Chadwick Boseman, who plays Black Panther, recently expressed his interest to see Denzel Washington in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) amid rumours that Marvel is eyeing the veteran actor for an X-Men role.

The actor briefly touched on the notion of Washington joining the MCU in an interview about his new film "21 Bridges." He said that there will always be a place for the "The Equalizer" star if he ever decides to join the team.

"If he wants to do it, I'm sure there's a place for him," Boseman said in his interview with JOE.ie.

The Oscar-winning actor's comment comes after Washington revealed in a 2018 interview that he has yet to be approached by Marvel. He expressed his interest in joining the MCU though. When asked if he would be willing to step into the world of the comic book genre, Washington replied, "Never say never."

If Washington is indeed joining the MCU, then this could potentially confirm rumours about his involvement with a new "X-Men" film. Marvel executives are reportedly looking to recast the existing actors in the former Fox franchise. This means the actors portraying the older version of Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart) may need to be replaced.

A rumour in September claimed that Marvel is looking to cast an African-American actor as Magneto, and that Washington is on top of their list. This casting, if indeed true, is definitely going to raise eyebrows, especially since diehard fans believe Magneto to be white and Jewish.

But Jewish does not necessarily mean "white" and Magneto is a fictional character whose race is not actually specified in the X-Men comic books. This means any male actor regardless of colour can portray him.

Boseman is not saying if Washington, who paid for his tuition at Howard University, is already in talks to join the MCU. For now, he is busy focusing on his upcoming projects including "Yasuke" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." As for Washington, he rubs shoulders with the "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler and is close friends with him. This may help pave the path for his introduction to the MCU.

Denzel Washington
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly