As fans know well by now, the rights to the X-Men movie franchise and all of its characters have miraculously transferred over to Marvel Studios as part of the Disney-FOX merger of 2019. This means that within the next couple of years, fans will be seeing new onscreen iterations of their favorite mutants, including Professor Charles Xavier.
Granted, Patrick Stewart's performance in the franchise was so beloved that it's hard for old-school fans to imagine anyone else playing an old Xavier. Stewart spoke in-depth with Marvel's Kevin Feige about possibly reprising the role, but personally for him —especially following his last hurrah in Logan— he has no interest in stepping into that wheelchair again. Meaning that whether the MCU goes as old as Stewart or young as James McAvoy, a new actor will be playing Professor X.
10 Bryan Cranston Is A Fan-Favorite Choice
When fans speculate about who could be next to plop their butts into Professor X's signature wheelchair next, a popular choice that comes up in conversation is Bryan Cranston. Obviously, since Cranston spent many of his years bald, playing characters like Walter White in the memorable Breaking Bad and Zordon in the not-so-memorable Power Rangers, it's clear to see how fans reached this conclusion.
However, besides looking the part, he has the voice that it takes to make Xavier an empathetic, wise elder to his students.
9 Dan Stevens Is A Young, Inspired Choice
With the MCU being such a large franchise that spans several movies across several years, it would not come as much of a surprise to imagine Marvel Studios deciding to cast a young actor to play Xavier for the sake of longevity. Longevity certainly worked in favor of the First Class franchise, where a 30-something James McAvoy played the role for nearly a decade.
If that's the case, then 38-year-old Dan Stevens would be an interesting younger choice, whilst also being an inspired one. Stevens previously played the son of Professor X in the FOX X-Men movie franchise tie-in show, Legion.
8 Lance Reddick Coincides With Current Rumors
Dating back to as early as 2019, it was rumored by notable sites like We Got This Covered that Marvel Studios was considering making changes to Professor X and Magneto, by painting them as Black men raised through the Civil Rights era, to highlight their respective, long-existing Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X parallels.
One actor who may fit the bill is Lance Reddick. The former Wire actor has the commander voice of a stoic leader, as well as the determined presence.
7 David Oyelowo Is The MLK Choice
If Marvel decided to go completely on the nose with their Martin Luther King Jr. allusion, then David Oyelowo —who played the man in the lead role of Selma, a role for which he was Golden Globe-nominated for Best Actor— may be all too perfect to play the character.
When taking a look at some of David Oyelowo's best performances, it would seem like the actor is at his best when expressing compassion and empathy for others, two qualities that have proven to be Xavier's most likable characteristics as a character.
6 Mark Strong Is Casting Against Type
Mark Strong, for years, has been typecast as a menacing villain in major motion pictures like Sherlock Holmes, Green Lantern, Kick-Ass, and Shazam! However, lead protagonist performances like Kingsman: The Secret Service and The Brothers Grimsby prove that Strong is capable of playing a hero too.
He could provide the same for Xavier, but he could also bring his own unique flavor to the role. Namely, a dark presence that made his villains so intimidating, while also providing the subtle charm that made him so likable as a protagonist.
5 Tim Curry being actually disabled would pay respect to an essential physical quality of the character
As of 2012, Tim Curry's acting pursuits have been restricted to mostly voice acting opportunities due to a stroke that has since left him paralyzed. For fans who miss his actual onscreen presence, Professor X could be his re-introduction to the big screen.
On top of being a great actor, Curry being actually disabled would pay respect to an essential physical quality of the character. As long Curry is willing and able to go back to on-set work, it wouldn't hurt to at least ask if he's interested.
4 Courtney B. Vance Is Persuasive
His wife Angela Bassett already has a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to the Black Panther franchise, but looking at his qualifications, Courtney B. Vance might be suitable to join her as Professor X.
Readers may best recognize Vance for playing Johnnie Cochran, OJ Simpson's lawyer in The People v. OJ Simpson, for which he won an Emmy. One overlooked quality to Professor X is his in-universe presence as a political ambassador for trying to unite mutants and humans. This quality was touched on somewhat in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, but if Marvel hoped to revisit this quality, they'll need someone who is persuasive in his rhetoric and believably charismatic when expressing his convictions. Vance already did both as Cochrane.
3 Peter Capaldi Can Offer A Vulnerable Xavier
It's not too long ago that Peter Capaldi signed off in playing The Doctor, a role he played for three seasons on Doctor Who as the oldest actor to play the part (tied with William Hartnell). Ironically enough, he'd also be the second oldest actor on this list (second behind Tim Curry), but with age comes the range and experience necessary to play a multi-faceted Professor X.
Xavier is filled with notable leadership qualities, but one overlooked quality of a leader is allowing themselves to be vulnerable enough to accept as much guidance as they dish out. Capaldi offered such vulnerability on Doctor Who that could easily transition into an onscreen Xavier.
2 Giancarlo Esposito Could Make A Great Magneto Or Xavier
Some may argue that Giancarlo Esposito would make the perfect Magneto, due to his pedigree when it comes to playing villains. In fact, he supposedly was on the same shortlist from Marvel for actors in the running to play Magneto in the MCU. However, he also has what it takes to be a heroic leader.
As EPIX viewers are witnessing in his performance as Pastor Adam Clayton Powell Jr, Esposito has a knack for playing wise, warm-hearted orators who know their way around a political circle. He can be persuasive not just because of his sharp tongue, but by expressing warmth and trust that makes it easy to recruit mutants to his team and school.
1 Ralph Fiennes Is A Shakespearean Actor
Like many actors on this list before him, Ralph Fiennes is classically trained in the art of Shakespearean-style acting. On paper, this does not sound incredibly important thing in the world, until readers remember that Patrick Stewart is an actor who himself mastered the art of Shakespeare theater.
It's not crazy to think that him being so classically trained contributed to his performance as Charles Xavier and made Stewart's performance so memorable. If someone with just as much training and experience in that field can capture that same magic, it'd make for an equally memorable performance. Fiennes has the range and experience.
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