James McAvoy Ready to Play a DC Villain, but Has One Major Condition

Published 09/15/2024, 3:05 AM EDT

James McAvoy is no stranger to the superhero world. The actor has played the younger version of Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, in four X-Men movies. However, since X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016, he has been largely off the radar in the superhero scene. Now, amid the speculations regarding the right villain for the DCU’s upcoming Batman sequel, and at the same time that McAvoy takes on a horror villain role in Speak No Evil, it seems the stars might be aligning for him to jump into the DC universe as its new baddie.

From what it seems, McAvoy is open to the idea as well. However, he does have a condition if he is going to take that plunge.

James McAvoy on being a DC villain

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James McAvoy recently sat for an interview with Josh Horowitz on his Happy Sad Confused podcast. When asked whether the idea of playing a villain in Matt Reeves’ Batman universe intrigues him, McAvoy revealed that he is not “averse” to the idea of playing a villain in the DCU. He is open to the idea as long as the role is “complex and interesting". He further added, “I’m up for it doesn’t matter whether it’s a rom-com or a war movie or a superhero movie”. 

McAvoy also weighed in on how superhero movies should be handled. He believes they can not just rely on superpowers and the protagonist. “They need to be something else,” said the 45-year-old. This means James Gunn will need to come up with something truly original and out of the ordinary to grab McAvoy’s attention. The It actor also touched on his X-Men character recently. 

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In another interview, McAvoy discussed the possibility of him returning to his role as Charles Xavier.

James McAvoy on making a X-Men comeback

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After Ryan ReynoldsDeadpool & Wolverine and the way the MCU now blends its universes together, it seems like almost anyone can return to their old superhero roles. Fans recently saw Ray Park and Jennifer Garner make a comeback in the 2024 blockbuster, even after being away for over 20 years. So, it would not be too surprising if James McAvoy made a return to his X-Men character as well. However, from his chat with BuzzFeed UK, it seems McAvoy has moved on from his role as Professor X. 

When the interviewer pointed out that no one could play Mr. Tumnus or Professor X quite like he did, McAvoy did not shy away from being honest. He said he suspects "we will be seeing someone else play those roles”. While he might not be heading to the MCU, it is not hard to let the imagination run wild about him being the new bad guy in the rival DC universe.

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What do you think about James McAvoy’s interview? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hriddhi Maitra

1650 articles

Hriddhi Maitra is a Hollywood News reporter at Netflix Junkie. An enthusiastic movie buff, Hriddhi found her true calling when she worked as a Cinema Content Writer at My Cinema Story while analyzing movies objectively, and offering constructive feedback. Coming from a background where she worked in different niches like finance, food, travel, medicines, automobile, and entertainment, we can safely say she is a jack of all trades.

Edited By: Itti Mahajan

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