James McAvoy took the mantle of Professor Charles Xavier in 2011’s X-Men: First Class and has since appeared in three more sequels. Following Disney’s acquisition of the franchise from Fox, Marvel boss Kevin Feige previously announced the plan to reboot X-Men under the legacy of the MCU.
While McAvoy’s performance as Professor X has been favorably well-received by fans, he felt that his tenure eventually ended in Dark Phoenix. Still, the actor has some words to say about the franchise.
James McAvoy Has One Criticism For The X-Men Franchise
In an interview with GQ, actor James McAvoy talked about his time working on the X-Men project, the best movies of his career, and the disappointment over a promising bond that ultimately faltered throughout the X-Men films:
“It was one of the most positive experiences I’ve had with a studio. I don’t really [see them as just] money gigs. Days of Future Past I think is one of the better films that I’ve been involved in.”
McAvoy’s remark was meant to dispel the rumors that he did not enjoy working on the X-Men franchise. While he admitted loving the experience, the actor made some comments about its direction which could have been improved:
“My biggest criticism of what we did throughout the four movies was that after the first movie, we didn’t take advantage of the relationship between [Xavier and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto], which really formed the backbone of the first film. So, it was like, why did we just eject that massive weapon?”
Many fans have gotten the impression that the Atonement star does not want to join the MCU. McAvoy mentioned that he has not received any call from Kevin Feige:
“I’m very quick to say, ‘No, I’m done.’ Or ‘I’m not that bothered about coming back.’ I’ve definitely not got the call, and if I did, I would definitely not be telling you.”
While there is no indication of McAvoy’s return to the screen as Professor X, Patrick Stewart’s cameo appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness dispels any doubt about its possibility. The actor seems to avoid the subject, but he also gave fans hope when he said he won’t divulge anything if he ever gets a call.
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James McAvoy Won’t Say Never To Reprising Professor X Role
In an interview with Collider, James McAvoy revealed that he felt very satisfied with his portrayal of Professor X, though he also responded with “never say never” when asked if he’s done with the character:
“I feel like I got to explore, not everything I wanted to explore, because there’s always more, surely, but I got to explore a ton of Professor X, and I feel quite satisfied with what I got out of him as a performer.”
The Wanted actor noted that one should not say they’re done because there is always a possibility:
“It’s not to say that you don’t ever want to, you never want to come back, and you never want to do it again, and all that kind of stuff. You never say never.”
While McAvoy hinted that he might still get a chance to play the role again, especially with the rumors of his possible appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars, he made it clear that he won’t feel sad if he ever doesn’t return.
