We don’t really know what the future holds for the Marvel Cinematic Universe once Avengers: Secret Wars comes out in a couple of years, but one thing we do know is that the X-Men will be a significant concern. An X-Men movie is reportedly in development with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier running the show, but the big questions surround the cast.
One can only imagine there are a lot of actors who would be interested in joining the MCU’s first X-Men movie, and one actor not afraid to say so is Laurence Fishburne. While Fishburne has already appeared in the MCU as Goliath in Ant-Man and the Wasp, he has his sights set on a bigger role. In an appearance at NYCC (via EW), Fishburne threw his name in the hat to lead the X-Men, saying…
I know that they’re talking about the X-Men now. So, at this point, I want one of two things. The first thing would be: what do you think about Laurence Fishburne as Professor X?
What do I think? I think Marvel needs to sign Laurence Fishburne to a deal right the hell now. This would be fantastic casting. Laurence Fishburne is a phenomenal actor, and he would be an incredible Professor X. If he wasn’t already on Kevin Feige’s short list, he needs to be added.
While it’s possible that fans might freak out over casting Fishburne as Professor X because the character is traditionally white, there’s no reason that needs to be the case. Fishburne (who happens to be currently sporting a bald head) is an accomplished actor, certainly one on par with Patrick Stewart, who originated the role on screen. Fishburne is also about the same age now that Stewart was when he appeared in the original X-Men movie.
Fishburne frequently brings a toughness to his characters that isn’t necessarily something we see with Professor X, but that’s part of what makes the potential casting so intriguing. If Marvel wants to bring in a cast that will have a unique identity compared to the previous franchise, this would certainly be one way to do it.
The only reason I can think of to not at least consider Laurence Fishburne as Professor X would be if the plan is to start the MCU X-Men with a younger cast. While it seems likely that we’ll get an X-Men cast that more closely resembles that of the first X-Men movie than X-Men: First Class, it’s possible that the MCU might want to start younger. This would likely require a younger actor to play Charles Xavier. There are reports that Marvel is planning on “younger talent” for the roles.
Of course, before we can figure out what the plan is for Marvel’s new X-Men, we need to wrap things up with the original big-screen team of mutants. Many members of the Fox movies, including original Professor X Patrick Stewart, are set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. The expectation is that events of the next two Avengers films will act as a reset of the MCU, leading to a universe where the X-Men exist, though the entire team is expected to be comprised of new actors.