James McAvoy Pays Heartfelt Tribute to Patrick Stewart With a Star Trek-Inspired Farewell
The tribute to Patrick Stewart has been growing all week, with fans and colleagues across 2 great franchises remembering an actor who defined 2 iconic characters. Stewart died on October 28 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 86, following what his family described as a brief journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Since then, social media has filled with messages from the people who knew him best.
Ian McKellen, Stewart’s close friend and longtime screen partner as Magneto, shared a lengthy tribute online. Other ‘X-Men’ actors followed, along with colleagues from the ‘Star Trek’ world and Marvel executives praising the way he brought Charles Xavier to life. But one message in particular has struck a chord with fans because it comes from the actor who inherited Xavier’s role.
On Friday morning, James McAvoy shared his own tribute on Instagram, posting several photos of himself with Stewart. He wrote that he knew Stewart would go boldly wherever he was heading, a wink to the famous ‘Star Trek’ phrase that Stewart spoke as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. McAvoy added that he was lucky to have worked with Stewart a number of times and that the veteran actor was always lovely to him.
The most moving part of the message is how McAvoy framed their relationship. He said he first knew Stewart as a fan and later as a colleague, and that he counted himself lucky to have traveled alongside him for a short time. It’s a humble way to describe a partnership that helped define the modern ‘X-Men’ era.
He also shared a second message on his Instagram Stories, calling it a privilege and an honor to have worked and laughed with Stewart. McAvoy said he had watched and learned from him, and thanked him for everything he gave to audiences. Taken together, the posts read less like a standard celebrity statement and more like a letter from a grateful student.
The connection between the 2 actors began with a casting handoff. McAvoy took over the role of a younger Charles Xavier in ‘X-Men: First Class’ in 2011, stepping into a part that Stewart had made famous in the original films. To prepare, McAvoy has said he studied Stewart’s earlier performances, along with the rest of his film and television work.
Back then, he didn’t expect to share the screen with his predecessor. In an interview with Empire before ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’, McAvoy said he didn’t think they would get any scenes together. That changed when the 2014 film brought both versions of Xavier into the same story, with Stewart playing the older professor and McAvoy playing his younger self. McAvoy later described the experience as amazing and something he never thought would happen.
Their paths crossed again in the wider Marvel world. McAvoy continued playing Xavier through ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ and ‘Dark Phoenix’, while Stewart appeared as a version of Professor X from another universe in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. The 2 never stopped being linked in the minds of fans, who often joked about the “two professors” sharing one character.
Stewart’s career, of course, extended well beyond mutants. He was best known as Picard in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and ‘Star Trek: Picard’, and Variety reports that his final movie will be ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, where he returns as Professor X alongside McKellen. For many viewers, that makes McAvoy’s reference to boldly going even more fitting, since it connects both halves of Stewart’s screen legacy in a single line.
What stands out most about the tribute is its warmth. McAvoy didn’t focus on awards or box office; he talked about kindness and generosity, the qualities fans have repeatedly attributed to Stewart. In a week of formal statements and official condolences, that personal tone feels especially genuine.
As the franchise moves forward without him, his influence on the actors who followed will remain easy to see. McAvoy’s message is a reminder that Stewart was a mentor and friend as much as a legend.
What is your favorite Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy moment as Professor X?
