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WARNING: Contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day
To me, my X-Men! When Disney first finalised their merger with 20th Century Fox in 2019, bringing with it the rights to both the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, fans had already begun speculating about how and where the mutants would begin to make their way into the MCU proper.
However, it would take another three years for the MCU to begin laying the groundwork for an eventual X-Men reveal, and it wasn’t until the 2022 Ms. Marvel series that we first learned about Kamala Khan’s reworked origins as a holder of the mutant X-gene. Shortly thereafter, 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also introduced a Professor X variant played by Patrick Stewart. Then, in 2023, The Marvels’ post-credit scene introduced Kelsey Grammer’s Beast in an alternate universe that Monica Rambeau had become trapped in.
But it would be 2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine that really began to show how the MCU planned to tie the once vastly distinct cinematic universes of the Fox X-Men movies and the main MCU Earth-616 continuity together. A journey of colliding universes that now seems poised to culminate in this year’s Avengers: Doomsday.
However, despite the MCU’s fond embrace of the early X-Men films (something that Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige got his career start on as an assistant and associate producer), it was also clear that Feige had plans beyond simply having the original X-Men cast reprise their roles.
Kamala Khan, the MCU’s first official mutant, suggested that a whole new generation of X-Men was also on the way, and now, we finally know what form it is beginning to take.
Earth-616’s Mutants Are Already Being Hunted
If you’ve watched Spider-Man: Brand New Day, or paid attention to the reveals at this year’s D23 Expo, then you’d know that Stranger Things star Sadie Sink took the honours of being the first officially cast classic X-Men character residing on Earth-616. Following in the footsteps of Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner, the latest Spidey movie finally introduced a new Jean Grey, whose sister was captured and experimented on by the Department of Damage Control.
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in ‘SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’. Photo by: Jay Maidment
Anyone familiar with X-Men lore will know that mutantkind has never had an easy time, and the new Spider-Man movie clearly shows that mutants are already being actively hunted down and exploited. And, worse yet, Peter Parker seems to have been the one to create a universal power dampener that will likely go on to form the basis of the classic mutant inhibitor collars that have seen so many mutants oppressed over the years.
The New X-Men Class
Following the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, one of the most exciting reveals at this year’s D23 Expo was the cast and release date of the MCU’s new X-Men movie. Set to arrive in theatres on May 5, 2028 and helmed by Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier, the MCU’s version of the X-Men seems poised to take the team in a whole new direction from what was traversed by the Fox movies.
In addition to Sink reprising her role as Jean Grey, the new X-Men cast will also see Kit Connor (Ready Player One) play Scott Summers (Cyclops), Christopher Abbott (Kraven the Hunter) tackle the role of Professor Charles Xavier, Aussie favourite and Home and Away alum Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) take on Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette (Obsession) as Rogue, and Broadway star Maya Boyd as Ororo Munroe (Storm).
Additionally, Star Wars star Adam Driver will be handing in Kylo Ren’s lightsaber to play a whole different kind of bad guy as he tackles the devious Mr Sinister.
While that still leaves several key characters out, Feige has also suggested that there are still plenty more casting announcements to come.
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in ‘DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE’. Photo by Jay Maidment
But What About the Old Guard?
Of course, with a whole new set of X-Men now set to join the MCU, the question remains what will this mean for the OG mutants now set to reprise their roles for Avengers: Doomsday? While it’s still unclear exactly what kind of twists the Russo brothers have in store for us when that hits theatres on December 17th, it will probably be a fairly safe bet to assume that that movie will serve as a final swansong for many of the original cast (provided they don’t survive to continue the fight in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars).
One mutant we can expect to see more of, though, is Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, with plans for Deadpool 4 reportedly already in the development pipeline. However, whether Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will be coming with him again is a different matter entirely.
But before all that, you can catch X-Men ’97 voice actors Lenore Zann and Carolina Ravassa at Supanova Comic Con & Gaming in Adelaide (30 October – 1 November 2026) and Brisbane (6-8 November 2026).
