I’m even more hopeful about the upcoming X-Men reboot following recent reports of Jean Grey’s casting in the MCU. As a member of the original X-Men team in Marvel Comics and one of the most-adapted and beloved mutants in the Marvel Universe, it makes sense to me that Jean Grey would be an essential character to debut in Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men movie. Marvel boss Kevin Feige first teased the introduction of the MCU’s X-Men team back in 2019, shortly after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
A report by insider Jeff Sneider suggests that Sadie Sink, best known for her role as Max Mayfield in Netflix’s Stranger Things, is the frontrunner to play Jean Grey in the MCU. At 22 years old, Sink is a younger actor than many were expecting Marvel to cast in the role of Jean Grey, which makes me think that the MCU’s X-Men reboot will be featuring a young X-Men team, perhaps inspired by 2011’s X-Men: First Class and possibly even including the original line-up of young mutant heroes from Marvel Comics.
I think it makes sense with her being in Stranger Things, and Stranger Things wrapping up next year, her schedule is pretty free after that. Those kids are gonna be red-hot, and Marvel, as we all know, chases heat. I think she’s a talented actress and someone who Marvel probably is down to be committed to for the long term… There’s no director on X-Men yet… It wouldn’t shock me if some members of the X-Men were in [Avengers:] Secret Wars.
Sneider is right when he suggests that Marvel “chases heat,” as several lesser-known actors have become Hollywood legends and household names because of their careers in the MCU. We’ve seen this happen to Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Iman Vellani and more, and while Sadie Sink already has a huge fan-base, she is still at the start of her acting career, so it would be great to see this skyrocket. Sadie Sink is an inspired casting for the MCU’s Jean Grey, and this possible casting makes me even more excited about the X-Men reboot.