James McAvoy, who played Charles Xavier in the X-Men prequel movies, took the character Patrick Stewart portrayed and depicted a younger version of Professor X. The 44-year-old Scottish actor recently looked back at his X-Men films with a critical eye. With the X-Men joining the MCU soon, will Marvel Studios fix the issues he addressed?
During a recent interview with GQ, McAvoy talked about his experience playing Professor X. “It was one of the most positive experiences I’ve had with a studio,” he said. “I don’t really [see them as just] money gigs. Days of Future Past I think is one of the better films that I’ve been involved in.”
McAvoy criticized how the later X-Men films approached the dynamic between Charles Xavier and Magneto:
My biggest criticism of what we did throughout the four movies was that after the first movie, we didn’t take advantage of the relationship between [Xavier and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto], which really formed the backbone of the first film. So it was like, why did we just eject that massive weapon?
The larger stories that explored the fabric of space and time the focus on the mutant duo, but there’s a chance that the future iterations of Professor X and Magneto in the MCU could address this complaint.
We’ve already seen quick cameos Patrick Stewart’s Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Kelsey Grammer’s Beast in The Marvels. Aaron Stanford, who played the villainous Pyro in the previous X-Men movies, is also confirmed to return in Deadpool & Wolverine. Hopefully, the Marvel Studios will take notes from McAvoy as we get closer to seeing more X-Men appear in the MCU.
Is James McAvoy returning as Professor X in the MCU?
The X-Men merger is finally becoming official with the premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine later this year, but McAvoy doesn’t seem to be eager to reprise his role. “I’m very quick to say, ‘No, I’m done,’” he told GQ. “Or ‘I’m not that bothered about coming back.’ Because you move forward.”
However, back in 2017, McAvoy told Fandango that he’s open to returning as Charles Xavier: “If they offer me a really good part, I’m in!” McAvoy said “I love playing Charles, and I’ve always had pretty interesting things to do as Charles. So, if that continues, then, yeah, of course I’d love to take part.”
Last month, Entertainment Weekly asked McAvoy about the possibility of returning to the MCU as Professor X, and he played it coyed while claiming he has had no contact with Marvel, while interestingly saying, “Anything I say will get me in trouble.” Here’s the full quote:
Anything I say will get me in trouble … I’ve had no contact with them. If they want me to come back, they need to talk to me and need a good script … I’m not saying anything.
Marvel Studios hasn’t revealed any details about their plans for the X-Men franchise yet, but with the massive crossover in Avengers: Secret War coming, we can expect to see more mutants appear in the upcoming MCU films.
