Patrick Stewart is reprising the role of Professor X, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
can’t simply kill his character for the fourth time… right? Patrick Stewart is a legendary actor who has been playing iconic characters for longer than most of the audience of the MCU has even been alive. As an established actor, Stewart landed the role of Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which firmly established him as a sci-fi superstar.
However, the classically trained actor has also played a wide variety of other roles in various TV and films. But, clearly displaying an affinity for the sci-fi genre, he began playing Professor Charles Xavier in the 2000s movie, X-Men. Since then, he has played Charles Xavier on numerous occasions, both inside the Fox universe, and even making the transition to the MCU, but the fate of his character has often doomed Xavier to die numerous times.
Patrick Stewart’s Professor X Has Died On Screen 3 Times Already
Charles Xavier Can’t Seem To Catch A Break In Marvel Movies
During the initial run of the Fox X-Men films, Professor X suffered his first death at the end of X-Men: The Last Stand. Having confronted Jean Grey as the Phoenix earlier in the film, Charles was literally disᴀssembled on a molecular level. His body was atomized, and that appeared to be the end for the great Charles Xavier. However, by the end of the movie, it’s revealed that he is alive and, in one piece, in a hospital bed being tended to by Moira MacTaggert.
Then, decades later in the timeline, Professor X is seen on the run with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in Logan. However, he is terribly unwell, and his body and mind are breaking down. This film features potentially the most traumatic death of the three, due to Xavier being killed by his old friend, though it was actually just another clone who looked exactly like Logan. And finally, Professor X appears as a part of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where he confronts Wanda Maximoff, and swiftly dies minutes after arriving in the MCU.
Avengers: Doomsday Is Bringing Back Patrick Stewart’s Professor X Again
Avengers: Doomsday Will Reunite Several X-Men From The Fox Universe
Now, with Avengers: Doomsday ringing in the end of the Multiverse Saga, a cast list for the movie was revealed which included many of the names of the original Fox X-Men, including Patrick Stewart. Evidently, this will be a different version to the one seen in Multiverse of Madness, but it may be connected more closely to the Fox universe, potentially following the post-X-Men: Days of Future Past timeline. If this is the case, it makes sense why both Professor X and Magneto would arrive together, along with members of both teams.
Actor |
Character |
Last Seen |
Kelsey Grammer |
Hank McCoy/Beast |
The Marvels (2023) |
Patrick Stewart |
Charles Xavier/Professor X |
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) |
Ian McKellen |
Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto |
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) |
Alan Cumming |
Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler |
X2 (2003) |
Rebecca Romijn |
Raven Darkhölme/Mystique |
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) |
James Marsden |
Scott Summers/Cyclops |
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) |
Channing Tatum |
Remy LeBeau/Gambit |
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine (2024) |
This is extremely exciting in terms of what it sets up for the future of the MCU, but it also means that things are going to get busy, and potentially very messy. Because while Patrick Stewart is a treasure among the sci-fi community and fanbase, Professor X may pose a real threat to other heroes in the MCU, especially with his ability to get inside other people’s heads. But even if it puts the Professor at odds with other heroes, the MCU should not kill him off for the fourth time.
Avengers: Doomsday Better Not Kill Professor X AGAIN
Professor X Deserves To Get A Happy Ending In A Marvel Movie
Avengers: Doomsday, and equally its other half, Avengers: Secret Wars, are going to be major moments in the MCU. These films are set to close out the Multiverse Saga, and they are likely to want to do so with a bang. As seen in Infinity War and Endgame, several main characters have their stories brought to an abrupt close, with a few of the most iconic original heroes dying, such as Iron Man and Black Widow. However, it would be wrong to kill Professor X again.
That isn’t to say that no one should be killed off. Inherently, a part of the draw of these final chapter bookend movies is the fact that they say goodbye to some of the biggest heroes from that period, either due to retirement or death. However, Professor X needs to survive and break the track record of dying in every single timeline he appears in. It could set the stage for a major battle between heroes and teams in Avengers: Secret Wars, but no matter what, Professor X deserves to survive this story, and return to his own timeline in peace once the events of Avengers: Doomsday are all wrapped up.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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MCU Spider-Man 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027