James McAvoy Supports Rumored Charles Xavier Casting Despite Fan Backlash

Even though Marvel’s next X-Men project isn’t expected until after 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars and the end of the Multiverse Saga, fans are already talking about casting.

One of the biggest questions is who will take on the role of Professor X, the powerful telepath and founder of the X-Men. Recent reports suggest that Marvel Studios may be considering Black actors for the role, which has historically been played by white actors.

Industry insider Jeff Sneider shared some of the latest rumors while speaking to John Rocha’s The Hot Mic. “I continue to hear Black actors for Charles [Xavier],” he said.

Sneider added that this could help set the MCU version of the character apart from Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy. “I wonder if that’s the direction that Marvel wants to sort of take and to differentiate its Charles from Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy.”

Patrick Stewart first portrayed Professor X in the original X-Men films starting in 2000 and appeared in the role until 2017’s Logan, before making a brief MCU appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. James McAvoy played a younger Charles Xavier in X-Men: First Class and its sequels.

Sneider also shared rumors about Magneto, another iconic X-Men character. “The rumor was that they want Denzel [Washington] for Magneto. And so, it’d be interesting if they had a Black counterpart as Charles. Colman Domingo is someone who I think is high on that list of a potential if they go with an older Charles… It’s funny Jamie just said, ‘What about David Oyelowo?’ I think Colman Domingo is higher up on the list than David Oyelowo at this point,” he explained.

Many fans reacted negatively to the idea of casting a Black actor as Charles Xavier, arguing that it seems more like a statement than a story-driven choice, and as box office results show, fans are no longer interested in products that seem like 100% corporate virtual signaling without any kind of depth to it.

Despite the controversy, James McAvoy expressed support for Colman Domingo at New York Comic Con. “Colman Domingo sounds amazing, though!” he said, giving a positive nod to the rumored casting.

Social media quickly filled with criticisms, with one fan writing, “Virtue signaling is so exhausting,” and another adding, “The MCU will waste him like they wasted every great actor.”

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