Giancarlo Esposito still has his eyes set on playing Charles Xavier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Yet, it seems he wants a big twist on the iconic X-Men character.
Fans have been petitioning for Giancarlo Esposito to join the MCU for years. Esposito himself has also expressed interest in joining the cinematic universe following his stint in Star Wars. While he’s been cast as almost every Marvel character under the sun by fans, one particular comic book creation that seems to have stuck is Charles Xavier, the leader of the X-Men.
Giancarlo Esposito has been no stranger in touting his passion for playing Charles Xavier in the MCU, speaking of his desire to bring the character to life all the way back in 2022. That passion hasn’t died in recent years, with Esposito recently reiterating his desire to lead the X-Men, just so long as he doesn’t have to sit in a wheelchair all day.
“I’ve given it a cursory glance in my brain, and immediately I go ‘Hmm,’” Esposito spoke during a recent interview with Fade To Black. “‘[It would] be great to play Professor X in some other incarnation that just the wheelchair. Right? Because the physical idea of being in a wheelchair every single day does not appeal to me. I just don’t feel that old and I don’t like to sit that much.”
“But certainly, we could figure something out maybe,” He continued. “Professor X wasn’t always in the wheelchair but that is part of his character development. So, I think about it a little bit but I don’t give it all of my thought because it would have to come to me.”
It’s certainly true that Charles Xavier hasn’t always been confined to his wheelchair in the X-Men comics. Even when it comes to the films, James McAvoy played a version of the character that could walk. It isn’t entirely out of the question that Giancarlo Esposito would play a version of the character with functional legs in the MCU (at least, temporarily!).
Giancarlo Esposito Wants A New Take On Magneto
Giancarlo Esposito doesn’t just have thoughts on how Charles Xavier would be in the MCU. In the same interview with Fade to Black, he mused about who would play the X-Men villain Magneto opposite of him, coming to the conclusion that working with Denzel Washington “would be great.”
This statement was rather controversial among X-Men fans. Magneto is a historically Jewish character, with his Judaism playing a large part in his story due to him and his family being victims of the Holocaust. Many viewed Giancarlo Esposito’s comments about potentially casting a non-Jewish actor as Magneto as insensitive to the plight of the Jewish community.
The MCU has already had a long history of whitewashing characters in the eyes of fans. Other historically Jewish characters like Moon Knight weren’t played by Jewish actors in their projects, and some fans have even called out Marvel for not casting a Romani actress as the Scarlet Witch.
Diversity in casting in any form is a very complicated subject. While it’s not impossible for Marvel to cast a non-Jewish actor as the MCU’s Magneto, it would certainly be a severe disappointment for fans of the character to lose such an important part of his backstory. So while Giancarlo Esposito may be a perfect fit for Charles Xavier, it may be best to take his suggestions with a grain of salt.
