There may soon be a new most tenured member of the Marvel universe. With the announcement today thatPatrick Stewartwould be returning to the MCU as Professor Charles Xavieralongside his fellow X-Menin next year’sAvengers: Doomsday, theStar Trekicon is positioned to take the crown as the longest-serving character actor in Marvel’s on-screen history. He’ll have played Professor X for 26 years across eight films by the time the big crossover film comes out next May, with his debut coming in 2000 in the originalX-Men. However, his usurping of the position isn’t guaranteed, as it relies onHugh Jackman, who kicked off his tenure as Wolverine alongside Stewart in the mutant film, not appearing in the latestAvengers.
Stewart and Jackman have traded the title of most tenured Marvel character actor a couple of times in recent years. BeforeDoomsday, the former most recently enjoyed a small appearance as Xavieras part of the Illuminatiin 2022’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. His last prominent Marvel role, however, was also alongside Jackman in the 2017 filmLogan, which marked the end of both of their storylines at the time. Since then, Jackman has also returned as Wolverine in last year’sDeadpool & Wolverine, albeit as a different variant than the one who died at the end ofJames Mangold’s hit. Given how many cast members from theX-Menfilms are returning, it’s not hard to imagine him donning the claws once more after hisRyan Reynoldsteam-up re-opened the door for a longer MCU tenure with its over $1.3 billion run in theaters.
Regarding the possibility of his future, Jackman played coy inhis interview with Collider’sSteve Weintraublast year, though he did admit, “I’ve actually never had more fun, ever, playing Wolverine than I did in this movie with these guys.“Kevin Feige, however, has been more direct about him and Reynolds getting more screentime beyond their threequel. “The plans with Deadpool and Wolverine will always be the same: we’re always wondering where we can fit them in, and how fast,” hesaid at D23 in Brazil back in November. Chairs for Reynolds and Jackman didn’t appear intoday’s hours-long live streamrevealing theDoomsdaycast, but they could be saved for the actual film’s release or even its sequel,Avengers: Secret Warsin 2027. For now, though, Stewart is in line to earn a place in Marvel history by bringing back the X-Men leader he’s embodied memorably through his other appearances, includingX2: X-Men United,X-Men: The Last Stand, andX-Men: Days of Future Past.
Who Else Is in Line to Join Stewart in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?
Stewart is just the tip of the iceberg forwhat was a wild day of announcementsfor theDoomsdaycast. In addition to Stewart,Ian McKellenwill be reprising his role as Magneto for the first time sinceDays of Future Past, joiningAlan Cummingas Nightcrawler,Kelsey Grammeras Beast,Rebecca Romijnas Mystique, andJames Marsdenas Cyclops.Channing Tatum, who finallygot to make a name for himself as GambitinDeadpool & Wolverine, will be playing alongside them as well. They’ll join a long and surprising list of returning MCU stars, includingChris Hemsworth,Tom Hiddleston,Anthony Mackie,Letitia Wright,Paul Rudd, andthe full ThunderboltsandFantastic Four teams, among many others.Anthony and Joe Russowill also be returning to direct in the MCU for the first time sinceAvengers: Endgame.
Avengers: Doomsdayhits theaters on July 23, 2025. Stay tuned here at Collider for more updates on the film as they come out.
Avengers: Doomsday
