What Happens to X-Men's Xavier in 'Multiverse of Madness'?
Even before 'Multiverse of Madness' had entered theaters we've already known that Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, would make an appearance.
However, what we didn't know was many questions this cameo would leave us with.
If you haven't seen 'Multiverse of Madness' yet,
major spoilers ahead!
The moment that familiar voice sounded in one of the 'Multiverse of Madness' for the first time, X-Men fans were irrevocably hooked. Indeed, it did look like a huge moment for the MCU future, and many hoped that 'Multiverse of Madness' will mark the long-awaited proper introduction of X-Men into the MCU. And the greater was the disappointment when we learned what actually happened to Professor Xavier in 'MoM'.
Pretty early into the movie we get a chance to learn that Professor X, along with other familiar faces from Marvel comics and different franchises, is a member of the Illuminati – a secret group that watches over the multiverse. Doctor Strange, travelling through multiverse, and Wanda's attempts to control America Chavez superpower of opening portals to alternate universes are disrupting the order – so the Illuminati are forced to intervene (not before attempting to interrogate Stephen Strange). However, Wanda proves to be much more powerful than anyone expected – and in a brutal face-off kills every member of the group, including Professor X.
For many fans this creative decision felt wrong on many levels. First of all, the scene itself was dark and brutal – even slightly over the top for some viewers. Wanda snapping Xavier’s neck while he was in her mind was one of the most painful to watch scenes in the whole movie (and there are a lot of scenes that are painful to watch, believe us). Aside from how Professor X's death was pictured, the whole thing with bringing Patrick Stewart's character into the picture and then killing him within minutes seemed illogical and even dangerously close to bad writing to some fans.
So the question is, what's next for Professor X in Marvel Cinematic Universe. Considering sir Patrick Stewart's age, it's actually highly unlikely we'll see him in the MCU's future projects – after all, he's been playing Charles Xavier for more than 20 years now. Some fans are hoping James McAvoy, who played younger Xavier in four 20th Century Fox recent films, will replace Stewart once again, but the general agreement is that this – how Marvel handled Professor X in 'Multiverse of Madness' – was not the smartest introduction of the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.