“You know Xavier is an older white guy”: Michael Jackson Was Ready to Do Anything to Play 1 X-Men Character

For some fans, the arc of X-Men as mutant outsiders fighting for their right to fit in, be represented, or at best, to co-exist beside humans, feels more real than the world they live in. As such, Professor Xavierʼs never-ending struggle to mediate, guide, lead, train, shelter, and sometimes pioneer the war against injustice and suffering also resonates among fans who see themselves as outsiders.

However, more so than the rest, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was inspired to embody the powerful character who witnessed the potential in X-Men and eternally fought for equality and justice. In Charles Xavier, the Billy Jean singer saw himself while the rest of the world associated themselves with the remainder of the X-Men.

Michael Jackson Dreamt of Playing Charles Xavier in X-Men

It is inherently foolish to disregard the iconography of Michael Jackson in modern pop culture and music. As the King of Pop Music, Jackson still remains an untethered force in his individual genre, but problems arise when a musician of his caliber, who has achieved the highest degree of success there is to accomplish in his own field, then proceeds to scale another medium of artistic expression.

To the chagrin of producers and directors, Michael Jackson went on record saying he wanted to play Professor Charles Xavier in Bryan Singerʼs 2000 film, X-Men. In response, producers attempted to reason with the singer-dancer, pleading, “You know Xavier is an older white guy?” to which he responded, “I can wear makeup.” 

However, this was not the only attempt on Jacksonʼs part to embody a Marvel character. According to his nephew, Taj Jackson, Michael Jacksonʼs immense love for the Marvel comics and its lore almost drove him to buy the entire property. But even after years of sit-downs, talks, and negotiations with Stan Lee, his request to buy Marvel Comics was denied.

Taj Jackson further revealed his uncleʼs obsession with a certain friendly neighborhood superhero and his unfulfilled dream of becoming a big-screen superhero.

Besides Spider-Man, he was a huge Marvel fan. He knew all the characters. So it was not only Spider-Man [that he wanted to buy]. But yeah, he probably wanted to be Spider-Man. He would be so excited about it. He was such a movie buff in that way that I think he would have thought this is the greatest thing since sliced bread, all these characters coming together.

Despite Michael Jacksonʼs wannabe superhero dreams staying unfulfilled, the future has been kinder to those following in his career path. Megan Thee Stallion has already made her MCU cameo in a divisive scene with Tatiana Maslany in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law while Donald Glover has appeared across the board in MCUʼs Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Sonyʼs Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).

Meanwhile, rumors of Taylor Swift joining the Marvel universe as Blonde Phantom have been orbiting certain fan circles, although whether there is any truth to those rumors remains debatable. Moreover, even though the role never came to pass, Bad Bunnyʼs stint as the lead in Marvelʼs first Latino superhero in El Muerto was short-lived yet commendable.

The Legacy of X-Men and Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe

After the undeniable success of X-Men: The Animated Series and Wesley Snipesʼs Blade trilogy, studios looked to cash in on their acquired Marvel properties, including 20th Century Fox, Sony, and Universal. The three juggernauts then went to work on their respective IPs namely, X-Men, Hulk, and Spider-Man, releasing 3 blockbusters in the next 4 years: X-Men (2000), Spider-Man (2002), and Hulk (2003).

However, even as Bryan Singerʼs X-Men and Sam Raimiʼs Spider-Man became beacons of a new era, even going on to establish themselves as instant classics in their respective rights, both these IPs would soon suffer excessively under the lack of vision and creative degradation.

The X-Men franchise began to crumble under the weight of losses incurred by X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and The New Mutants. Elsewhere, Sony continues to suffer after a dramatic and meme-filled end to Tobey Maguireʼs web-slinger arc as its new Sony Spider-Man Universe hems and haws with its IPs after loaning out their headlining property to Marvel Studios.

With Disney now acquiring both Marvel and 20th Century Fox under its wing, the ubiquitous cinematic universe of Kevin Feige now looks to bring back the magic of X-Men by giving the mutant kind a fresh start in the MCU. For now, the old guard returns in style for one last hurrah as Hugh Jackman fights alongside Ryan Reynolds in Marvelʼs sink or swim feature, Deadpool & Wolverine.

The X-Men franchise is available for streaming on Disney+.