‘Doctor Strange 2’: Is Patrick Stewart Playing a Professor X Variant? 1 Producer Teases Answers
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to get a lot bigger with the Doctor Strange sequel. After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the sorcerer deals with the consequences of messing with the multiverse. And as fans saw in the Doctor Strange 2 trailer, Doctor Strange’s actions may lead him to Patrick Stewart as Professor X. But is the actor actually playing the leader of the X-Men?
Patrick Stewart is heard in the ‘Doctor Strange 2’ trailer
Fans expect Doctor Strange 2 to feature many cameos. But they were surprised when they heard a “mystery voice” in the trailer. The anonymous person told Doctor Strange, “We should tell him the truth.”
After the trailer’s premiere, fans immediately took to social media to identify the voice, and everyone agreed that it sounded just like Patrick Stewart.
Stewart previously portrayed Professor X in seven movies in the X-Men film franchise. The actor was last seen in Logan in 2017, which featured the death of Charles Xavier. At the time, Stewart claimed that he was done playing the mutant. However, it seems as though Kevin Feige convinced him to return in some capacity.
“I actually didn’t recognize my own voice [in the Doctor Strange 2 trailer],” Stewart told Jake’s Takes. “It sounded different. Whether I had a cold or something at the time, I don’t know. I was astonished — and all they saw was the back of my shoulder and I think my earlobe, nothing else — that there would have been so many connections made. But it pleased me [to see the fan reactions].”
So, although Marvel has yet to confirm that Patrick Stewart is in Doctor Strange 2, the actor alluded to his involvement.
Who is Patrick Stewart playing in ‘Doctor Strange 2’?
During an interview with Empire for their latest issue, Doctor Strange 2 producer Richie Palmer discussed the rumors regarding Patrick Stewart.
“I’ll quote the first X-Men movie and say, ‘Are you sure you saw what you saw?'” the producer said. “There are infinite versions of these characters, and just because you may have heard something familiar doesn’t mean it’s someone you have seen before.”
Given that the Professor X that everyone knows from the X-Men film series is dead, it’s likely that Patrick Stewart is playing a variant of the mutant in Doctor Strange 2. Of course, this is the MCU, and characters have risen from the dead before. But the Doctor Strange sequel is all about the multiverse, so it’s more likely that fans will see a Professor X variant in the film.
Producer addresses rumors surrounding the MCU film
While speaking with Empire, Richie Palmer answered questions regarding the other rumors about Doctor Strange 2 outside of the Patrick Stewart discourse. This includes the theory that Tom Cruise is playing Superior Iron Man and the introduction of the Illuminati from Marvel Comics.
“As you saw in Spider-Man: No Way Home, some rumors ended up being true, some did not,” Palmer shared. “I would love to see Tony again, but some rumors are just rumors. I will say that I love the Illuminati. But if we ever introduce the Illuminati in the future, it might be more MCU-driven and have some more ties to our characters in the MCU, versus just replicating what’s in the comics.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres exclusively in theaters on May 6.
