Photo Credit: Marvel Comics
Laurence Fishburne recently shocked fans by proclaiming he’d love to play Professor X in the MCU, and now explained why he thinks he’d be a perfect fit.

Why does Laurence Fishburne want to play Professor X?

Speaking to ComicBook, Fishburne was asked about his desire to play Professor X, and revealed it has to do with his love of all things Marvel, whether it be the comics he read as a child or the movies that are out now.

“I am a true believer in terms of the Marvel space,” Fishburne said. “Whether it’s Marvel comic books or the MCU. I was reading comic books at the age of six in New York City, and those writers and those artists were talking about things that were happening in the city that I was growing up in. So, of course, there are many characters in the Marvel Universe that I related to that I wished I could have played when I was younger. But I’m very, very pleased with the way that the movies have been cast. I’m very, very pleased with the way that they have played out. I’m a huge fan of all of those movies.”

Alongside his love of Marvel, Fishburne also joked that his age makes him a perfect candidate for Professor X, and that he’s also played roles in the vein of the iconic X-Men character before.

He continued, “Professor X, at the moment, is, I feel, the most appropriate character for me to play at the age that I am at this point. And for the kind of roles that I am known for. It feels like it would be fit for me. So that’s why.”

Fishburne isn’t the only actor to throw their name into the ring for a potential role in an X-Men project. Star Bryan Cranston has previously said he’d love to play Mister Sinister, and Giancarlo Esposito also expressed his desire to play Professor X in a potential movie.