Patrick Stewart reacted to speculation that he'll reprise his "X-Men" role for "Doctor Strange 2."- A mysterious voice included in the most recent trailer seemed similar to that of Stewart.
Patrick Stewart addressed speculation that he'll reprise his "X-Men" role as Charles Xavier/Professor X in the upcoming "Doctor Strange" sequel.
"You know, people have been imitating my voice ever since I came on the stage 60 years ago," Stewart told ComicBook.com. "So, I can't be held responsible for that."
Stewart's comment came following the latest trailer for "
The first trailer for the film was released in December following all the credits rolling in the theatrical release of "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
The more recent trailer showed the returns of Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo. The trailer also included Marvel newcomer Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez and the introduction of a Sinister Strange.
Perhaps most notably, one scene at the 1:18 mark of the trailer showed Doctor Strange standing in front of a figure who said, "We should tell him the truth."
The person's face was obscured, with the camera angle showing a small portion of the back of their head and shoulders. The closed captions for the trailer only identified the speaker as "mystery voice."
Despite not getting a clear answer about the figure's identity, many fans on Twitter attributed the voice to Stewart.
Fans also theorized that Stewart's character in "Doctor Strange 2" will be part of the covert superhero group known as The Illuminati.
In an interview with ReelBlend's Kevin McCarthy, Stewart played coy and said that he wasn't aware of the chatter online because he doesn't "look at a lot of social media."
"But, I must say, before bedtime on Sunday evening, I've had plenty of communication, friends, and some people I hardly knew at all making reference to 'Is that you? Is that you?'" he recalled. "Well, of course, I was just at home waiting to watch football, so how could it possibly have been me? So we'll have to wait and see, won't we?"
Stewart first portrayed Charles Xavier, a mutant with telekinetic powers, in the 2000 film "X-Men" costarring Ian McKellan, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, and James Marsden.
The legendary actor reprised the role for more "X-Men" films as well as Jackman's standalone "Wolverine" films. Most recently, Stewart appeared in the final "Wolverine" film titled "Logan," which was released in 2017.
Although Charles was killed in the
Disney acquired Fox's entertainment assets in 2019, which means that Marvel characters like the X-Men, Deadpool, and the Fantastic Four can show up in the MCU.
The recent MCU projects like "Loki" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" have shown how alternate versions of characters, known as variants, will become a huge factor in the future as the multiverse is unleashed.
In an interview with Digital Spy published in January 2020, Stewart also said that he met with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
"I met with Kevin Feige a couple of months ago and we had long, long conversations," he said. "And there have been moves and suggestions, which include Charles Xavier."
He added, "Here's the problem... If we had not made 'Logan,' then yes, I would probably be ready to get into that wheelchair one more time and be Charles Xavier. But 'Logan' changed all that."
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" hits theaters on Friday, May 6.