Giancarlo Esposito, perhaps best known for playing Breaking Bad antagonist Gus Fring, has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in an undisclosed role.
Per The Wrap, Fring announced that he's joining the MCU on stage at CCXP in Mexico City. The actor's role in the MCU has yet to be revealed, but Esposito said it's "better than you can imagine."
Contrary to expectation, it sounds like Esposito won't be playing Professor X. However, whatever his mystery role is, it sounds like it won't be too long before we see it in action.
"I cannot promise you it’ll be Professor X, because here’s what I think," Esposito said. "I think that there’s something about being original. We’ve seen different versions of Professor X. Wouldn’t you like to see me play a character in a Marvel movie who is original, and new, and fresh? So, mark my words: This will happen sooner than you think."
There was some expectation that, if he were to join the MCU, Esposito would play Professor X in a new X-Men movie. That isn't purely rumor and speculation; it stems from the fact that, in August 2022, the actor met with Marvel and made it crystal clear that he wanted to play Professor X. However, it seems that at some point in the year-and-a-half since then he changed his mind. Either that or Marvel already had a different role in mind for Esposito when conversations started.
