X-Men is very unlikely to appear in the MCU’s alternate reality-themed show, What If, not until their live-action debut. Following the Walt Disney Company’s 20th Century Fox acquisition, Marvel Studio regained the rights to X-Men, making room for the mutants’ Marvel debut.
But what of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen? The X-Men stars under the banner of 20th Century Fox have to wait for their full-length feature projects under Disney and Marvel Studios. This is also an indicator of the fact that the veterans are not joining the What If anytime soon.
Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen’s Days of Future in the MCU
Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen play two important characters in the X-Men franchise— Stewart’s Charles Xavier and McKellen’s Magneto have been the supreme forces of the mutant league of superheroes. Now that Marvel and Disney have the right to X-Men and Deadpool, things could go bigger with astonishing crossovers or potential X-Men slates.
Marvel Studios had already put the X-Men plans in motion. It is evident when Earth-838’s Professor X played by Stewart appeared as a member of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Certainly, Earth-838’s Professor X was killed off by the unstoppable Wanda, but it hints that the MCU is cooking something.
However, bringing the A-game with Stewart, 83, and McKellen, 84, is very far-fetched considering their age factors. Also, Marvel Studios has not officially declared any X-Men slates as of yet. But one thing is certain, the road is still very long for Stewart and McKellen to appear on What If.
What If— Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen Are Off The Table
When it comes to What If, Stewart and McKellen are off the table. The reason is pretty simple, the show’s creators Bryan Andrews and A.C. Bradley opened up about the absence of the mutants revealing what stopping them from introducing other versions of X-Men.
“They were pretty much off the table. They’re like, ‘We got to do it first in live action and then you get to do it.’ And we’re like, ‘Ah, man!’ We would’ve loved to have played with all kinds of toys. But there’s limitations,” Andrews told ComicBook.com.
Sam Wilson’s Captain America also had the same issue, “It’s also why we couldn’t do Sam Wilson’s Captain America because we didn’t know when that would be coming out,” Bradley said. But certainly, they would have ample time and space for The Watcher to guide the viewers to another Captain America narrative, unlike the senior X-Men stars. Of course, it is a disappointment and hard to digest for fans as they have been expecting the duo to appear in the Disney Plus show. Also, WGA strikes have delayed the cinematic slates of the MCU, and under the current Multiverse Saga, an X-Men feature is very unlikely which might keep the mutants on hold till MCU’s Phase 7, perhaps around 2026. Regardless, Stewart and McKellen may not sustain multi-project deals to clear the path for them to appear in the future What If seasons.
