Mutants are assembling in the MCU, with a new report leading many to believe that Marvel just cast its next X-Men character.
Since Disney bought 20th Century Fox in 2019, the MCU started slowly welcoming X-Men characters to its grand narrative. Most prominently, Deadpool & Wolverine was the first new property distributed by Marvel Studios since the acquisition.
The message was sent loud and clear from audiences to Marvel executives: fans love the X-Men. Deadpool & Wolverine earned over $1.3 billion worldwide, shattering a variety of R-rated and comic-book movie records.
New MCU Casting Joins X-Men
A new report revealed that Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is joining Spider-Man 4, though her exact role remains unconfirmed.
However, the character Sink will likely play is Jean Grey, potentially marking the X-Men's next entry into the MCU. Sink was previously linked to the X-Men character in a past report from 2024.
While this would be a major crossover, it remains uncertain whether Marvel Studios would introduce such a high-profile mutant in a Spider-Man film. Despite the uncertainty, this would be a massive development for the limited number of mutants in the MCU.
At the moment, there are only seven other X-Men in the MCU, and a version of Patrick Stewart's Professor X did die in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:
- Professor X (Patrick Stewart)
- Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)
- Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds)
- X-23 (Dafne Keen)
- Beast (Kelsey Grammer)
- Namor (Tenoch Huerta)
- Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani)
With Professor X, Deadpool, Wolverine, X-23, and Beast as the returning characters from the Fox universe, Sink could join Huerta and Vellani as the first mutants newly cast within the MCU.
Past X-Men stars like Kelsey Grammer will likely appear in Avengers 5 & 6, sending those legacy characters out into the sunset.
If Sink is Jean Grey, this would be the first recast X-Men character in the MCU that had a prominent role in past films. No, Henry Cavill as Wolverine does not count.
Sadie Sink's Role in the MCU
Adding another mutant to the MCU should not come as a surprise, especially considering the next X-Men film is rumored to be released in 2027, after the events of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Sink's (theoretical) Jean Grey could play a pivotal role in the MCU X-Men film after debuting in Spider-Man 4, potentially setting up her character as a key bridge between the Avengers and the emerging mutant team.
If the rumors are true, her introduction alongside Tom Holland's Peter Parker could hint at mutants already existing in the MCU (or some Multiversal shenanigans), paving the way for the X-Men's formation post-Secret Wars.
The upcoming X-Men movie is rumored to be casting lead roles, with Sink, Harris Dickinson (Cyclops), and Julia Butters (Kitty Pryde) among the top contenders.
Marvel tapped The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes screenwriter Michael Lesslie to pen the script, but a director has yet to be announced.
While Disney set multiple untitled Marvel release dates, the X-Men reboot is expected to arrive in July or November 2027, following Secret Wars as part of the MCU's new Mutant era.
