Sir Patrick Stewart’s iconic run in the X-Men Franchise is made better because of a previous role. Marvel fans have grown to know and love Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier since his debut in the 2000s. X-Men. He would go on to play the character for over 20 years, and Stewart’s Professor X has now become One of the longest-running superhero pictures. However, Stewart was a well-established sci-fi icon before that X-Men Thanks to his other popular role.
Stewart first appeared as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, and became a prominent figure in the show’s 90s run and returned in the 2020s with his solo series, Star Trek: Picard. Initially, Stewart wanted to turn down the role of Professor X because of his time as Picard, citing that the two sci-fi roles might be too similar for audiences and himself. The actor was not looking for more fantasy roles at the time, but it happened X-Men Director Bryan Singer who convinced him to try it.
Patrick Stewart’s Marvel and Star Trek roles have more in common than you might think
Thanks to Singer’s efforts, sci-fi fans live in a world where Stewart portrays two sci-fi icons. Stewart was initially worried that Professor X would be too similar a role to Picard And that the X-Men Franchise would overlap with Star Trek. Singer assured the actor that the most obvious similarity was simply the shape of the characters’ heads. However, as Stewart’s images ran their courses, the two characters developed some similarities, but not in the repetitive way that Stewart was concerned about.
Stewart’s experience as Picard subtly shaped how he handled the character of Professor X. Both characters are respected leaders in their franchises, with Picard being the commanding officer of the Federation starship and Charles Xavier being the founder and occasional leader of the X- People. As authority figures, both characters are level-headed and self-assured. There are some pronounced differences between the two characters’ personalities, however The elements of a good leader are present in both.
Star Trek lets Patrick Stewart practice a lot of what made his Professor X performance truly iconic
Stewart was worried that his portrayal of Picard would overlap with the Professor X role, but his experience is on Star Trek actually helped make his X-Men Performance more iconic. Although Picard initially started out as a more aloof, no-nonsense character, The level of humanity and dignity that Stewart brought to the role is what made him such a fan favorite.. Even in the comics, Professor X has always been more of a gentle authority figure, and Stewart is able to bring the nuances of Picard to his Marvel role.
Stewart would undoubtedly have done a great job with Professor X regardless of his previous experience in Star TrekBut its time on Star Trek Just helps make his Marvel role more impressive. Already knowing how to portray patience and determination in a leader through Picard, it made for Stewart’s stellar understanding of Professor Xavier. It’s hard to imagine a world where Stewart actually rejects his X-Men role because of Star TrekBut superhero fans can be thankful that Picard eventually helped shape his Professor X image instead of hindering it.