Patrick Stewart Rips Marvel MCU Movie And He’s Absolutely Right
It seems as though Patrick Stewart has joined the likes of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Jodi Foster, by critiquing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He isn’t the first and he’ll be far from the last where this is concerned.
Frustrating And Disappointing
During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Stewart had some negative comments regarding his recent foray into the MCU, calling his experience frustrating and disappointing.
Specifically, the 83-year-old actor expressed frustration at having to shoot scenes alone and be CGI’d into the final film rather than being able to meet on location with his co-stars.
First Time In MCU
Though Patrick Stewart has portrayed the iconic Marvel comics character of Professor Charles Xavier for decades, his recent cameo appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness serves as his first entry into the Disney-owned MCU.
When prompted by Horowitz to discuss his experience shooting with Disney, Stewart expressed frustration at sitting in a green screen room delivering lines to an empty space.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
For those who have not seen Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, one climactic scene features Patrick Stewart alongside a laundry list of new and returning Marvel characters, representing the Illuminati.
As a group, they hear an appeal from Benedict Cumberbatch’s Steven Strange, who seeks their support in correcting his universe-shattering mistakes.
Professor X appears to a great deal of fanfare, alongside John Krasinski‘s Mr. Fantastic, Hayley Atwell’s Captain Britain, and Lashana Lynch’s alternate universe variant of Captain Marvel.
Should Have Been Fun
According to Patrick Stewart, appearing alongside these Marvel actors could and should have been a fun experience, had it not been for the solo shoots.
Each actor in the scene filmed their scenes separately, only to be composited together in post-production.
While some fans assumed Stewart’s comments were a takedown of Marvel and the Disney filmmaking process at large, this actually seems to be the cause of a post-COVID safety protocol.
Shutdowns Got In The Way
Unfortunately, as the Jean-Luc Picard actor notes, the novel Coronavirus and the ensuing pandemic, which shut down the film industry for much of 2020 and 2021, has remained a hurdle behind the scenes.
Though productions have resumed in full force, Patrick Stewart claims that a large ensemble of Marvel films still isn’t fully back to normal.
Several new rules and safety measures have been put in place to protect the cast, crew, and community from getting sick, which has made filmmaking a more arduous and frustrating process than ever before.
Deadpool Return?
Despite Patrick Stewart’s frustration with Marvel, he claims there have been talks of another return in the upcoming Deadpool film.
The film is set to feature a return of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine for the first time since 2017’s Logan, leaving many fans to wonder if Professor X could also show up.
For now, Stewart claims that he has been in discussion to return for the film, though no concrete plans have been implemented.
Unfortunately, the untitled third film in the Deadpool franchise is currently filming, meaning there is very little time to make changes to the final product if Patrick Stewart does decide to don his Marvel attire once more. For now, all fans can do is wait and see what the film has in store.
