Marvel legend reportedly agrees to return for Avengers: Secret Wars

Deadpool and Wolverine may have come and gone, but that's only the beginning of an incredibly exciting era for Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was a major turning point for the saga, as it officially confronted the long-running franchise with the mutants' story as Hugh Jackman brought his Wolverine back to the big screens, opening the MCU up to the possibility of the X-Men.

He wasn't the only X-Men star to appear in the film either, as Aaron Stanford reprised his role as Pyro from X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand and Dafne Keen returned as Logan's Laura, while Channing Tatum finally got to play the role of Gambit after very nearly playing it in that aforementioned X-Men movie series.

There were rumors of other returnees, but those never panned out. And yet they remain entirely possible in the future due to the Multiverse Saga's existence, with fans speculating that we could see more X-Men cameos than ever in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.

And now, a recent report suggests that could indeed be the case for one character who was previously rumored to appear in Deadpool and Wolverine.

Patrick Stewart rumored to return as Charles Xavier in Avengers 6

According to prominent Marvel scooper account Marvel News, Patrick Stewart has reportedly agreed to return as Professor Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, in Avengers: Secret Wars. The legendary, esteemed actor previously portrayed the character in the iconic X-Men movie series, appearing in the original trilogy, Days of Future Past, and the three Wolverine movies.

If he does appear in Avengers: Secret Wars, it would mark his second appearance in the MCU franchise. He also reprised the role in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, appearing in Charles' more comic-accurate green suit (along with that legendary yellow chair). Though it was an alternate version of the character, it was a major turning point for the franchise as it marked the first time that an X-Men character had appeared.

There were rumors that Stewart would appear in Deadpool and Wolverine at one point, with multiple insiders and outlets suggesting it could have happened. Stewart himself even acknowledged the potential of it happening at one point, telling Happy Sad Confused Podcast host Josh Horowitz that it had "come up".

The movie's director Shawn Levy recently revealed that a cameo from Professor X wasn't on the table for that particular movie. Even so, it was understandable that fans would speculate about his potential involvement given the return of Jackman as Wolverine, and how close Logan and Charles were in the X-Men movies. And he wasn't the only name that came up, with rumors circulating that other X-Men cast members, such as Famke Janssen or James Marsters could appear. Though they ultimately didn't, the door is always open considering the Multiverse Saga is still ongoing.

This new report is further proof of that, as Stewart's potential return in Avengers: Secret Wars would make sense. After all, Charles is the leader of the X-Men, so it would be only fitting if he were to appear in a movie that celebrates the Marvel multiverse of movies (as it's rumored to bring in countless heroes, and potentially villains, from previous movies), especially since the MCU is on the verge of The Mutants Saga - and it's own X-Men movie.

As with all Marvel reports and rumors, it's best to wait and see if the character will return in any capacity, but given that Stewart has already been involved in an MCU within the Multiverse Saga, there is a real possibility that it could happen again. Here's hoping that it does!

With limitless possibilities and the Mutants making their way to the MCU, it would make a lot of sense, that's for sure. Now maybe we could even get Ian McKellen involved and get one more reunion between Charles and Magneto! Wouldn't that be awesome?!