Patrick Stewart died October 28 at 86, leaving behind a Professor X run that spanned five X-Men films. The remarkable part is that fans had been fantasy-casting him as Charles Xavier for years before the first movie went into production. When it finally happened, the Shakespearean gravitas he brought to the role made him impossible to imagine anyone else doing it.
The original trilogy had a built-in problem: Xavier is powerful enough to end fights instantly, so the writers kept finding ways to keep him out of the action. Stewart made every sidelined moment count, and every onscreen death of Charles Xavier carried genuine emotional weight. His finest work came in Logan, where he played a dementia-stricken Xavier cared for by Hugh Jackman’s worn-down Wolverine. Critics’groups nominated him for it. The Academy didn’t. If you want to revisit the run, every X-Men film now streams on Disney+, which runs $12.49 a month with ads or $21.49 without. Start with X2, then Logan, then First Class for the James McAvoy era. Stewart also appears posthumously as Xavier in Avengers: Doomsday.
Which Patrick Stewart X-Men performance is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
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Local Lawton
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