Last night Kevin Feige introduced the world to the next generation of graduates from Charles Xavier’s school for the gifted: the X-Men.
Yes, the merry mutants are finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and getting their chance to team up with Earth’s mightiest heroes.
Feige announced the news at D23 – a massive biennial convention dedicated to all things Disney – and was joined on stage by the MCU’s latest superheroes.
The news wasn’t entirely unexpected; there’s been a lot of speculation and rumour in the build-up to D23, especially after Marvel revealed its next saga would focus on mutants.
So which stars of theatre, TV and film have been lined up to play the astonishing X-Men and, more importantly, which A-list star has been playing the MCU’s new sinister villain?
Well, in the words of Charles Xavier, ‘To me, my X-Men!’
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Who’s in the X-Men cast?
Sadie Sink – Jean Grey
This will hardly come as a surprise to those of you who’ve seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but Sadie Sink is playing the telepathic and telekinetic powerhouse, Jean Grey.
Sink is, of course, best known for running up that hill as Max in Stranger Things, but there’s more to this rising star than fighting demogorgons.
She also starred in the 2021 horror trilogy Fear Street and worked alongside Brendan Fraser and Darren Aronofsky’s in The Whale, a 2022 awards darling.
Kit Connor – Scott Summers/Cyclops
Scott Summers is traditionally the leader of the X-Men and often unfairly characterised as a bit of a Boy Scout.
Donning Scott’s iconic ruby quartz visor this time is Kit Connor, who’s most famous for playing Nick Nelson in the Netflix TV series Heartstopper.
Connor’s no stranger to the big screen; however, he also appeared in the Elton John biopic RocketMan, lent his voice to Brightbill in the painfully underrated animated film The Wild Robot, and he has an unknown role in the upcoming Elden Ring as well!
Christopher Abbott – Charles Xavier
Christopher Abbott will be playing Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, the telepathic teacher who built the X-Men and dreams of a day when humans and mutants can live side by side.
Abbott made his name playing Charlie in Girls and has a list of credits to his name longer than most shopping lists, including A Most Violent Year, It Comes at Night, First Man, Possessor, and Poor Things.
He also played the Wolf Man in the film of the same name, so he’s got experience dealing with characters who have sharp claws…
Inde Navarrette – Rogue
Move over Anna Paquin, because there’s a new Rogue in town who’s ready to take your breath away with a touch.
Yes, Hollywood’s been obsessed with Inde Navarrette since her breakout hit Obsession, which made an ‘X-trordinary’ amount of cash earlier this year.
Still, she’s no stranger to the cape and cowl crowd; she played Sarah Cortez on 47 episodes of the Superman and Lois TV show.
Maya Boyd – Storm
As one of the most powerful and popular X-Men characters, there’s been a lot of speculation about who Marvel would get to play the weather-controlling mutant Storm.
It came as something of a surprise when Marvel announced Maya Boyd, a relative unknown, had won the role. That said, it’s worth noting that Maya is a Broadway actor, so it’s not like they’ve plucked someone from total obscurity.
Adam Driver – Nathaniel Milbury
Finally, we have Adam Driver, who’s playing the dreaded… Nathaniel Milbury. If you’re wondering who that is, then join the club, but all the clues point to this being a pseudonym for the depraved geneticist Mr Sinister, a villain obsessed with creating a perfect race of superhumans.
Driver is an Academy Award-nominated actor who’s worked with some of the biggest and best directors in Hollywood. He also played the villain Kylo Ren in the Star Wars movies, but people don’t like those films for reasons I’ve never entirely understood.
Why are people complaining about the new X-Men cast?
As I mentioned earlier, there’s been an awful lot of speculation about who would be playing the X-Men, and there’ve been rumours going around about this cast.
As a result, a lot of fans are comparing the official cast with the fictional version they had in their heads, and that’s inevitably led to some disappointment.
A number of fans, for example, convinced themselves that Cailee Spaeny would be playing Rogue, and now they’re complaining about Navarette getting the role.
‘Y’all are glazing Inde just because of her performance in Obsession,’ wrote@ackyhousewife on X. ‘IMO, she doesn’t fit the character of Rogue in the slightest.’
@alan__s66 agreed writing: ‘Indeed should’ve been Mystique. She doesn’t give Rogue vibes.’
While @Marvel_Dan__ asked: ‘What happened to Caliee Spaney as Rouge?? Inde is also an amazing choice.’
Other fans have complained that the X-Men roster is a bit limited. @tom40188701 asked: ‘No Beast, No Bobby, No Angel, No Logan??’
@joethekrow had similar questions, demanding to know: ‘Who is playing Jubilee? Nightcrawler? Wolverine?’
‘What about Magneto, and will Hugh Jackman still be Wolverine?’ asked @Marafty3. ‘Will Channing Tatum still be Gambit, and what about Beast, Nightcrawler and Jubilee?’
Still, it’s worth noting that the vast majority of fans think Marvel ‘cooked’ (as the kids say) with this particular cast and are excited to see what’s in store for the children of tomorrow.
X-Men will be released exclusively in theatres on May 5, 2028.