Summary

• The MCU's X-Men reboot will include a mix of new and familiar characters.
• Potential popular casting choices include Daniel Radcliffe as Wolverine and Glen Powell as Cyclops.
• Actors like Kiernan Shipka, Austin Butler, Rudy Pankow, and Olivia Cooke are also perfect for a wide range of X-Men roles.

The reported hiring of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes writer Michael Lesslie.

Lesslie is currently working on the script for the Kevin Feige commented on which X-Men characters could appear. According to Marvel Studios' President, the team will include "a mix of characters seen before and characters never seen before." A few actors could make the balance between popular and obscure X-Men characters work quite well for the MCU.

10 Daniel Radcliffe As Wolverine

Popular X-Men Character

Daniel Radcliffe is one of the most popular choices to play the MCU's Wolverine among fans, and it is not hard to see why that is the case. Radcliffe has plenty of experience leading a major franchise, with the actor's long time playing Harry Potter making him a fine candidate to play the most important member that the MCU's X-Men movie has to get right — Wolverine.

Given Hugh Jackman's iconic status as Logan and the actor's MCU role in Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel's next Wolverine casting needs to be a hit from the start. Radcliffe is already loved by millions, which would facilitate the recasting of the character. The actor also has the physicality, with Radcliffe also being the right height for Logan, and the skills to deliver a violent, nuanced, and electric performance as Wolverine.

9 Anna Sawai As Armor

New X-Men Character To Live-Action

Anna Sawai is one of Hollywood's new rising stars. The actress has appeared in multiple major productions in the past couple of years, which include the Fast and Furious franchise's F9, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Shōgun. The last project showed how Sawai is a must-get for the MCU, as the actress carried the excellent TV series with a performance that had every ounce of emotion and determination that makes for a great hero.

As Feige mentioned, the MCU's X-Men movie will include characters who have not yet been seen in live-action. This could lead to Sawai playing Armor. The Japanese X-Men character has the power to create an exoskeleton of energy that perfectly surrounds her body, which would make for great visuals for the MCU. Armor is also the main character of Marvel Comics' Ultimate X-Men relaunch, which the MCU could use for synergy.

8 Glen Powell As Cyclops

Popular X-Men Character

Glen Powell is taking over Hollywood, with Twisters' success cementing the actor as a growing movie star. That kind of actor is what the MCU should be going after for the X-Men reboot, as Kevin Feige said Marvel films will now usher in the Mutant Era of the franchise. Powell would be the perfect choice to lead the MCU's X-Men movie as Cyclops.

Scott Summers never really got his chance to shine in both the original and younger timeline of the Fox X-Men movies. Marvel Studios has already shown that it understands the importance of the hero, as X-Men '97 brought to life the best version of Cyclops outside of Marvel Comics. Powell has the looks and the acting skills for Cyclops, being able to make the character charismatic and a confident leader others look up to.

7 Kiernan Shipka As Boom-Boom

New X-Men Character To Live-Action

Powell's Twisters co-star Kiernan Shipka could also be part of the MCU's X-Men movie. Shipka has experience as part of big projects, with the actress having led Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina for four seasons, delivering a funny and charismatic performance. That would fit perfectly with one of the characters who could appear in Marvel's X-Men, pairing off nicely with Armor if she is also in the film.

Shipka's possible X-Men character is Boom-Boom, who is not a major name in Marvel Comics by any means. However, the obscure character has a fun and sarcastic personality that audiences have shown to love in Marvel films with characters like Deadpool and Iron Man. As her name states, Boom-Boom has the power to create and throw "bombs" of different sizes and destructive power. Boom-Boom and Armor teamed up in the Krakoan era of X-Men comics.

6 Austin Butler As Gambit

Popular X-Men Character

Another major get for Marvel Studios would be Oscar-nominated actor Austin Butler as Gambit. Butler has found great success with an excellent run of projects that included the recent Dune: Part Two. The movie cemented his ability to play prominent characters in action projects. The actor has the fighting experience and the charisma that needed to play Gambit, the Marvel mutant known for his deeply charismatic nature.

Gambit has had a hard time in live-action so far. The character was played by Taylor Kitsch in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which is one of the most criticized superhero movies ever. Channing Tatum's Gambit movie never ended up happening, with the project stuck in development hell. After X-Men '97 made Gambit one of its most impactful characters, Butler is the perfect star to translate that success to live-action in the MCU.

