The first full-length trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness all but confirmed Sir Patrick Stewart's return as Professor X, and his cameo in the movie definitely didn't disappoint. Taking inspiration from X-Men: The Animated Series (including the wheelchair and theme), this Charles Xavier was up there with Mister Fantastic as The Illuminati's most heroic member.
Talking to Variety, writer Michael Waldron was asked how much he drew from the movies, comic books, and cartoon when it came to crafting this Professor X Variant for the Doctor Strange sequel.
"A little bit of both. I don’t know if I’m technically supposed to get into specifics about these actors or characters, but I worked with that performer to even talk about making it different, so it was a different version of him," Waldron explained. "He uses a line from 'Days of Future Past' that he says to Stephen. But also, we drew from the classic cartoon version of that character. He’s a variant who has qualities of a bunch of different versions of those guys from across the Multiverse."
What was the line of dialogue? In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Charles said to his younger self, "Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn't mean they're lost forever. In this movie, he tells Stephen and Mordo, "Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever." It's a neat throwback that works well in the context of the scene.
In the same interview, Waldron was asked about John Krasinski signing up to play Mister Fantastic and said that while he had no role in casting the actor, "that was the one character that had no real precedent ever in the MCU, at least. Figuring out how we want this guy to be - that was a lot of fun. That particular character is certainly one of my favourite comic book characters."
Asked if he thinks we'll see Krasinski in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, Waldron responded: "It’s a question for somebody else." So, Mr. Feige, will you be making it happen or what?
We'll see, but The Illuminati's MCU debut has certainly left fans with plenty to talk about.