Will Professor X return in Avengers Secret Wars? James McAvoy responds

Cameron Frew
James McAvoy as Professor X and a still from the Avengers: Secret Wars comic

James McAvoy has addressed whether Marvel fans can expect to see the return of Professor X in Avengers Secret Wars – or anywhere else in the MCU, for that matter.

With Black Panther 2 and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially reached the end of Phase Four, with the Fifth Phase kicking off in February with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

We’re now one-third through the Multiverse Saga, and two new Avengers movies sit on the distant horizon: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, hitting cinemas in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

The latter team-up movie is expected to be a cameo-packed bonanza the likes of which we’ve never seen – so, will James McAvoy reprise his role as Professor X?

James McAvoy on possible Professor X return

In a new interview with GQ, the Split star addressed the possibility of returning as Professor X in Avengers: Secret Wars, while also discussing his X-Men tenure. This also comes amid Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine for Deadpool 3 and other rumors of past X-Men stars coming back.

“I’m very quick to say, ‘No, I’m done.’ Or ‘I’m not that bothered about coming back.’ Because you move forward,” he said, stressing he’s not been contacted by Kevin Feige regarding a return.

“I’ve definitely not got the call. And if I did I would definitely not be telling you,” he added.

While the latter X-Men movies of the Fox era weren’t always well-received, McAvoy described his time in the role as “one of the most positive experiences I’ve had with a studio.”

“I don’t really [see them as just] money gigs. Days of Future Past I think is one of the better films that I’ve been involved in,” he said.

“My biggest criticism of what we did throughout the four movies was that after the first movie, we didn’t take advantage of the relationship between [Xavier and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto], which really formed the backbone of the first film. So it was like, why did we just eject that massive weapon?”

You can find out more about Avengers: Secret Wars here.

Related Topics

About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, Oscars enthusiast, and a staunch Scot. He earned a First-Class Honours Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University, accredited by the NCTJ and BJTC. He began his career at UNILAD, starting as a Junior Journalist and becoming Entertainment Editor prior to joining Dexerto. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.