There are heated discussions about the new X-Men Actors in the MCU. Fans have some suggestions for the casting of the mutant film. For the role of Charles Xavier, some fans suggested a black actor. This was partly based on the idea that Martin Luther King Jr. served as inspiration for the design of the character.
However, fans who argued for a comic-accurate Professor X presented their side, and one particular argument seemed to justify the casting of a white actor. Interestingly, the dynamic between a racially superior Charles Xavier and a Jewish Magneto will become important in the film’s plot.
Why does Charles Xavier have to be white in the world? X-Men Film?
Patrick Stewart was cast as Charles Xavier in the 2000 film X-Men and played the role for 22 years until Doctor Strange 2The Fox X-Men Movies also brought James McAvoy to play a younger version of this live-action Professor X. As the MCU is ready to X-Mensome fans wanted a little change.
Over the years, fans have drawn analogies between the two feuding mutant leaders in the comics, Xavier and Magneto, and the two American civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Some fans want to take this comparison literally and suggest that Marvel cast black actors in the roles.
While the comparison is considered valid by several authors, X-Men The author has ever confirmed that he was directly inspired by the American leaders (via Vocal Media). A fan of X, @matzzm_, perfectly explained why it’s best for the film that Charles Xavier appears as a white man.
According to this fan, a crucial part of the character’s identity is that he is a white man who hasn’t experienced much oppression. The fan shared that since he’s never experienced racism, he doesn’t understand some of the motivations of Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr, who is Jewish.
The fan made it clear that the accuracy of the comics had nothing to do with his argument and that he would agree with Marvel about changing the race of any other character. However, they had a specific problem with changing Xavier’s ethnicity just because of his storyline.
The fan further explained his opinion in another tweet, sharing that Charles’ dream of cooperation between humans and mutants was born out of ignorance. The fan explained that Xavier has not experienced what most of his fellow mutants have gone through and therefore can sometimes be short-sighted in his decisions.
According to this Reddit thread, Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Craig, Ewan McGregor, and Bryan Cranston are the most popular fan suggestions for the new Professor X actor. However, fans will have to wait a little longer for an update from Marvel.
Chris Claremont, who wrote X-Men For years, comics were not based on American leaders
In an interview with Empire, Chris Claremont said that the comparisons fans make between Charles Xavier and Magneto and Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are certainly valid. However, he shared that he has his own parallels for both characters. Claremont was instrumental in designing the X-Men Characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Claremont shared that he found such an analogy to the civil rights leaders presumptuous. He said he used former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin as inspiration for Magneto. Claremont told Empire:
There is a lot of talk on the internet these days about Magneto being Malcolm X and Xavier being Martin Luther King… but to me, as a white immigrant, that comparison seemed incredibly presumptuous. A similar comparison could be made with Menachem Begin as Magneto, who went from being a terrorist in 1947 to being a Nobel Peace Prize winner 30 years later.
Fans hope that the MCU will explore these complex interpretations of Magneto and Charles Xavier in its new X-Men film. In the meantime, fans can see Fox’s version of the characters in X-Men Movies now streaming on Disney+.
