Giancarlo Esposito recently confirmed to be in talks with Marvel Studios to join the major leagues as Professor Charles Xavier in upcoming X-Men projects. The actor rose through the industry ranks after a rather lackluster career before being cast as the iconic Gus Fring in AMC’s breaking Bad and its prequel spin-off You better call Saul.
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After his spectacular performance as a fan-acclaimed character, he quickly followed up with a genre shift in the Amazon Prime Original series, The boysand Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. Both series testify to Esposito in a remarkable capacity that steals the show on screen with his flippant charm and cold (bordering on sociopathy) characterization.
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Giancarlo Esposito’s X-Men role in the Marvel Sparks debate
The American actor of Danish origin did not hesitate to aim higher in the industry. Having gained sufficient experience through time spent on The boys As the cold and calculating boss of the pharmaceutical/superhero management industry, Vought, Esposito is now set to play another boss of a superhero megacorporation as Professor X.
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However, given that his usual array of roles falls under a similar character – that of a cruel lone wolf or a cold character – it’s unusual for him to portray the powerful, telepathic mutant now. Debates have now stormed due to a better match between his usual menacing aura and that of Magneto’s personality.
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Why Esposito would be better equipped to play Magneto
The civil rights movement that raged in the United States from 1954 to 1968 gave birth to two of the greatest and most infamous activists the world had seen – Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Both were revolutionaries outspoken seeking to change people’s perceptions. through their ideologies. But where MLK preached non-violence, peace and messages of love, the latter posed an antithesis to the other’s ideology by urging fellow African Americans to protect themselves against predominantly white aggression. “by any means necessary”.
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This will strike a chord with those familiar with the allegiance/rivalry between Professor X and anti-hero Magneto since both comic book characters were born during the height of the Civil War in the September 1963 issue of The X-Men #1. The ideologies that shape their personalities are largely derived from those of MLK and Malcolm X – both fighting for a common cause, namely the preservation of their people, and yet championing opposing ideologies.
If Giancarlo Esposito lands a role in the mutant universe, it would make sense for him to play the anti-heroic Magneto, and given the actor’s current age, Marvel could star in the original arc of the character being that of the Civil War era instead of the originally established Holocaust, thus making it more historically accurate.
