James McAvoy, known for portraying the young version of Professor X, shared unexpected reflections on his performance at a recent event. Speaking at New York Comic Con during an X-Men: Days of Future Past reunion, McAvoy discussed the challenges he faced while embodying the iconic Marvel character, highlighting his concerns about facial expressiveness and his controversial choice to depict the use of Professor X’s powers with a specific finger gesture.
Insights from the X-Men Reunion Panel
The X-Men franchise, once helmed by Fox, has ended, but its influence continues within the superhero movie landscape, including ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). At New York Comic Con, a reunion panel brought together James McAvoy and Elliot Page to reflect on their experience from the film Days of Future Past. A major point of discussion was the technical effort involved in visually conveying mutant abilities like Professor X’s telepathy.
McAvoy explained the physical difficulties of representing telepathic power on screen, confessing worries about his expressive capability as he ages.
“I’m very expressive with my eyebrows. They are thinning as I get older, which really worries me, because I don’t know if I can do the same kind of work anymore,”
he said.
Debate Over the Signature Finger Gesture
McAvoy revealed that he intentionally incorporated the gesture of putting a finger to his head as part of his portrayal. While this move has become synonymous with Professor X, played by Patrick Stewart in earlier films, it was not originally used by Stewart, sparking internal debate during production.
“Honestly, like when I first said I want to do the finger, there was, it was like a discussion,”
McAvoy shared.
“We had the finger conversation. I’m not joking, by the way.”
The actor further explained the reasoning behind his decision, emphasizing he was not trying to be disrespectful.
“I’m not trying to be a d–k, because I don’t think Patrick ever did that in the other films,”
McAvoy said. However, he noted that the finger gesture has appeared in comic books and animated adaptations, leading him to believe it was justified for his version of Charles Xavier.
Still, the topic caused some awkward moments.
“I was like, Okay, it’s something that he never did. I got to do it. And then there was a whole discussion about fingering myself on camera,”
McAvoy openly admitted, reflecting the tension behind selecting this visual cue to represent psychic activity.
McAvoy’s Final Appearance and Future MCU Plans
James McAvoy last donned the role of Professor X in the 2019 film Dark Phoenix, directed by Simon Kinberg. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe now prepares to reboot the X-Men storyline under Marvel Studios with Jake Schreier directing, fans and critics alike await how the character of Professor X will be reimagined. The MCU has yet to announce a release date for the new X-Men movie or confirm if the signature finger gesture will return.
The MCU, officially launched in 2008 with Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr., has evolved into a sprawling franchise comprising dozens of films and TV series, including major titles like Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki. Its acquisition of Marvel Entertainment by Disney in 2009 marked a new era for superhero storytelling, with the reboot of mutants presenting a fresh chapter to come.
