Are the X-Men making their MCU debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?

A voice of an X-Men character is heard in the trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Are the X-Men making their MCU debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The first official trailer for Marvel StudiosDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness debuted during last Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI. As expected, the promotional video is packed with several interesting plot details, but one particular scene has made X-Men fans excited.

Though the X-Men and the Avengers exist in the same world in the Marvel comics, X-Men films do not share the same universe as Marvel movies. But ever since the Fox-Disney merger happened in 2018, fans have wondered when the X-Men will finally be crossing over with the bigger Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While top execs at Marvel remain tight-lipped about this, the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer suggests that the X-Men, or at least one of them, are making their MCU debut in the Sam Raimi-directed movie.

The promo video features the voice of Patrick Stewart, who has been playing Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, in various X-Men films since the year 2000. At some point in the trailer, when Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has been captured for seemingly messing with the multiverse and has been put before some kind of tribunal, Stewart’s Professor X is heard saying, “We should tell him the truth.”

Marvel Studios

As its lengthy title implies, the movie is deep-diving into the multiverse, so it’s not clear what version of Professor X is appearing in the flick. The main takeaway from the trailer, however, is that this version of Professor X seems to be part of a group of heroes keeping watch over the multiverse.

Marvel Studios has been rumored to be introducing The Illuminati to the MCU, so it’s possible that this Professor X is a member of the MCU’s version of the said clandestine group of heroes who have taken it upon themselves to protect Earth by any means necessary. In the comics, members of The Illuminati include Namor, Tony Stark, Reed Richards, Black Bolt of the Inhumans, Doctor Strange, and Professor X, so it will be interesting to see if the MCU will have the same Illuminati lineup.

While hearing Stewart’s voice in the trailer may be shocking to a lot of fans, it isn’t really a surprise that the British actor is reprising his role as Professor X in the MCU. Back in January 2020, Stewart revealed to Digital Spy that he actually had discussions with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige about his X-Men character joining the MCU.

“I met with Kevin Feige a couple of months ago and we had long, long conversations. And there have been moves and suggestions, which include Charles Xavier,” Feige told the news outlet two years ago.

Stewart, however, declined to play Professor X at the time. “Here’s the problem… If we had not made Logan, then yes. I would probably be ready to get into that wheelchair one more time and be Charles Xavier. But Logan changed all that,” explained the actor.

What exactly changed Stewart’s initial decision not to play Professor X again is unclear, but one thing is for sure, a lot of fans are excited to see the character finally make his first MCU appearance.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens in U.S. theaters on May 6th.

Sources: Screen Rant, IGN, Digital Spy
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