Sir Patrick Stewart has had a legendary career, though Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor X arguably remain his most iconic roles. The actor will return as Charles Xavier in Avengers: Doomsday, though he appears to have said a final goodbye to Star Trek after Paramount+'s Picard.
Very little has been revealed about plans for Professor X in the movie, though he was featured in one of the movie's teaser trailers alongside Sir Ian McKellen's Magneto. In the sneak peek, the two old friends enjoyed a game of chess in a ruined X-Mansion.
In a new interview with TV Insider (via SFFGazette.com), Stewart was asked if he's retired and whether Avengers: Doomsday could be his final role. Fortunately, while he has scaled back a little, the screen icon isn't planning on going anywhere.
"As any actor my age will tell you, there are fewer and fewer available roles as we get older," Stewart started. "That being said, I still continue to receive interesting offers, and I love being challenged by new work, like voicing a pig’s head in Riz Ahmed's brilliant new series Bait. I can't imagine ever officially 'retiring.' I'll always and forever be an actor."
There's a chance we'll see Professor X one final time in Avengers: Secret Wars, but from there, the expectation is that the role will be recast for Jake Schreier's upcoming X-Men reboot.
Stewart leaves big shoes to fill not just in the Marvel Universe, but in Star Trek, too. There's nothing to suggest that a new Picard will ever be cast, but with Paramount looking to reboot the franchise for theaters (again), the pressure is on to find someone who can play a character as iconic as Picard or James T. Kirk.
It's not lost on the actor just how storied the property's history is. "All of these anniversaries are wildly surreal for me, but the 40th anniversary of The Next Generation is particularly remarkable," Stewart said as the Star Trek franchise as a whole nears its 60th anniversary. "I still remember my first day driving onto the Paramount lot like it was yesterday."
Asked about comments he made about his concerns that Star Trek could become an "albatross" around his neck, he said, "Without question, Jean-Luc is the most significant role of my career. And I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of what is now such a historic franchise."
"The enduring power of Star Trek and its values continues to reach new generations, and I’ll always cheer on new series and new adaptations of this story," Steward added. "Having fresh voices to tell these new stories is critical, and I’m thrilled any time I get to meet a new member of the Star Trek 'tribe.'"
It's a relief to hear that Stewart doesn't plan to step away from acting, even as he moves on from his two most famous roles. While Star Trek's fate is uncertain—Robert Picardo recently expressed concerns about the brand on Paramount's watch—Professor X looks set to have a central role in Avengers: Doomsday this December.