When Professor X came out of the shadows in his hovering chair to join the rest of the members of the Illuminati in “Doctor Strange 2,” cheers and whistles went off in the theater. After months of rumors, seeing Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier again on the big screen years after Fox’s “X-Men” franchise had been over was a moment of awe for all Marvel fans. But that awe was short-lived because Wanda Maximoff/the Scarlet Witch made quick work of him.
Since then, fans have wondered when and where Patrick Stewart’s Professor X will appear next. Hoping for any other previous “X-Men” actor to join the MCU seemed like an impossible dream for many. However, it seems like that dream is about to become a reality. This is because Sir Ian McKellen, who played Magneto in the “X-Men” films with Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, will be joining the MCU. As per insider information, he will appear in two future projects. Let us tell you all about it.
Sir Ian McKellen Joins The MCU
Patrick Stewart sat down for an interview with ET Online and revealed that his friend Sir Ian McKellen would be joining the MCU with him. He said that both he and McKellen were not done with their superhero roles. The Charles Xavier actor said that there are plans for both of them to be in the franchise. This isn’t the first time Patrick Stewart has confirmed his return to the MCU. In a previous interview, he said that Marvel Studios has told him to remain on standby.
However, this is the first confirmation we have of Sir Ian McKellen’s joining him in the Marvel superhero universe. So Sir Ian McKellan is now the third actor from Fox’s “X-Men” franchise to join the MCU. The second one is Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, who will appear in “Deadpool 3.” As such, fans have begun dreaming of seeing the three of them together in a project. But what is that project? As per an MCU insider, there are not one, but two such films McKellen (and hopefully Jackman and Stewart will appear in).
Where Will Sir Ian McKellen Appear In The MCU?
MCU’s current Phases are all invested in setting up and exploring the concept of the multiverse. First, the “Loki” show introduced it, then “Doctor Strange 2” explored it, and now it’s rumored that “Deadpool 3” will further expand it. We already know that Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is returning in the film, which is rumored to be a multiverse-spanning buddy cop movie. Theories are going around that “Deadpool 3” will actually involve Wade Wilson running from the TVA and using Cable’s time travel device to make changes to the past and future.
As such, he will probably cause more trouble that will result in him traversing not just time but also space and going to the Earth, where Fox’s X-Men reside. It is there that he will probably meet and team up with Jackman’s Wolverine. Since it’s also speculated that “Deadpool 3” is a prequel to “Logan,” it’s possible that we will get to see Professor X accidentally killing his own students and the rest of the mutant kind due to dementia. We might even see Magneto die because of Charles Xavier’s mistake. Even if that theory doesn’t work out, it’s still probable that in the world where Jackman’s Wolverine resides, we will get to see McKellen and Stewart’s Magneto and Professor X with him.
We know that Kevin Feige wants to bid a proper farewell to Fox’s X-Men characters before bringing in the MCU versions of those characters. So it seems like a great opportunity for the three major and beloved X-Men characters to appear in “Deadpool 3.” As per MCU scooper MTTSH’s (My Time To Shine Hello) tweet, that seems to be the case as well. The scooper also mentioned that the other project in which Sir Ian McKellen and his X-Men co-stars will appear is “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
It is rumored to be another film that will explore every aspect of the Marvel live-action multiverse. But it will take things up a notch since characters from every other previous Fox Marvel film will appear in it. After all, the current theory is that the new team of Avengers will lose the fight against Kang in “Avengers: Kang Dynasty.” So they will have to head to other worlds to recruit their heroes. It’s speculated that Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm, Chris Evans as the Human Torch, Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, and more will appear. So chances are that McKellen’s Magneto, Jackman’s Wolverine, and Stewart’s Professor X will be there as well.
Whether these rumors and speculations ultimately turn out to be right or not remains to be seen. They will be confirmed when “Deadpool 3” premiers on November 8, 2024, and “Avengers: Secret Wars” releases on May 1, 2026.