Professor Xavier can’t catch a break.
The exceptionally powerful telepath has been murdered on-screen multiple times in different timelines. After his tragic end in Logan and his gruesome slaughter in Doctor Strange 2, it seemed unlikely that audiences would get to see poor Charles, played by Patrick Stewart, alive on-screen again.
But Deadpool 3 may change Professor X’s rotten luck.
Veteran Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman confirmed last month that Deadpool 3 takes place on both Fox’s X-Men Universe timeline (before Logan in 2029) and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s timeline (as it enters Phase 6). Deadpool 3’s unique place on two converging Marvel timelines could be a neat way to incorporate scenes with Professor Xavier.
According to a recent interview with ComicBook.com, it appears that Stewart has been contacted by Marvel Studios to “standby” in case he’s needed to say some lines with Jackman and Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds.
“I know nothing more than that, honest,” Stewart added.
Deadpool 3’s timeline confirmation is also leading fans to speculate that the threequel may end in a disturbing way that sets up the events of Logan, and could perhaps make room to bring more X-Men into the MCU fold.
Deadpool 3 could, according to fan theories, perhaps end with the Westchester Incident. That occurs in 2028: Professor Xavier has a telepathic seizure and loses control of his powers, accidentally injuring 600 people, slaying several X-Men, and destroying Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. That’s why Logan begins with Wolverine and Professor Xavier hiding out in Mexico.
Though such a macabre display isn’t really aligned with the goofy tone of the previous Deadpool installments, the MCU hasn’t been shying away from making trauma a key element in the character arcs of its heroes. While the “odd couple” team-up between Deadpool and Wolverine, along with a more jovial Professor Xavier cameo, seems like the most plausible connection the movie could make between the MCU and Fox’s X-Men Universe, we shouldn’t rule out the possibility of a somber scene to up the stakes for Deadpool and the future of mutant-kind in the MCU.
Deadpool 3 hits theaters on November 8, 2024.
