During a recent interview with ITV, Patrick Stewart discussed his upcoming role in ‘Wolverine 3,’ indicating this will most likely be his final appearance as Professor Charles Xavier, a character he has played on an off for the past 17 years. Fortunately for him (and us as fans), ‘Wolverine 3’ will be giving him a lot to do, and giving his character a few changes, as in his own words, this will be a “very different Charles Xavier… nothing like the Charles Xavier you’ve seen in the past.” Which makes a lot of sense considering the fact that the film will most likely take place in a dystopian future where villains have taken over the world.
In regards to his returning to the franchise again after ‘Wolverine 3,’ Stewart seems to be thinking this might be the last time the studio calls on him for the iconic character, especially now that they have James McAvoy playing a younger version of Charles Xavier. In Stewart’s words:
“I would imagine this is probably the end of this franchise for me. But the thing about science fiction and fantasy is that you can never, ever say it’s the end, it’s over.”
Of course, fan speculation now is whether Stewart is referring to his character actually dying in the movie, or simply his own exit from the franchise. If he does die in the movie, though, that does not necessarily mean the end for Charles Xavier or Patrick Stewart, as he has died before in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand.’
“Yes. I have [died before]. Jean Grey vaporized me. From which you would think there would be no return. But watch out in March. I’m going to be back.”
If this truly is the last time Hugh Jackman will be playing Wolverine, it makes a certain amount of sense for this to be the final film for Stewart as well, as they both started the franchise back in 2000, and have been the two actors appearing the most in the ‘X-Men’ universe since. What are your thoughts about this being the final appearance of Stewart’s Professor X? Do you think he could still be used in some capacity in future ‘X-Men’ movies? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
