‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Star Dafne Keen Remembers Patrick Stewart as the Mentor Who Made Every Lesson Feel Like Wonder
Few on-screen families in superhero cinema hit as hard as the one at the center of ‘Logan’. Released in March 2017, James Mangold’s film paired Hugh Jackman’s weary Wolverine with Patrick Stewart’s ailing Charles Xavier as they protected a young mutant named Laura from the forces hunting her.
The role of Laura, known as X-23, was Dafne Keen’s film debut, and she was just 11 during shooting. ‘Logan’ grossed $619.2 million worldwide and became the first live-action superhero film nominated for the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. It remains the best-reviewed film in the ‘X-Men’ franchise.
Now Keen has shared a moving tribute to her late co-star. Stewart died at 86 at his Los Angeles home on October 28, after what his family described as a brief journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
Keen said she has always looked up to Stewart and always will, both as an actor and as a person. She recalled his gift for turning every old lesson he passed on into something full of wonder, fun and excitement.
Dafne Keen on the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart 💔 "I have always looked up to him, and always will. As an actor and as a man. He had a wonderful way of wrapping every ancient lesson he imparted in wonder, fun and excitement. I will always remember his warmth and the respect he showed to everyone around him."
— CoveredGeekly (@CoveredGeekly) October 29, 2026
She also said she will always remember his warmth and the respect he showed everyone around him. Her message was shared with a black-and-white behind-the-scenes photo of the 2 playfully making camera frames with their hands, a fitting image of the bond they formed on set.
Keen’s words reflect what many of Stewart’s collaborators have said about him in recent days. For a young actress making her debut in a major franchise, working with a stage legend who had been with the Royal Shakespeare Company since 1966 clearly made a lasting impression.
Kevin Feige pays tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart following his passing at age 86: “I’ll never forget the first time I saw Sir Patrick Stewart on the set of the first ‘X-Men,’" Feige writes in an emotional tribute. "After years of knowing him as the inimitable Captain Picard, I was in awe — and he turned out to be everything I had seen on screen and more: brilliant, charming, warm, generous, with a quiet strength and gravitas. Away from the cameras, he was even more remarkable, with a wonderfully sharp sense of humor. It was a true privilege to know him and to work with him. His legacy lives on not only in decades of extraordinary work, but in the many, many people he mentored. He will be deeply missed.”
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 29, 2026
Their on-screen dynamic was one of the film’s emotional anchors. Set in 2029, ‘Logan’ followed an aging Logan and a gravely ill Charles as they tried to protect Laura from the Reavers, with Xavier’s deteriorating condition giving Stewart some of the most vulnerable moments of his career as the character.
At the time of the film’s release, Stewart said ‘Logan’ was probably the end of the franchise for him. He later returned to the role, but many fans still consider his performance there one of his finest.
Keen’s message joins an outpouring of love from Stewart’s ‘X-Men’ co-stars. Hugh Jackman called him one of the greats of stage and screen and a tremendous friend, saying he learned a great deal from him and would miss him all of his days.
Ian McKellen, Stewart’s longtime friend and on-screen rival as Magneto, also shared a deeply personal tribute recalling their friendship of more than 50 years. Marvel Studios honored Stewart’s work as Xavier from ‘X-Men’ through ‘Logan’ to his final performance.
SIR PATRICK STEWART (1940-2026) Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love. We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions. My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”. Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway. America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire. His farewell performance in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is yet to be seen. Ian McKellen 29 October 2026 Photo: University of Huddersfield
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) October 30, 2026
Fans will see Stewart as Charles Xavier one more time in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, which opens in theaters on December 18. The film marks his final screen role and the first time the X-Men join an ‘Avengers’ story.
For audiences who watched Xavier’s emotional arc in ‘Logan’, his return carries extra meaning. It gives fans a final chance to celebrate the actor who defined the character for a generation.
What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work. My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed.
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) October 29, 2026
Stewart’s influence can be seen in the young performers who learned from him. Keen’s tribute shows how his generosity and sense of joy shaped her early experience in the industry.
As tributes continue to pour in, her memories add a tender, personal note to the story of a legendary career. For Keen, and for countless fans, Stewart’s lessons will last long after his final bow.
What do you remember most about Patrick Stewart's performance as Charles Xavier in Logan?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
