Marvel's Professor X Cameo In Doctor Strange 2 Was 'Disappointing' To Film For Patrick Stewart
In Sam Raimi's 2022 superhero film "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," the titular wizard (Benedict Cumberbatch) was able to skip across multiple dimensions merrily, thanks to the portal-creating superpowers of one America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). Halfway through the film, Doctor Strange finds himself in a distant dimension, standing in the courtroom of the Illuminati, a superhero team that a parallel version of himself once belonged to. The Illuminati explains to the good Doctor that his alternate self has gone mad and needs to be executed, something they find might be true of the O.G. Doctor Strange as well.
In an orgy of fan service, the Illuminati is made up of alternate Marvel characters culled from the history of Marvel media. Black Bolt (Anson Mount) is from the oft-forgotten TV series "Inhumans." There is an alternate Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch) as she was seen in 2019's "Captain Marvel." There is an alternate superhero version of Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) from "Captain America: The First Avenger," and there is Mr. Fantastic (John Krasinski) newly arrived from "Fantastic Four" comics.
There was also an alternate version of Professor X (Patrick Stewart) from several of the "X-Men" feature films. Professor X rode in an outsize yellow wheelchair, clearly designed after the one the character used in the animated "X-Men" TV series from 1992.
Because of the artificial nature of superhero movies, and the restrictive shooting conditions dictated by COVID-related lockdowns, Stewart had to enact all his scenes alone on a soundstage, with his footage composited into the final film after the fact. In a recent interview with the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Stewart admitted, rather understandably, that he hated working like that. He would have preferred having his co-stars on the stage with him.
The One Man Show
Stewart revealed that all of the characters in the Illuminati scene filmed their portions alone. Raimi then used clever special effects to make it look like they were all in the same room. Much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is filmed in front of a green screen as it is, so compositing a group of actors into the same space wasn't anything that necessarily stood out, visually. It did, however, alter the way the actors might have played the scene otherwise. Perhaps to leaven the one-actor-at-a-time restrictions of the scene, the Illuminati were all seated on thrones about eight feet apart and never had any moments when they interacted face-to-face.
Stewart seems to have encountered this kind of shoot a few times recently in his career, saying:
"I was alone. In the big scene, each one of the leading actors had the same experience; they were shot on their own. It was frustrating and disappointing, but that's how it has been. The last few years have been challenging."
Stewart has famously said that he's always felt more at home on the stage than in front of cameras (although he seems to be pleased to work in either medium), so it's reasonable that he prefers traditional interactions with his co-stars.
That said, Stewart also noted on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast that he prefers solitude in some cases. He likes going on long walks by himself, allowing his mind to wander and explore whatever character or material he may be studying at that moment. This is also an actor, recall, who staged a famous one-man version of "A Christmas Carol." It was the Professor X scenes in "Doctor Strange" specifically that bummed him out.
Will Professor X be in Deadpool 3?
Naturally, the podcast host, Josh Horowitz, had to address the possibility that Stewart may be reprising his role as Professor X in the upcoming film "Deadpool 3." Never mind that Professor X died in "X-Men: The Last Stand," died again in "Logan," and then died a third time in "Multiverse of Madness." The same was true of Wolverine, the character played by Hugh Jackman in multiple superhero movies, and he will indeed be returning to "Deadpool 3." Stewart, eschewing the usual ultra-secrecy that surrounds MCU projects, was frank. He said, "It has come up, there's been a process."
That's not a confirmation or a denial, of course, but it does show that Stewart has been approached. Because of the above-mentioned difficulties shooting "Doctor Strange," however, Stewart seemed less than inclined. He added that "the last two to three years have been so difficult with the labor problems and the health problems, COVID-19, you know."
Given the overall waning interest in the MCU and in superhero cinema in general, it seems that the inclusion of Professor X into "Deadpool 3" wouldn't necessarily make the film any more or less an event. The thrill of a returning Stewart has been explored in "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and, yes, "Multiverse." At this point, the law of diminishing returns would dictate that audiences wouldn't feel overwhelmed with joy to see Stewart again.
Stewart, however, who turns 84 in July, can do whatever he wants with his career.