It was recently confirmed by Sir Patrick Stewart himself that he will be appearing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with many assuming he would be reprising his iconic X-Men role as Professor Charles Xavier. While that hasn't yet been officially confirmed, the renowned actor teased the character's appearance in a recent interview, comparing the psychic mutant to the Man of Steel.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Stewart touched on the upcoming role, but hesitated to divulge too much information about it. He stated, "This is a very delicate area... All I can say to you is we'll have to see. But bear in mind that Professor Xavier has already died twice. I think he must have some sort of Superman quality."
While, for the most part, Stewart has played coy when asked, he recently confirmed his voice appeared in the most recent trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In a separate interview, the X-Men star said, "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. But I was astonished, and all they saw was the back of my shoulder, and I think my earlobe, nothing else. There would have been so many connections made. But, uh, it pleased me." It should be noted it's uncertain when the most recently published interview took place and whether this can be taken as definitive proof of Stewart's return as Xavier.
Xavier perished twice throughout Fox's X-Men franchise. X-Men: The Last Stand saw his physical body destroyed by Jean Grey, though his mind was revealed have survived in a post-credits scene. Without explanation, he returned with his body in the mid-credits scene of The Wolverine, warning Logan of an a dark future in which mutants have been pushed to the edge of extinction, leading into X-Men: Days of Future Past, which established the X-Men franchise's separate timelines.
Stewart appeared as Xavier in 2017's Logan, which also saw Hugh Jackman's final performance as Wolverine. The film featured an older Xavier, struggling with Alzheimer's disease and episodes that prove deadly, with Wolverine being the only being around that can withstand the psychic episodes. Charles was killed by a clone of Logan. Stewart did not return in the X-Men franchise or any of the associated television shows -- though he was invited -- after that.
Many speculate that he will return as Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, owing to leaked artwork depicting Xavier, as well as a voice featured in the Doctor Strange sequel's most recent trailer and what many believe to be an appearance by the Illuminati-- a superhero group that includes Xavier.
Source: Rolling Stone