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While Fox made a few heavy-handed mistakes when the X-Men were under the studio’s care (no one can forget The Last Stand), casting Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier was not one of them. Stewart, portraying the character in different installments for over a decade, became fused with the mutant. Stewart took on the sagacious and omniscient headmaster at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, sinking into the character with ease. And, now that the Fox/Disney merger has placed mutant-kind where they rightfully belong — under Kevin Feige’s meticulous care — fans are anticipating Xavier’s return. However, will Stewart return to play the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Patrick Stewart Professor Xavier
Sir Patrick Stewart | Jack Taylor/Getty Images

During a recent interview with DigitalSpy, Patrick Stewart revealed that he met with Kevin Feige a couple of months ago, noting that they had “long, long conversations…and there have been moves and suggestions which include Professor Xavier.” And though seeing Stewart return to the role he so beautifully played would be a fan’s dream come true, he seems to have hung up his hat when it comes to the X-Men. But why?

Patrick Stewart talks ‘Logan’ and the end of a chapter 

In Logan — spoiler warning if you have yet to see this cinematic work of art — the writers provide quite the narrative denouements for Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman’s Xavier and Wolverine respectively. Stewart explained that he knew he was saying goodbye to the character — to something that had defined him for so many years while watching the film. 

Stewart explained why Logan would prevent his return. He stated:

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.

DigitalSpy

Stewart went on to explain the emotional journey tied to creating and viewing the final installment. Logan — the narrative at play and its sheer existence — was marked by conclusions. No maybes. No more possibilities. The end. Stewart stated:

Here’s a tiny anecdote. The first time that Hugh [Jackman] and I saw the film in public was at the Berlin Film Festival, which is where the movie premiered. Shortly after Xavier’s death scene, I found myself getting very emotional but I had to keep a hold of myself because we were sitting in the middle of this cinema…Hugh took my hand, and we held hands with the last seven or eight minutes of the film because there was so many things we were upset about…We were moved by the story. We were moved by one another. We were moved by the movie. But we also both made the decision that we were saying goodbye to our characters as well.

DigitalSpy

While watching that pivotal conclusion, Patrick Stewart came to the realization that his time as Professor X ended with Logan; the movie was marked by finality, and to return to the character would smudge the legacy that Logan left behind. 

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