Credit: 20th Century Fox StudiosProfessor Charles Xavier was quintessential in creating Marvel’s team of magnificent mutants, but can the series continue without him? As Marvel Studios reveals the next chapter of the X-Men, it seems like the professor won’t be the man in the chair anymore.
The last time we saw Professor X was in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), in which Sir Patrick Stewart portrayed perhaps the most comic-book-accurate version of the character brought to the big screen. This week, it was revealed that Marvel is once more using this variant of the character, but not for very long.
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In the new trailer for the long-awaited X-Men ’97 (seen below), viewers are shown the last few scenes from the original series’ final episode, “Graduation Day.” The series ended with Xavier lying in a coma after a psychic device caused his telepathic energy to backfire into a shockwave, and it looks like the new take on the show kills him off for Cyclops to take over the team.
The Death of Charles Xavier?
It should be stated that the original series left Professor X in a coma as human medicine could not save him, forcing his students to surrender their mentor to the care of the Shi’ar Throneworld for a more psychic approach, better explained by Nerdist. So what does that mean for the X-Men?
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Judging by what we know from the trailer, it seems that the mantle of mentor will be passed to Scott Summers/Cyclops as he echoes Xavier’s familiar line, “To me, my X-Men!” However, Magneto’s surprise appearance in the professor’s office could have the tables turning even further.
The return of Marvel’s classic X-Men variant is definitely cause for celebration, as fans are still waiting for the team to assemble in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but does this animated series have any weight for the MCU? As versions of both the comics and the cartoon have popped up in films like Multiverse of Madness, The Marvels, and Deadpool and Wolverine, many will logically assume that Marvel Studio is taking things in a familiar direction for their cinematic counterparts.
Since this is part of the Marvel Animation branch, fans likely won’t see a full version of this team in the MCU. However, Sir Patrick Stewart has previously stated that he is far from finished with Professor Xavier. Perhaps as Cerebro is brought back online next month, we might be able to predict a better future for Marvel’s marvelous mutants.
X-Men ’97 premieres March 20, 2024 on Disney+, and Inside the Magic will continue to update as more information is revealed.