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Remember the X-Men fancasting of Giancarlo Esposito as Professor X? Here's what Marvel Studios told the actor when he pitched it to them
Giancarlo Esposito wanted to play Professor X for Marvel, but the studio told him they were still years away from reintroducing the X-Men characters
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This year, Giancarlo Esposito made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as the villain Sidewinder in Captain America: Brave New World. However, there was initially another Marvel role Esposito had his eye on.
“It all started with Charles Xavier,” Giancarlo Esposito says during a panel at Space Con 2025. “Fans were asking me to play Charlies Xavier, Professor X, and I said, ‘Yeah, certainly I would love to do that.’ I was at the Emmys one year and ran into an executive at Marvel.”
“I said, ‘I’ve been hearing all this stuff about Professor X, and they said, ‘Yeah, we’ve heard the fans desire, and we really want to work with you, but we’re not ready to do that. We’ve done it already. It may be years before we’re ready to do that.’ And I said, ‘Well, when you are, it would be great to think about it. If not, something else.’”
That something else ended up being Sidewinder in Captain America: Brave New World. Not a bad way to negotiate yourself into a Marvel role.
Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:
About Spacecon
SPACECON is America’s newest comic con created by PMX Events. Attendees will see celebrity guests from the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek, Guardians of the Galaxy and other intergalactic movies and TV shows. Con goers will discover an immersive show experience to get up-close and personal with their favorite celebrities, voice artists, and comic artists with hundreds of exhibitors and special attractions to exhilarate any fandom.
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