Giancarlo Esposito Has One Demand To Play Professor X In Marvel's X-Men Reboot
Through "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and the upcoming "Deadpool and Wolverine," the X-Men have slowly made their presence felt in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the same time, the mutants of the main MCU timeline have yet to appear, which has led the Marvel fandom to share their actor picks for key characters on social media. Among these fan castings is Giancarlo Esposito as the leader of the X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier. It turns out he's aware of the fanbase's desire to see him in the role, and he continues to fight in the hope of landing in the MCU. That is, as long as one key condition is met.
During an appearance on the "Fade to Black" podcast, Esposito shared his thoughts on playing Professor X. "It would be great to play Professor X in some other incarnation than just the wheelchair. Right? Because the physical idea of being in a wheelchair every single day does not appeal to me. I just don't feel that old and I don't like to sit that much," he said, pitching that his hypothetical interpretation of the character could begin without the wheelchair, only later adopting it as his story develops.
Luckily for Esposito, it's not uncommon for Professor X to be without his wheelchair in Marvel Comics.
Professor X often walks in the pages of Marvel Comics
For decades, one of Professor X's defining features has been his wheelchair — or, in some cases, his hoverchair. Using his exceptional mind, he leads the X-Men from afar and uses his telekinetic abilities to help those in need and root out the forces of evil. At the same time, just because Charles Xavier is traditionally seen in a wheelchair doesn't mean he's always in such a position. Numerous times over the years, Xavier has lost, regained, and lost again the use of his legs under a range of circumstances.
The original story of Professor X's paraplegia stems from an encounter with Lucifer in the Himalayan Mountains. The alien destroyed Xavier's legs using a large stone block. Later, after being infected by the parasitic Brood and transformed into the Brood Queen, his original body is destroyed. His mind is then transferred into a cloned one, thus allowing him to walk again. He again loses the use of his legs afterward thanks to the evil Shadow King, but during the "House of M" story, his legs are healed by the Scarlet Witch at the cost of his mutant abilities. Following his death during "Avengers vs. X-Men," Xavier inhabits a new clone body seen in the "House of X" storyline, allowing him to walk once again.
Evidently, there's room for a big-screen version of Professor X who's not in a wheelchair, so it seems that the idea of Giancarlo Esposito giving the role a try on his terms isn't outside the realm of possibility.