X-Men: 7 Best & 7 Worst Casting Decisions In The Franchise So Far

2. Sir Patrick Stewart - Professor Charles Xavier

Watching Star Trek: The Next Generation now, it's hard not to see why Sir Patrick Stewart was always the most likely choice to play the X-Men's leader and guide, and it's not simply because Picard and Professor X are two of the three most famous bald characters in geekdom (Lex Luthor in at number 3). But aesthetics are only half of the story here: like McKellen, Stewart is classically trained with a particular slant on Shakespearean roles, and the disciplines learned in those roles adds a wonderfully successful regality to is Xavier. He is a picture of poise and power, even when the rest of the characters on screen tower above him, and that is chiefly because of the kingly, familiar notes Stewart brings to the role. Stewart is a grounding influence in the cast: patriarchal and welcoming, which works perfectly for both Captain Picard and Xavier, and though it is rarely required of him, his ability to change to something more dramatic and more powerful proves precisely why he was chosen in the first place.