Patrick Stewart Set A Marvel Record
Patrick Stewart has the Guinness record for the longest running live-action Marvel role after his appearance as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Fans were all pleasantly surprised when Patrick Stewart’s bald head and iconic voice popped up in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer. Along with ramping up fan hype, Stewart’s appearance in that movie also helped him reclaim a Marvel movie record. With his appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Stewart once again holds the title for the longest run in a live-action Marvel role, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Patrick Stewart first appeared as Charles Xavier aka Professor X in 2000’s X-Men and has since played the character in eight different films. After appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Stewart set the record for playing the role for 21 years and 296 days. While that record is going to be hard to beat, Marvel hasn’t been shy about bringing back actors from their older films.
In fact, Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe were holding on to that record thanks to their appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The two actors appeared as Spider-Man and Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s (who also happened to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) 2002 film Spider-Man, setting their record for 19 years and 225 days. They managed to snatch the record from Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman, who were at 16 years and 232 days for their appearance in 2017’s Logan.
Of course, with Marvel’s new trend of bringing back actors their roles, Patrick Stewart’s record won’t be safe for long. In fact, Hugh Jackman himself will be taking the title for himself when he appears as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 on November 8, 2024. It’s always possible that Patrick Stewart could return as Professor X after Jackman’s appearance, but that remains to be seen.
We might even be in for a double surprise if Patrick Stewart happens to make an appearance in Deadpool 3, so he can once again share the record with Jackman. There are also upcoming Avengers movies to consider, which could bring back some other classic heroes with multiverse shenanigans. If Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars decide to bring back Tobey Maguire, for instance, the record could be taken once again.
Of course, other than the Hugh Jackman appearance, this is all speculation at this point. At the moment, Patrick Stewart is staying plenty busy with his other roles. Stewart will be reprising another iconic role from an iconic franchise when he returns as Captain Picard in season 3 of Star Trek: Picard on February 16, 2023.
While there’s always the possibility of Patrick Stewart returning as Professor X in the MCU, it does seem like he’ll be closing the book on his Star Trek career with Star Trek: Picard Season 3. The third season is set to be the final season of the series. We don’t know what it holds in store for the fate of Picard, but it does seem like they’re planning on giving the character a fitting send-off.
You can stream Star Trek: Picard when it hits Paramount+ in February. You can check out Patrick Stewart as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is streaming on Disney+. For the latest in the MCU, you can now stream the entirety of She-Hulk’s first season and see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in theaters on November 11.
