he had meetings with Marvel to return as Professor X

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Patrick Stewart was seemingly born to play the X-Men leader Professor Charles Xavier and it's a role he notably took on across five X-Men films. Perhaps because it seems daunting finding anyone to ever replace him, Stewart has revealed that he had meetings with Marvel and Kevin Feige about returning as the character.

During a chat with "Digital Spy", the subject of the X-Men eventually joining the MCU after the Disney/Fox merger was discussed and Stewart admitted that he recently had meetings with Marvel boss Kevin Feige about returning but it turns out that the movie Logan may be the reason he is unlikely to return:

"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. 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."

It is interesting that Marvel and Feige entertained the idea of bringing Stewart back as Charles Xavier considering he was a part of the 20th Century Fox X-Men films that the MCU is likely trying to distance themselves from. There is a lot of talent in those 20th Century Fox X-Men movies and I would love to see a lot of them come back. Stewart would be on the top of my list to maintain his role as Xavier because it's a part that he has made his own.

It makes sense that Stewart feels like Logan was the logical conclusion for the character. The critically acclaimed 2017 film brought the story of both Stewart's Xavier and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine to a satisfying and stellar conclusion so I admire Stewart's desire to just leave it at that. Could Stewart change his made? Absolutely! If he has continued talks with Marvel and a return makes sense, I'm sure he would jump on board. I think it's promising that Marvel is even keeping him as a part of the conversation.

Would YOU want to see Patrick Stewart return as Professor X?