Giancarlo Esposito Reportedly Joins MCU in Mystery Role

One of the most long-awaited fancasts in recent memory might be happening — but with a catch. Over the years, Giancarlo Esposito has been fans’ suggestion for a wide array of Marvel Cinematic Universe roles, including a potential live-action reboot of Charles Xavier / Professor X. After repeatedly indicating that he would be more than willing to join the MCU, new comments from Esposito seem to hint that it has become a reality. During a recent panel at CCXP Mexico (via Collider), Esposito revealed that he’s appearing in a Marvel project “sooner rather than later,” and that the title and role in question are “better than you can imagine.” 

The qualifier of “sooner rather than later” seems to rule out the possibility of Esposito playing Professor X, as Ross Marquand already voices the character on the animated X-Men ’97 series, and Marvel’s live-action X-Men reboot is presumably still years away. While there’s no telling at this point what Esposito’s role will be, some have already theorized that he could be playing Galactus or Doctor Doom in The Fantastic Four, which is expected to begin production in a few months for a 2025 release date, or that he might be voicing Norman Osborn in the upcoming Disney+ animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which is confirmed to be released at some point this year. Additionally, there’s always the possibility that he might be referring to a non-Marvel Studios project, potentially under Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

Will Giancarlo Esposito Play Professor X?

Even if Esposito is not portraying Professor X, the actor has repeatedly shared his vision for how he would play the X-Men protagonist. This includes comments he made earlier this year, in which he indicated he would prefer to play the character without his iconic wheelchair.

“You know, I’ve given it a cursory glance in my brain, and immediately I go, ‘Hmm, it’d be great to play Professor X in some other incarnation than just the wheelchair.’ Right? Because the physical idea of being in a wheelchair every single day does not appeal to me,” Esposito recently told the Fade to Black podcast. “I just don’t feel that old and I don’t like to sit that much. But certainly we could figure something out, maybe. Professor X wasn’t always in the wheelchair, but that is part of his character development. So I think about it a little bit, but I don’t give it all of my thought because it would have to come to me.”

What Is the Next Avengers Movie?

At the moment, the next Avengers film is set to be Avengers 5, which currently has a release date of May 1, 2026. The film does not currently have a director or a confirmed cast, and is reportedly undergoing changes from its initial pitch, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, following the criminal conviction of former Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors late last year. Avengers 5 is then set to be followed by the highly-anticipated Avengers: Secret Wars in May 7, 2027.

“You know, I’m coming up on 23 years at Marvel,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in a 2023 interview. “That’s a long time. It’s not quite half my life, but it’s almost half my life. [Laughs] Many of us have been together for a decade or more. And we only do it because we are so excited and in love with the potential for what we can do ahead. The storylines that weave together through Phase 5 and 6 into Secret Wars and the opportunities that the multiverse brings storytelling-wise, it’s a whole new aspect to the MCU.”