The Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting a whole new version of the X-Men movie franchise, following the events of Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars. Casting the new X-Men has been one of Hollywood’s biggest secrets and most highly anticipated reveals, and it feels like the time is quickly approaching when we’ll finally get it.
Casting the core X-Men is going to be a major hurdle, but if history has been any example, the X-Men movie franchise needs two big stars standing in the leadership roles of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto. We’ve seen them cast as older men, with Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen giving such iconic performances that they’ll be back in Avengers: Doomsday. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender did such a good job capturing the younger versions of Charles and Erik (respectively) that the MCU will need quite the pair of actors to win fans’ approval.
Here are 3 sets of actors who would be perfect for the MCU Professor X and Magneto, presented in the pairings we think would be great to see onscreen.
Professor Xavier and Magneto have been through several evolutions in the last few decades, which will give the MCU X-Men franchise a lot more lore to draw from. One of the most popular recent depictions of Xavier and Magneto came during the X-Men’s infamous “Krakoa Era,” when writer Jonathan Hickman had mutantkind establish its own sovereign nation, with Xavier and Magneto as two of its leading statesmen. The MCU X-Men may not go the Krakoa route, but those versions of Xavier and Magneto would be a welcome change to what fans got from the previous films.
David Thewlis is best known for playing Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter franchise and the god of war Ares in Wonder Woman (2017). Thewlis would be perfect as the version of Professor X who walks around (keywords) with a miniature Cerebro unit on his head at all times. That version of Xavier was mysterious, detached, and always a little bit suspect (as Charles has proven to be over the years). Thewlis excels at playing exactly that kind of complicated character.
Viggo Mortensen got world-famous playing Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but also has many acclaimed roles under his belt, as well. Mortensen has just the right amount of smoulder in his eyes and aura to play the elder statesman version of Magneto, who is less of a terrorist than a confident leader, who is claiming space for his people and willing to stand against anyone who would harm mutants.
One of the hardest things that modern X-Men comics are struggling with is how to marry the metaphor of mutants to the modern plight of disenfranchised peoples. Stan Lee created the X-Men to reflect the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, with Xavier and Magneto representing the differing philosophies of black leaders like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. But times have changed (and in some ways have not) since the ’60s, and the MCU X-Men need to reflect that.
The younger X-Men characters will be very much Gen Z-coded, and a lot of fans feel like the update should also include a more accurate depiction of the original series metaphor by casting two black actors as Professor X and Magneto. It would be a bold move (with some strong backlash), but it could prove shrewder than people guess. Modern African-Americans have a unique point of view when it comes to socio-political progression vs. lasting vestiges of intolerance and oppression, and there is no easy answer. The X-Men franchise needs to embrace that kind of view, to offer competent viewers a similarly complicated view of mutants. Having Xavier and Magneto be black men, who had two very different kinds of American experience, could say so much, even if their skin color isn’t the main focus.
Honestly, Coleman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) are interchangeable in terms of the skill, charisma, and gravitas to play either Magneto or Charles Xavier; for my part, I think Domingo’s air of imperial haute makes him a better choice for Magneto, while Esposito has the quiet gravitas and patient (if not calculating) air of a wise teacher. The real power is in the pairing: it’s hard to think of two better scene partners for one of Charles and Erik’s deep debates about mutantkind. Getting these two actors onscreen together would be absolutely electric.
X-Men ’97 is certainly making the case for a classic take on the Xavier and Magneto characters, who are both in the prime of middle age. They would have enough history to be firmly established in their roles as two opposing leaders of mutantkind, but their schism and Magneto’s creation of his own group (The Brotherhood, The Acolytes) would still be new enough to build a solid franchise one.
Erroll Shand (53) isn’t a well-known name yet; however, the New Zealand actor is now getting a major breakout role, playing the broken patriarch who becomes a ruthless Deadite in Evil Dead Burn. Shand’s performance (and his other roles in Apple TV’s Chief of War and HBO’s Our Flag Means Death) show that he would be great at depicting Charles Xavier in his full, complicated range. A relatively unknown character actor may be the best bet to help fans move on from previous performances
Jason Isaacs (63) has been a fan-casting dream for Magneto for years. The actor is best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movie series and HBO’s The White Lotus, but has much bigger clout in fan circles from either acting or voicing animated and gaming characters in the DC, Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek franchises. Isaacs has the gravitas, smoldering eyes, and voice to play the classic Magneto who tries to be noble, but can slide back into barbarism and ruthlessness at a moment’s notice. We can’t think of a better choice for a Magneto who really keeps viewers guessing about his allegiances throughout the film.
Who do you want to see cast in the MCU X-Men? Let us know on the ComicBook Forum!
