In the golden era of the X-Men franchise, Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class injected fresh life into the mutant narrative, garnering over $300 million at the box office. The prequel kicked off a promising new series, accumulating nearly $2 billion across four films.
However, James McAvoy, who portrayed a younger Charles Xavier, believes the franchise took a wrong turn in its latter installments.
Speaking candidly with GQ, McAvoy, who played a pivotal role in exploring the early friendship between Charles and Magneto (Michael Fassbender), expressed disappointment in the series’ trajectory. While praising “Days of Future Past” as one of his standout films, McAvoy pinpointed a crucial misstep in the subsequent movies:
“After the first movie, we didn’t take advantage of the relationship between [Xavier and Magneto], which really formed the backbone of the first film. So it was like, why did we just eject that massive weapon?”
Addressing his future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, McAvoy remained skeptical about reprising his role as Professor X. Despite the multiverse concept making all previous Marvel movies canon, McAvoy stated:
“I’m very quick to say, ‘No, I’m done.’ or ‘I’m not that bothered about coming back.’ Because you move forward. […] I’ve definitely not got the call. And if I did I would definitely not be telling you.”
While fans anticipate the return of mutants under Marvel Studios, McAvoy’s insights shed light on missed opportunities and his cautious stance on revisiting the iconic role. The future of X-Men within Marvel’s creative control remains a subject of speculation, with no official announcements for an X-Men-centered movie yet.
