It’s been so long since we saw James McAvoy sitting in the wheelchair, playing one of his most iconic roles as Charles Xavier in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men revival franchise. His portrayal of the mentor of the young Mutants of his succeeding generation turned out to be exponentially more impactful than what was expected compared to Patrick Stewart’s portrayal of the character. Along with him, was his friend turned enemy Magneto, played by Michael Fassbender.
As the audiences who are familiar with the movies already know, Professor X and Magneto are two opposing sides that want the liberation of the Mutants of the world from oppression and persecution of humans. They have alternate philosophies regarding how to achieve it. Thus, when McAvoy talks about his experience with the franchise, he points out a particular quirk of the film that frustrated him the most.
James McAvoy Reveals Why He Was Frustrated With The X-Men Franchise
If you are well informed about the lore of the X-Men from the comics and the films, you would know that James McAvoy‘s Professor X and Michael Fassbender‘s Magneto were friends when they first met each other. Then after several events that transpired later, Magneto realized that demanding peaceful liberation of the Mutants was a fool’s errand. That’s why, they turned enemies, as Magneto tried to save his own kind with forceful retaliation, while Professor X wanted the incorporation of the Mutants among the humans.
This was one of the biggest dynamics that the fans wanted from the X-Men reboot, as well as showing some deeper storylines from the films in the long run. But instead, the studios decided to invest their time in showcasing the individual prowess of these characters with the almost one-person-focused depiction, which did not lead to any record-breaking success of the franchise, and eventually lead to the cancelation of the project. In an interview with GQ, McAvoy stated his displeasure, saying:
“My biggest criticism of what we did throughout the four movies was that after the first movie, we didn’t take advantage of the relationship between [Xavier and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto], which really formed the backbone of the first film. So it was like, why did we just eject that massive weapon?”
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Will We See Them Again?
As it now sits, neither Fassbender nor McAvoy have said anything about returning as their superhero counterparts in the rumored X-Men revival films that Marvel Studios will bring after their acquisition of 20th Century Fox Studios. Although, we have seen stars keep these things secret all the time due to embargo, which leads fans to take their claims with a grain of salt. According to rumors, many believe these two actors are more likely to appear in Marvel than Stewart and McKellen, who play the old versions of the superheroes.
Source: GQ