5 Rudy Pankow As Cannonball

New X-Men Character To Live-Action

The 25-year-old Rudy Pankow made a name for himself on Netflix's Outer Banks. Playing the unpredictable JJ in the teen series, Pankow showed that he has the screen presence, charisma, and comedic timing to be an entertaining part of the MCU's X-Men reboot. Adding to that, Pankow was one of the fan-favorite choices to play the MCU's Human Torch, and with that role going to Joseph Quinn, Pankow could land elsewhere in the MCU.

Pankow's role in Outer Banks would translate perfectly to him playing Cannonball in the MCU. The X-Men character is always loyal to his friends, being a brave hero who will not stop until everyone is safe. That is very close to Pankow's JJ. Cannonball is also known for his comedic personality in certain projects, something Pankow would excel at, as well as his humble persona.

4 Olivia Cooke As Jean Grey

Popular X-Men Character

Olivia Cooke is one of the most prominent stars in the TV space at the moment. Cooke plays Alicent Hightower in the Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon. The role is crucial to the series, with Cooke's character serving as the face of the Green side of the Targaryen dispute. As Alicent, the actress displays the ability to play a smart leader who cares for others and is determined to succeed.

Cooke would be a fantastic pick to play Jean Grey, who has the potential to be the biggest female member of the X-Men in the MCU. Jean was previously played by Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner in Fox's X-Men movies, with both versions of the character being part of bad adaptations of the Dark Phoenix storyline. The MCU could choose to go a different way with Jean, letting her be a force of good instead of having a fall from grace. Cooke could make Jean an empathetic force among the X-Men.

3 Asa Butterfield As Kid Omega

New X-Men Character To Live-Action

Asa Butterfield once almost ed the MCU. The actor was one of those running to play Spider-Man, with Butterfield making it to the final candidates for the role. While Tom Holland was chosen to play Spider-Man in the end, that does not mean Butterfield is completely out of the franchise. Years after auditioning for Peter Parker, the actor could help usher in the Mutant Era of the MCU as an eccentric member of the X-Men.

Kid Omega is a character with a lot of potential to leave a mark in the MCU. He is extremely powerful, with Quentin Quire being an Omega Level Mutant with mind powers, which include telepathy, telekinesis, and several variations of both. Kid Omega also possesses genius-level intelligence. In Sex Education, Butterfield showed that he can play the smartest person in the room while still leaving space to add quirks and nuances to Kid Omega.

2 Jodie Turner-Smith As Storm

Popular X-Men Character

Jodie Turner-Smith is pitch-perfect for the MCU's Storm. Ororo Munroe is one of the most popular mutants from Marvel, and as such, the character will most likely be part of the MCU's X-Men movie. Turner-Smith already has a working relationship with Marvel Studios' parent company Disney, recently appearing in the Star Wars series The Acolyte. Her role on the Disney+ show explains why she is perfect for Storm.

Turner-Smith played Mother Aniseya in The Acolyte. The character was the leader of a coven of witches with incredible powers. Despite being incredibly powerful, Turner-Smith's character was more interesting due to her comionate nature and wisdom. Those are qualities that Storm has also become popular for, with Turner-Smith having the ability to bring the most comic book-accurate Storm to live-action yet. Turner-Smith would also bring a regal presence to Storm.

1 Freya Allan As Betsy Braddock

New X-Men Character To Live-Action

Freya Allan has a couple of major Hollywood roles, with the actress playing Ciri on Netflix's The Witcher and recently giving life to the main human character of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The actress has shown that she is the perfect star for an action property, with her franchise experience suiting the MCU's style of having actors appear across several projects. Allan's sword-fighting skills from The Witcher could lead to her ideal X-Men casting.

There have been some rumors about Captain Britain ing the MCU, and if they were to pan out, his sister, Betsy Braddock, could also appear in the future. Betsy has psychic powers and has served both as Captain Britain and Psylocke in Marvel Comics. At 22, Allan could the MCU for a decade or more, making Betsy a franchise staple and going through all of the hero's major changes, going from an obscure to a popular X-Men member in the MCU.