Empire is saying goodbye to Patrick Stewart with a special subscriber cover of Professor X. The new artwork, revealed Thursday, shows Charles Xavier from behind in his wheelchair, sitting alone in a field at dusk and looking up into a starry sky, with one of the character’s best-known lines: “We’re not as alone as you think.”
Empire pays tribute to the late Patrick Stewart in a new cover:
— Warling (@WarlingHD) November 12, 2026
“We are not as alone as you think” 💔
Stewart died in late October at 86, while Empire was finishing its issue on Avengers: Doomsday, the film that will be his final turn as Xavier.
Two Icons In One Image
The cover was illustrated by Thomas Walker exclusively for the magazine. It is built around Xavier, but it carries a nod to Stewart’s other signature role too. Because he was also Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Picard and several Star Trek films, Walker drew him gazing up into space.
“No matter whether he was tutoring mutants, negotiating with rogue aliens or appearing in something more down-to-earth, Patrick Stewart always brought warmth and wisdom to the screen,” Empire editor-in-chief Nick de Semlyen said of the cover. “Cinema is poorer for his absence, but he will be remembered forever through his iconic performances, not least Professor X, depicted on our new subscriber cover communing with the great unknown. Farewell to the actor who made it so.”
One Last Time As Professor X
Stewart first played Xavier in X-Men more than a quarter century ago and kept coming back to him, most recently for Marvel Studios in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Empire says he appears once more as Xavier in Avengers: Doomsday, which makes the December release his last time in the role.
Inside the same issue, Empire’s Chris Hewitt and Helen O’Hara write remembrances of Xavier and Picard, the two characters Stewart returned to again and again over his career. The issue also carries the magazine’s 22-page Doomsday package, with four newsstand covers of its own.
His X-Men family has already paid their respects. Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn and Hugh Jackman were among those who shared tributes after his death was announced.
How To Get The Cover
The Stewart artwork is a subscriber cover, so it goes to Empire’s subscribers rather than newsstands. The January 2027 issue goes on sale Thursday, November 19. Avengers: Doomsday opens in theaters on December 18, 2026.
For all the Disney news without the clickbait make sure to follow our accounts! Facebook | Twitter | Threads | Instagram | TikTok
