We May Not Have Seen The Last Of Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier
In terms of Earthly mutants in the Marvel Universe, Professor Charles Xavier is one of the most influential and powerful that has ever existed. The character has been around since the very beginning of Marvel's "X-Men" comics in the 1960s, and this includes numerous film and television interpretations and portrayals along the way. The telepathic mutant has been memorably played by both James McAvoy and Sir Patrick Stewart in the most recent and earlier series of "X-Men" movies, starting with 2000's self-titled feature film.
For Stewart, his version of an older Charles Xavier has died more than once in the film series, including most recently in 2017's "Logan," which the actor said was the best farewell to the character he could imagine. This all changed when the founder and leader of the X-Men appeared in 2022's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," for which Stewart said his small role in the MCU film allowed him to get a fresh perspective on Xavier (via Variety). With this resurgence, it is also possible that we may not have seen the last of Sir Patrick Stewart's portrayal of Professor X.
Stewart has been told to stand by as Deadpool 3 ramps up
"Deadpool 3" is currently accelerating forward in its pre-production stage with principal photography imminent in the near future. Since Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is now in possession of Cable's (Josh Brolin) time-traveling device as revealed in the mid-credits scene of "Deadpool 2," there has been speculation about the Merc with a Mouth traveling through multiple X-Men timelines and meeting up with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). But there just may be the possibility of a meeting with Professor Charles Xavier as well.
During an event for "Star Trek: Picard," Patrick Stewart was asked by Comicbook.com if he will be returning to play the powerful telepath. The actor replied, "I've been told to stand by. I know nothing more than that, honest." In the Empire Film podcast, Jackman revealed that Wolverine and Wilson will in fact hate each other in "Deadpool 3," so it will be interesting to see how — if he appears — Stewart's Charles Xavier would fit into this antagonistic dynamic between the two rogue superheroes.
If he appears in the third "Deadpool" film, this will mark Patrick Stewart's ninth appearance as the character, when you count his numerous cameos in several different "X-Men" films. Although it is impossible to predict exactly how Xavier will feature in the new movie considering Professor X also died in "Doctor Strange 2," that time-traveling detail from "Deadpool 2" adds numerous possibilities.