Patrick Stewart Confirms That Yep, That's Him In The Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Trailer
When the Super Bowl trailer for "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" dropped, the internet was abuzz with the ostensible return of Patrick Stewart as Professor X, and his apparent crossover from Fox's "X-Men" movies into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Stewart's initial reaction was brief and seemed designed to throw people off the scent of his involvement, but now he's chimed in with more thoughts on how Professor X might interact with the Sorcerer Supreme. In doing so, the actor and Starfleet legend may have also confirmed something that fans fooled by the fun lies of Andrew Garfield might already take for granted: that it is indeed Stewart in that trailer.
In an interview with Jake's Takes (via ComicBook.com), Stewart spoke first about what a meeting between Professor X and Doctor Strange in the MCU might look like. He said:
"Professor X would be extraordinarily cautious and watchful, and perhaps feel a little insecure. Because there is something that is potentially dangerous about this man. I think that would put Professor Xavier on guard."
As for how he responded to the Super Bowl trailer's airing on game night, Stewart explained:
"I had my phone turned off as it happened, so I didn't hear anything. It wasn't until the next morning when I woke up and looked at my phone and found that I had been bombarded with responses. My PR people had sent me reactions that they had detailed and passed onto me."
It's what he said next, however, that would seem to confirm Stewart himself was in the trailer — and will be in "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" — even if he's still casting doubt on whether that's really his voice in the trailer saying, "We should tell him the truth ..."
'All they saw was the back of my shoulder'
Stewart continued with his "Multiverse of Madness" trailer response, saying:
"I actually didn't recognize my own voice. It sounded different. Whether I had a cold or something at the time, I don't know. I was astonished — and all they saw was the back of my shoulder and I think my earlobe, nothing else — that there would have been so many connections made. But it pleased me [to see the reactions]."
Now, sure, it's possible that when Stewart said "my shoulder" and "my earlobe," he was referring to his old character. It's even possible, I suppose, that the shapeshifting mutant, Mystique, played by Rebecca Romijin and Jennifer Lawrence in previous movies, is posing as Professor X. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is probably another Andrew Garfield situation, where the actor, in this case Stewart, is bound by Marvel Studios to run misdirection on us until the movie drops.
It seems like Professor X and some version of the Illuminati will be watching over the multiverse in "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness," and perhaps policing it similar to the Time Variance Authority with the Sacred Timeline in "Loki."
Stewart said previously of the "Doctor Strange" trailer: "You know, people have been imitating my voice ever since I came on the stage 60 years ago. So, I can't be held responsible for that." In an age when actors can have their likeness and even their voice digitally recreated, Marvel could certainly go the Luke Skywalker route with Professor X, but at the same time, don't be surprised if you see the real Patrick Stewart onscreen when "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" hits theaters on May 6, 2022.