Avengers: Secret Wars Report Gives Clear Verdict on Professor X & Magneto Actors

A new rumor may have settled the debate over Professor X and Magneto’s future in the MCU. A Marvel insider addressed whether Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen will return beyond Avengers: Doomsday.

Doomsday stars rumored for Professor X and Magneto in Avengers: Secret Wars

Marvel scooper MyTimeToShineHello claims Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen will reprise their roles in Avengers: Secret Wars. The insider posted on X, “Despite rumors saying they won’t be in it Patrick and Ian will return as Xavier and Magneto in Secret Wars!!!” Marvel Studios has not confirmed this report.

Stewart and McKellen currently appear in Avengers: Doomsday as Charles Xavier / Professor X and Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto, respectively. Marvel officially announced both actors as part of Doomsday’s cast in March 2025. They joined several other Fox X-Men alumni, including James Marsden, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and Kelsey Grammer.

Stewart previously reprised his Professor X role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). McKellen returned to the role for the first time since X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Their inclusion in Doomsday marked a major reunion for the original X-Men film franchise within the MCU.

Secret Wars will serve as the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga alongside Doomsday. Kevin Feige confirmed that Secret Wars would “reset” the MCU with a recast X-Men team and a new singular timeline. He also stated the film would introduce a “new age of mutants and of the X-Men.” Filming for Secret Wars begins in late 2026 and will last approximately six months.

Several other Doomsday cast members have already confirmed their Secret Wars returns. Letitia Wright, Simu Liu, Chris Evans, Paul Bettany, and Florence Pugh will all reprise their respective MCU roles. Samuel L. Jackson also confirmed his return as Nick Fury. Noah Jupe recently joined the sequel in an undisclosed key role. Anthony and Joe Russo are directing both films, with a December 17, 2027 release date set for Secret Wars.