[This story contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.]
It was truly a sight to behold for X-Men fans.
Patrick Stewart made an obvious (even noted on his Twitter account) appearance as Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Stewart’s was one among a number of exciting cameos, which will not be spoiled here. And even if fans knew it was coming from the slight tease in one trailer — and the actor himself appearing at the Hollywood premiere — the moment still struck a rich chord of nostalgia.
But what’s even better, there were three nods to the classic Fox ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series to that Multiverse of Madness Professor X, who on Earth-838 is a member of mutant secret society the Illuminati.
The first two nods are simultaneous: As Professor X enters the Illuminati’s chamber, composer Danny Elfman’s score goes into a version of the unmistakable animated series theme. As the theme plays, Professor X is shown in a yellow hover chair, exactly like that from the Fox cartoon. And finally, when Professor X uses his telepathic power to show Doctor Strange what happened to their Stephen Strange on Earth-838, circular ripples emanate from his forehead, just like when the character used his powers in the cartoon.
On X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran for five seasons after it debuted on Halloween 1992, Cedric Smith voiced Professor X. Stewart played the character in six X-Men films before Multiverse of Madness, including 2000’s X-Men, which along with Blade (1998) and Spider-Man (2002), is credited with ushering in the superhero blockbuster era.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters.
