Years before shared universes and serialized storytelling became commonplace, there was the X-Men franchise. Fox’s superhero property went on for nearly two decades, starring two sets of actors who played the beloved mutants. James McAvoy played Charles Xavier starting with First Class, and ending his tenure with Dark Phoenix. And he recently explained why Days of Future past was the hardest X-Men movie for him to film.
Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past was a super ambitious project told across two timelines and starring both generations of actors. James McAvoy even got to share a scene with Patrick Stewart throughout its runtime, and it turns out that 2014 blockbuster provided the biggest acting challenge for him. As he shared Calgary Expo (via Twitter):
I got more of an acting workout than I think I’ve had in any other movie. It was so deep and focused so much on Charles’ story. It was as much of an acting workout as any non comic book movie I’ve ever done.
Some points were made. Following the events of X-Men: First Class, James McAvoy was tasked with returning to the role of Professor X. And on top of all the timeline-hopping action of the blockbuster, he was also tracking Charles’ substance abuse issues and unwillingness to use his psychic powers. And that was just in his first few scenes alone.
The Split actor’s frankness is refreshing, and James McAvoy has previously shared his criticism of the X-Men franchise. Having the time and space away from that franchise no doubt brought some clarity about those years as an X-Man. And fans are still hoping that McAvoy returns to the role of Professor X sometime down the line.
The X-Men franchise ended with Dark Phoenix’s disappointing box office performance, and the mutants have been off of our screens for a number of years now. But Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox opened the door for the X-Men to finally join the MCU. Although Kevin Feige and company have been keeping their plans close to the chest for the time being.
Still, there have been a number of intriguing X-Men connections during Phase Four and Phase Five. Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Professor X for Doctor Strange 2, and Hugh Jakcman will return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3. What’s more, the Ms. Marvel finale revealed that Kamala Khan was a mutant herself.
James McAvoy has a number of exciting projects coming down the line. As for the MCU, the next upcoming Marvel movie hitting theaters will be The Marvels on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
