Patrick Stewart Has Perfect Response To Doctor Strange 2 Return Question

Patrick Stewart has the perfect response to questions about whether he returns as Professor X in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer. Marvel Studios is in the middle of promoting the highly anticipated sequel starring Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange. The movie’s cast includes several returning Marvel Cinematic Universe characters and introduces new ones like America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). Doctor Strange 2‘s use of the multiverse, though, has also opened the door for the movie to include plenty of surprising characters, such as Patrick Stewart’s Professor X.

Viewers caught the first glimpse of what appears to be Patrick Stewart as Professor X again in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ Super Bowl trailer. A bald and mysterious figure rolled into the frame and was heard saying that it is time Doctor Strange learned the truth. It didn’t take long for fans to recognize the voice as Stewart’s, indicating he’s returning as Charles Xavier after playing him for nearly 20 years as part of Fox’s X-Men franchise. Despite the apparent reveal that Professor X is in Doctor Strange 2, neither Marvel Studios nor Patrick Stewart has confirmed his involvement in the movie.

This has put Patrick Stewart in a potentially awkward situation as he begins promoting Star Trek: Picard season 3. During a recent interview with Yahoo‘s Ethan Alter, Stewart was asked about the mysterious voice in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ trailer. The actor was directly asked if that was his voice in the footage, and after looking away from the camera for a split second to contemplate his response, Patrick Stewart delivered the perfect answer: “Who’s Doctor Strange?”

As humorous as Patrick Stewart’s response is, it marks another indication of just how secretive Doctor Strange 2 is and Marvel Studios can be. Fans recently endured a long period of Andrew Garfield lying about his return in Spider-Man: No Way Home. This was understood on some level because Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men were not featured in the marketing, as Sony and Marvel wanted to keep them as an in-theater surprise officially. Patrick Stewart is in a much more difficult predicament thanks to Doctor Strange 2‘s trailer since fans have now heard his voice and seen the back of his head.

Although Patrick Stewart can’t yet confirm he is in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, hopefully that day will come sooner than later. The sequel is only a few months away from releasing in theaters and more promotional materials are bound to arrive before then. It’d be a smart move to fully reveal Patrick Stewart’s Professor X return to build on the hype that already exists, while also allowing Marvel Studios to preserve other surprises. But until that officially happens, it seems Patrick Stewart is going to continue joking about not knowing who Doctor Strange is, despite seemingly filming scenes with him for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.