Patrick Stewart’s confirmed appearance in Marvel Cinematic Universe's future plans.
One of the biggest Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer moments sees a bald figure with a familiar voice uttering, “We should tell him the truth.” After weeks of speculation, it was confirmed Marvel’s quintessential telepath, Professor Charles Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart himself, would indeed be featured in the film. Bringing mutants into the MCU has certainly been a long time coming, so Professor X’s presence in the trailer naturally provided a water-cooler moment for the latest MCU movie.
However, it must be stressed that while the MCU has successfully brought many Marvel properties to the big screen, it has never had to lean on the Sony or 20th Century Fox iterations from previous films. Spider-Man: No Way Home, for example, managed to include past versions of Peter Parker without overshadowing Tom Holland’s lead performance. Yet handing an MCU debut to Patrick Stewart's Professor X may ultimately serve to stunt the growth of the franchise. Stewart has played the role since 2000, making him the longest-running actor to portray the same Marvel character. Having him reprise the role he helped make so iconic inherently gives Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness much more value, but it also threatens to overshadow the MCU’s inevitable second Professor X down the line.
There is also the consideration that including Patrick Stewart's Professor X in the MCU logically means James McAvoy’s Professor X exists there, too. Having two very well-received Charles Xaviers somewhere else in the Multiverse could lead to intensifying clamor for them to appear in future Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. The same goes for the extremely popular Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, and Michael Fassbender as Wolverine and both Magneto versions, which potentially could make even more of the actors chosen for future character reboots seem less-than by comparison.
Another potential speedbump here is the age difference between Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the one potentially introduced in a future X-Men MCU reboot. Being 80 years old, Patrick Stewart will likely be much older than whoever plays the next Charles Xavier, and while multiverse age differences are not a new concept, the first X-Men appearances in the MCU will likely be in the beginning stages of their stories. As exciting as it will be to see Patrick Stewart as Professor X on-screen once again, the continuity problems it creates are concerning - even factoring in the Multiverse's do-over potential. In this way, while Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has massive potential, its use of Patrick Stewarts' Professor X also stymies any future versions of the X-Men's iconic leader.
