The surprising reveal of a Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer during the Super Bowl was all the more exciting for Marvel fans due to the presence of a very familiar voice in it. However, actor Sir Patrick Stewart dismissed rumors of his potential appearance in the film in the funniest way possible.
During Fox's X-Men era, Stewart was a mainstay for the film franchise, appearing in both the original trilogy and Wolverine, as well as showing up in Days of the Future Past alongside the younger version of Charles Xavier, played by James McAvoy. Considering speculation over how Disney and Marvel Studios will eventually deploy the X-Men in the MCU, Stewart's inclusion in the Doctor Strange sequel could start to unveil those plans.
Nevertheless, before anyone gets too excited about Professor X being in Doctor Strange 2, Stewart reminded fans he’s been in the acting business for quite a while years and “people have been imitating my voice ever since I came on the stage 60 years ago.” In other words, he wouldn’t be to blame if whoever Marvel cast as his replacement took inspiration from his performance. The actor also explained he’s quite detached from social media, though he did get plenty of messages from friends and family asking if it truly was him in the trailer, and his alibi of being “at home waiting to watch football” doesn’t measure up to Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man misdirection.
While Stewart has expressed his fondness for the Professor X role, going as far as to discuss the possibility of future involvement in the MCU with Kevin Feige, he’s also said that he sees his death in Logan as the major obstacle for doing that. The movie itself was very emotional for both Stewart and Hugh Jackman, as their characters put an end to their 17-year history together. Stewart has previously said that he prefers to retire from the role on the fitting note seen in Logan.
With this being the case, considering Professor X appears to be part of the famed Illuminati and the MCU's multiversal turning point since Loki, there’s the possibility that Stewart could reprise his role similarly to Evan Peters in WandaVision. Even if Stewart comes back as Charles Xavier, it doesn’t have to be the same Professor X from the Fox era, it could just be the way the X-Men are introduced in the MCU, with the help of a very familiar face and voice.
Do keep in mind that it is yet to be confirmed whether the X-Men ‘97 animated series will be a standalone entry or if it will intertwine with the MCU's multiverse, with the only known fact being that it’s a direct continuation of the original animated show. Although that could further complicate the second coming of the X-Men, Xavier's destiny is also a contentious issue in that show, so there’s plenty of Professor X on the way.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 6, 2022.
Source: ComicBook.com
