The new Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer has MCU fans aflutter with excitement. Not only does the fantasy movie look wild in its own right, but it brings back a beloved Marvel actor in the process – Patrick Stewart as none other than Professor Charles Xavier from the X-Men movies.
Now, this isn’t confirmed, but those dulcet tones and that profile? That’s either Stewart, or someone that looks and sounds remarkably like him. Twitter has reacted accordingly, with plenty of fans stunned by the scene. “Oh my God the GOAT Professor X played by Patrick Stewart is back!?” wrote one user. “Can’t get over this like Professor X is back,” another added.
In one of the great marriages of actor and role, Stewart took on Professor X for 2000’s X-Men, and has played the mutant leader in several action movies since then. His Xavier passed away in 2017’s Logan, a Western-inspired science fiction movie that also bookended Hugh Jackman’s time as Wolverine. James McAvoy had started playing a younger version of the character, but fans really took to the Star Trek veteran’s performance.
You can check out some reactions to PRofessor X in Doctor Strange 2 below:
“will you tell him the truth”
OH MY GOD THE GOAT PROFESSOR X PLAYED BY PATRICK STEWART IS BACK?! 😭 pic.twitter.com/uqWVyJCg5x
— aMucc (@amurkymuc) February 13, 2022
I’D KNOW THAT VOICE ANYWHERE THATS PATRICK STEWART’S PROFESSOR X pic.twitter.com/vHygjs0Gil
— Luke (@qLxke_) February 13, 2022
THE ILLUMINATI IN DR STRANGE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. THIS HAS TO BE PROFESSOR X #Marvel #Drstrange #MultiverseOfMadness pic.twitter.com/HV2Gio5aYf
— Mark On Mars🛸 (@MarkOnMars0) February 13, 2022
can’t get over this like Professor X is BACK 😭 #MultiverseOfMadness pic.twitter.com/AIhFlVscJP
— thee bad guy (@thescarletprint) February 14, 2022
Professor X was rumoured to be involved as a Doctor Strange 2 cameo, but this suggests he has a bigger role than that. His participation leans heavily toward an appearance of The Illuminati, a secret organisation of Marvel heroes, and antiheroes, that oversee the universe and prevent catastrophe.
Xavier is a member, with Namor, who’s due to appear in Black Panther 2, Doctor Strange, Reed Richards, Iron Man, and Black Bolt. At least, that’s the first iteration, from David Finch and Brian Michael Bendis’s first iteration of the group. In this instance, they seem to be a council that looks over the Multiverse, which our Strange has just sent into chaos.
One hoty-tipped rumour is that Tom Cruise will play an alternate timeline Tony Stark – he was expected to take the role in the MCU before Robert Downey Jnr got it. The rest, though? We could speculate for days. Though we’re fairly certain Black Bolt is getting replaced – sorry, Inhumans.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is directed by Sam Raimi, and it opens in theatres May 6, 2022.