Marvel Studios is reportedly taking a new approach to casting the X-Men's next Professor X. While Fox's X-Men star Patrick Stewart is reprising his Charles Xavier role for Avengers: Doomsday, the MCU is also gearing up for its own X-Men reboot, with several stars already rumored as Marvel's next mutants.
While the MCU's X-Men project isn't expected until after 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars and the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga, casting rumors are already dominating industry headlines. One of the biggest questions amidst the casting buzz is who Marvel Studios is considering for Professor X, the powerful telepath and founder of the X-Men; and now, new reports suggest the MCU is considering "Black actors" for this traditionally white character.
In talking about casting rumors for Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot, industry scooper Jeff Sneider (via John Rocha's The Hot Mic) revealed, "I continue to hear Black actors for Charles [Xavier]:"
"I continue to hear Black actors for Charles [Xavier]. I think that could be... especially with a white director, because I really thought it was going to be a Black director on this, but I wonder if that's the direction that Marvel wants to sort of take and to differentiate its Charles from Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy."
Patrick Stewart first played Professor X in 2000's X-Men and seemingly concluded his run in 2017's Logan before crossing over into the MCU in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. James McAvoy played a younger version of the X-Men founder in X-Men: First Class and its subsequent sequels.
Sneider went on to share which star Marvel Studios wants for Magneto, the traditional X-Men villain and former friend of Professor X, and why then race-swapping Charles Xavier may be the plan, saying, "the rumor was that they want Denzel [Washington]:"
"And again, the rumor was that they want Denzel [Washington] for Magneto. And so, it'd be interesting if they had a Black counterpart as Charles. Colman Domingo is someone who I think is high on that list of a potential if they go with an older Charles... It's funny Jamie just said, 'What about David Oyelowo?' I think Colman Domingo is higher up on the list than David Oyelowo at this point."
What's particularly interesting about this report is that Denzel Washington is supposedly already cast in an upcoming MCU project. While promoting Gladiator II, the actor confirmed Black Panther's Ryan Coogler is already "writing a part for [him]" in Black Panther 3.
Meanwhile, Colman Domingo (Selma, Zola) is no stranger to the MCU, race-swapped roles, or the Marvel rumor mill. For instance, in 2024, he was reportedly considered to replace Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, and in 2025, he voiced an African-American version of Norman Osborn in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
The MCU's X-Men reboot has yet to receive a release date. However, Marvel Studios is reportedly eyeing Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier, with writer Michael Lesslie attached to pen the script.
Why Race-Swapping Professor X Works on Multiple Levels
As Jeff Sneider noted, a Black Charles Xavier would go a long way to differentiate the MCU's Professor X from previous cinematic versions of the comic character, especially in the wake of Patrick Stewart's reprisal in Avengers: Doomsday and potentially Secret Wars (check out the 18 confirmed X-Men characters Marvel Studios is bringing back in 2026 here).
Furthermore, if Denzel Washington plays Magneto, having another Black actor like Colman Domingo play Professor X makes sense, especially since the characters' differing philosophies could parallel real-world issues and conflicts, similar to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Era. Adding to this possibility is the fact that Washington was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Malcolm X in Spike Lee's 1992 biopic.
Whether Denzel Washington's Black Panther 3 role is connected to the X-Men is unknown. But if so, perhaps fans should expect some interesting ties between Wakanda and mutants as development for this project continues.
Find out why Ryan Coogler almost (but didn't) direct the MCU's X-Men reboot.
