One of the most prominent actors rumored to play the MCU's Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, has finally responded to all the X-Men speculation online. As soon as Marvel Studios acquired the film rights to Marvel's marvelous mutant team through Disney's buying of 20th Century Fox, fans were ready to throw out names for who they think should bring the characters to life in the MCU. Over the years, these rumors have included major Hollywood talents like Hunter Schafer, Julia Butters, and many more.
Avatar: The Way of Water star Jack Champion has spoken out about fans casting him in the MCU's X-Men movie (which is rumored to be directed by Thunderbolts* filmmaker Jake Schreier) as Cyclops. For months, Champions' name has come up as a fan-favorite to play the long-standing pseudo-leader of Marvel's mutant team for Marvel Studios; however, he had not publicly spoken on the subject.
That all changed, though, in a recent interview with Josh Wilding, where the 20-year-old finally addressed the X-Men casting rumors head-on.
When asked about whether he had heard rumors about him playing Scott Summers/Cyclops in the MCU, Champion admitted, "It's definitely news to me," but "would love" to play the character if given the chance:
“It’s definitely news to me. I hope it comes true. I definitely would love to play that character. But, you know, rumors."
Casting for the MCU X-Men project has been a hot topic among fans for months, as rumors have begun to heat up about when and where audiences will see the new batch of mutants take the screen under the Marvel Studios banner.
Thus far, no one has been officially cast in the X-Men reboot film, but several names have emerged as potential front-runners to take on some of the most iconic characters in the X-Men canon (read more about the rumored MCU X-Men movie cast here).
The MCU X-Men movie has not been officially announced, nor has any publicly available release information been provided. The project is reportedly being helmed by Jake Schreier, who is most recently coming off his MCU debut with the Florence Pugh-led Thunderbolts* movie.
The latest rumors suggest filming for X-Men will start in 2026, with a release potentially being lined up for sometime after Avengers: Secret Wars (which now comes to theaters on December 17, 2027).
Would Jack Champion Make a Good MCU Cyclops?
Even though Jack Champion has publicly addressed the MCU casting rumors attached to his name, people are still speculating wildly about his potential X-Men role.
Now, the biggest question is whether the 20-year-old actor would make a good choice for the MCU's Cyclops.
Most fans know Chapmion for his work as the lone adopted human son of the Sully clan, Spider, in James Cameron's Avatar franchise.
Even though he has only appeared in one Avatar movie (with Avatar 3 still on the horizon for later this year), Champion has demonstrated he is a force to be reckoned with on-screen. In Avatar 2, he already showed shades of Cyclops in his character, as Spider, too, was an outsider adopted into and accepted by a found family.
The most significant factor potentially holding Champion back from taking on the role is his age and the direction Marvel Studios wants to go with its take on the iconic X-Men heroes.
Champion is only 20 years old, Which is significantly younger than James Marsden, who was cast as Cyclops in the 2000 X-Men movie.
It is still relatively unclear how old Marvel Studios will want its central X-Men team to be in the upcoming reboot, but if they look older (like Fox did more than 20 years ago), Champion may not fit the bill.
However, if the super-powered studio wants to start young with its X-Men characters and have them grow up before audiences' eyes, then the Avatar star may be the perfect fit.
