When it comes to comic book movies, it seems like there’s a new rumour daily. From the wishful to the ludicrous, you can’t escape all the Gossip Girls online. Sometimes, though, there are rumours you hope aren’t made up, such as the latest one that Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito is in talks to play Charles Xavier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
With Disney and Marvel Studios absorbing Fox, it’s evident that the X-Men will be recast for the MCU. When it happens is an entirely different story. Still, it’s fun to dream about potential castings, especially when names like Esposito’s are thrown into the mix.
Not only did the actor steal the show as the silent-but-deadly Gus Fring on Breaking Bad, but Giancarlo Esposito also made a sensational arrival as Moff Gideon on The Mandalorian. He is also no stranger to the comic book genre, having portrayed Ra’s al Ghul and Lex Luthor in DC animation. In fact, if Marvel doesn’t scoop him up for the Professor X role, then DC needs to act fast and get him on board for a live-action property.
Funny enough, this isn’t the first time that Esposito has been linked with the MCU’s X-Men. In August 2019, X-Men: First Class writer Zack Stenz suggested him for another part.
In a tweet, Stenz said, “Esposito is a brilliant actor who could play nearly any role. But if you wanted to reimagine Magneto as a Tutsi survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide… He’d be pretty amazing.”
Whether Esposito does get a role in the X-Men or not, there’s no denying he’s one of the most talented actors working today. As Professor X, he’d undoubtedly steal the show, following in the footsteps of Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy.
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Ugh.
I like the way everyone’s pretending the elephant isn’t in the room. Take that, reality!
Elephant? What elephant? I see no elephant in this room. Take that, reality!
Err Professor X isn’t black though.
He also isn’t able to walk. Were you complaining twenty years ago that Patrick Stewart isn’t paralyzed?
Xavier is white
What’s more Giancarlo walks !
Seriously, if I got assurance than the new X-men movies would be closer to the source material I wouldn’t mind this kind of liberties being taken. But so far, this kind of liberty doesn’t bode well regarding hopes towards respect of the original material. And once again, ethnicity is not transparently swappable. I mean is gender so easily swappable? Well no, they are adapting female characters to replace male parts but this comes with a back story. Carole Danvers becomes Captain Marvel but she doesn’t become Mar-vell. Same for female Thor, she is just not replacing another character. Female Wolverine is a female clone and so on.. So why would be have to work like a breeze to change ethnicity but not gender? A black version of a character should also be a different character like the Black Goliath. This said in the world of mutants, where the fight is a metaphor for civil rights ethnicity is paradoxically not really that relevant any more because of the issue of being a mutant. What’s more this kind of trick is not only taking away from long-standing characters like the one who is adapted but also from other characters. Storm is the first black X-woman and by making him black they are taking that away from her. Ethnicity does not represent 100% of a character’s identity but it’s a part of it. taking that away from characters is depriving them of a part of their identity and it’s not creative freedom as it’s part of a long process that has been occurring on a regular basis, there is no creativity or originality in that. Political views? I am pretty sure there are smarter things to do in that regard than playing that old used up trick. So is it just because the actor is amazing? Well he has been playing intense parts and he would make a great mutant leader character and who knows he might blow me away as Xavier. After all after a long-haired Xavier, that new version has a lot of room for improvement regarding respect of the source material.
Saying a fictitious character is one race or another is a ludicrous sentiment.
Really? So how does that go with the next T’Challa being Scandanvian?
Scandanavian…
Terrible Idea…..and I’m Black…Marvel needs to stop changing the race of characters….Leave them as they were originally created!
Since they are exploring the multi-verse then this could be a Professor Xavier from a different timeline/universe. No problem with a black Xavier.
Cultural appropriation…and before you disagree…now that Chadwick is dead, can we have a re-imagined Black Panther who is white and king of England instead of Wakanda?
Absolutely a marvelous choice 🙏🏿
Going’ to be something different ! A major twist and differences. I’m just excited to see who the cast is gonna be. Been a X-men fan since day one. He’ll make a excellent professor x.
Nope. He’s black.
I think it’d be amazing. I’ve been a fan of Marvel for four decades now and that’s being conservative. Kevin Fiege vision for Marvel had been brilliant and the possibility of actors of colour playing roles they’ve been traditionally white; especially the X-men, who were originally based in part on the civil rights movement of the sixties would be a stroke of genius. I know Stan Lee would love it as would so many fans.
Giancarlo Espositio would be great in that role, color considerations aside. Good movie and nobody will care he’s black. Shitty movie and everyone will yell “colorwashing”
Who cares about color? It’s that Giancarlo’s charters lack charisma and normally plays into the omniscient condescending villian. I love Giancarlo, but I’d be more open to him as a villian… even Magneto could be interesting.
I’m cool with a different race… what about Danny Glover? Idris Elba? Tyler Perry could be an interesting twist. Damon Gupton? Here’s a long shot… Cress Williams, we already know that he plays a great teacher/mentor.