Warning: SPOILERS for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness!
After returning in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Patrick Stewart thinks he could play Professor X again in the future. Marvel Studios signaled its plans to explore the multiverse back in 2019 when the entire Phase 4 slate was announced, although breadcrumbs for these other universes can go back much further in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It wasn't until Loki that the multiverse truly cracked open, allowing Doctor Strange 2 to fully explore the concept. This included several variants of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), but the movie also used the multiverse to include some major surprise cameos.
Marvel Studios kept the details of the multiverse cameos a secret for most of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' marketing campaign, but the Super Bowl trailer delivered the first major tease. This is when Patrick Stewart's voice was heard and the side of his bald head signaled that Professor X was joining the MCU. While Stewart previously played the telepathic mutant leader in Fox's X-Men movies, he is not the same version as shown in that franchise. Doctor Strange 2 instead teases that he's a variant of Professor X from X-Men: The Animated Series thanks to the yellow hoverchair he uses as part of The Illuminati.
Patrick Stewart's Professor X return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came as a major surprise, as he effectively retired from the role in 2017 thanks to Logan. Now that he's returned for a small role in Doctor Strange 2, though, the actor is now not ruling out another appearance. He spoke to Variety following the world premiere of the MCU sequel to discuss his decision to play the role again. At the end of the interview, Stewart is asked if there is any chance he'll play Professor X again, and he is willing to do it.
Charles Xavier? Yeah. There may be. You know, the whole X-Men comic series is so huge, so vast, there might be an opportunity in which he comes back. We’ll see.
It is unclear if Marvel Studios has any plans for Patrick Stewart to play Professor X again in the MCU. His appearance in Doctor Strange 2 comes as part of a sequence with The Illuminati team, where Charles Xavier was one of the leaders. He managed to share the screen with Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Maria Rambeau/Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), and Mr. Fantastic (John Krasinski). However, Professor X and the rest of the multiverse Illuminati team all died fighting Scarlet Witch.
Despite the conclusive end for Patrick Stewart's Professor X variant, the multiverse means that there are other universes which he could come from next. Now that Stewart has expressed a willingness to play Charles Xavier again, it is up to Marvel Studios to figure out if, when, and how he will return. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' repeated mentions of incursions could set up the MCU's next multiverse event, which would be a natural place for Patrick Stewart's Professor X return to happen.
Source: Variety
