We're all on tenterhooks right now anticipating the release of Avengers: Doomsday next year. For Marvel fans, an Avengers movie at the end of one of the franchise's ongoing sagas is the Super Bowl, the WrestleMania, of the superhero calendar. And on the rare times that they come around, even other major releases around it simply don't carry as much buzz. For an Avengers movie can signal the end of a chapter for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the start of a new one.
Avengers: Doomsday marks the beginning of the conclusion of the MCU's Multiverse Saga, and that involves bringing back MCU stalwart Robert Downey Jr. in a brand new role. The veteran will portray the evil Doctor Doom, who will seemingly look to captialize on the impending destruction of the Multiverse for his own gain. And this will bring a lot of Marvel icons - including ones that don't even belong to the MCU as of yet - out of the shadows to stop him.
However, according to reports, one major return in the upcoming film could mark the final chapter in one Marvel star's legendary acting career.
Sir Patrick Stewart reportedly retiring after Avengers: Doomsday
According to a new report, Sir Patrick Stewart's return to the role of Charles Xavier in Avengers: Doomsday might not just mark the last time he plays Professor X, but his last acting role in general. Industry insider Kristian Harloff recent spoke about this on The Kristian Harloff Show, saying that he heard the legendary actor was "done with acting" and has plans to step down after reprising one of his most famous roles:
"And then this was the big one that I heard... So, we know that Patrick Stewart is going to be making an appearance here as Professor X, that we know. Apparently, he is done with acting after this. Apparently, this is it. Apparently, he's stepping down..."
This would, of course, be a huge revelation if true. Stewart is a legendary performer whose career spans 66 years and he has been involved in some of the biggest projects of all time. The two that obviously come to mind are his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (which he recently reprised in all three seasons of Star Trek: Picard) and as Professor X in the X-Men movies.
He made his first appearance as Charles Xavier in 2000's X-Men and has become synonymous with the role ever since. He has reprised it in 2002's X2: X-Men: United, 2005's X-Men: The Last Stand, 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 2013's The Wolverine, 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, and 2017's Logan. The last of those films was supposed to mark his retirement from the role, but he did return in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to play an alternate version of Charles, who went up against Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch.
Marvel Studios has since confirmed that Stewart would return again for Avengers: Doomsday, alongside his X-Men co-stars Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Alan Cumming, and Kelsey Grammer. The X-Men veterans are a part of a star-studded cast that will also feature Channing Tatum in the role of Gambit - the role he was originally expected to play in the X-Men franchise years ago (and finally got the chance to play in Deadpool and Wolverine in 2024).
Although reports of Stewart's apparent retirement from acting are unconfirmed at this point, it's definitely something that has gotten fans' attention. Sir patrick Stewart is an esteemed name, both when it comes to theater and nerd-culture due to his vast selection of performances and his involvement in so many legendary projects. If he does decide to take a break or wrap up his acting career, it would be quite fitting if he got to do so after reprising one of his most iconic roles.
Regardless of whether he returns at another point in time, Stewart is - and always will be - the definitive version of Professor X. We can't wait to see him in action at least one more time!
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.