Patrick Stewart's death has changed the way audiences are likely to view his return as Charles Xavier in Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday. The actor will reprise the role of Professor X in the film, scheduled for release on December 17 this year, in what the studio has confirmed will be his final screen appearance.
Stewart died on October 28 at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family. Although he was also widely known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, his work as the leader of the X-Men made him an international star. He first played Charles Xavier in 2000's X-Men, a film that helped establish superhero cinema as a major commercial force in the following decades.
Marvel Studios paid tribute to the actor, highlighting the humanity, intelligence and elegance he brought to the character over more than 25 years. His return in Doomsday had been announced in March 2025, but his death inevitably gives his scenes a different significance.
The film will also bring back several members of the original mutant cast. Ian McKellen will return as Magneto, alongside James Marsden as Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler and Kelsey Grammer as Beast.
Most details of Avengers: Doomsday remain undisclosed. The main threat will be Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., while the story will be connected to the Incursions, a multiverse phenomenon in which two realities collide and may destroy one or both universes.
That premise leaves the universe inhabited by the classic X-Men vulnerable. Bringing the mutants into a broader Avengers story could link different eras of Marvel's films and potentially conclude the journeys of characters introduced before the Marvel Cinematic Universe took shape. However, Marvel has not said whether that alternate universe will disappear or what fate awaits its heroes.
The possibility that Xavier could die during Doomsday has gained greater emotional weight following Stewart's death. A sacrifice to protect his students or save other universes could serve as the character's farewell, but there is no confirmed information about such an ending. Any claim that Professor X will die in the film remains speculation.
The impact of Stewart's death also extends to the next instalment, Avengers: Secret Wars, scheduled for December 2027. Marvel has not confirmed the actor's involvement in that film, nor has it announced plans to use archival footage of him.
What is certain is that Doomsday will offer one final opportunity to see Stewart as Professor X alongside several of the mutants who defined an era of superhero cinema. The character's farewell will also mark the last screen appearance of an actor whose career was closely associated with Charles Xavier.
Sources: elDiario.es.