Marvel Studios Unveils X-Men Cast at D23: Sadie Sink, Kit Connor and Adam Driver's Mr. Sinister Revealed

Marvel Studios saved its biggest news for the very end of D23, and once it finally got there, the announcements did not disappoint. The panel delivered a new look at Vision Quest, another Hugh Jackman gag about being left out of Avengers: Doomsday, and then the moment everyone was waiting for, a full cast announcement for the new X-Men film alongside its official logo and release date.

If you are a Marvel fan wondering why this matters, it is because after years of waiting, we finally have real names attached to Jean Grey, Cyclops, Professor X, Storm, Rogue, Emma Frost and Mr. Sinister, plus confirmation of when the movie actually arrives.

Vision Quest brings Paul Bettany back alongside James Spader's Ultron in the flesh

Kevin Feige opened the Marvel portion of the night by talking about the Vision Quest series, which arrives on Disney Plus this October. Paul Bettany, who has been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the very beginning, returns as Vision, and he is joined by James Spader, known to fans as the voice of Ultron, who this time appears in the flesh rather than as a motion capture villain.

Both actors took the stage, and Bettany joked about Vision's repeated deaths in the franchise, saying Vision "made the ultimate sacrifice" in Infinity War and "rather inconveniently died several times." He added, "I am told that in the Marvel Universe, no one is ever really dead unless Kevin says they're dead, and then I wouldn't really trust him anyway." Bettany explained that this version of Vision is now grappling with a complicated question of what, or who, he actually is, and what makes someone human, which is exactly why Ultron's return alongside him should make for an interesting dynamic.

A Wolverine game trailer plays before the Doomsday reveal

Marvel Games previewed a bit of a new Wolverine trailer before the panel moved into the Avengers: Doomsday portion of the night.

Hugh Jackman jokes about being left out of Doomsday again

Following up on the gag from San Diego Comic-Con, where Deadpool crashed the panel asking why he was not in Doomsday, this time Hugh Jackman did the exact same bit, joking about being left out while everyone else, including Deadpool and Spider-Man, appeared to be involved. At the end of the clip, Jackman actually requested to appear in Doomsday and said he could probably bring Deadpool along with him too.

Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell and Robert Downey Jr. reveal the same Doomsday trailer from Comic-Con

Kevin Feige then brought out Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell and Robert Downey Jr. to introduce the Doomsday footage, but the trailer shown was the exact same one that already premiered at San Diego Comic-Con and has since been released online. A separate Easter egg breakdown of that trailer is on the way.

Marvel Studios officially reveals the X-Men logo and a May 5, 2028 release date

Then came the transition everyone had been waiting for. Marvel Studios unveiled the official X-Men logo along with the confirmed release date of May 5, 2028. This will be the first film released by Marvel Studios immediately following Avengers: Secret Wars.

The full X-Men cast is announced: Sadie Sink, Kit Connor, Christopher Abbott and more

The cast reveal broke down as follows: Sadie Sink is Jean Grey, Kit Connor is Cyclops, Christopher Abbott is Professor X, Samara Weaving is Emma Frost, Eiza González is Rogue, and Maya Hawke is Storm. Adam Driver was announced as Nathaniel Milbury, also known as Nathaniel Essex or Mr. Sinister, a casting choice that stands out as an absolutely perfect fit.

The cast met in person for the first time backstage at D23

Kevin Feige added a detail that this cast actually met each other in person for the first time backstage at D23. Adam Driver could not join the group on stage, but he sent a video message instead, saying, "I'll be right here. Waiting for everybody to show up. Enjoy your weekend, D23."

Marvel Studios is hitting on all cylinders right now

My reaction to all of this is that Marvel Studios is hitting on all cylinders right now. The hype is at an all time high, and I have zero complaints about any of the cast for the X-Men. There are already some hints in this ensemble about what the plot might involve, and there will be plenty of theory videos between now and the release date to dig into that.

I actually think this presentation went further in driving hype than the San Diego Comic-Con panel did, because the X-Men reveal is exactly what everyone was anticipating. Ghost Rider and Black Panther 3 are great additions to that same calendar year, and now we know for sure Marvel is putting out three movies in one year again, something I thought they might never go back to. Still, the X-Men is the main thing everyone is focused on right now beyond Doomsday and Secret Wars.

To me, getting this cast announcement tonight is proof that Marvel Studios has spent the last three or four years slowly turning D23 into something that rivals, and maybe even slightly surpasses, San Diego Comic-Con. All I said going into tonight was that we needed a logo, a release date, some of the cast and maybe a villain, and that is exactly what we got.

The script for this film is likely still being reworked, probably for a second or third rewrite at this point, and the production is probably still far from locking down the full story. But with a strong core of the cast now in place, more details should trickle out from industry insiders as filming approaches next year, especially if Marvel Studios skips its own presentation next year.

Knowing we are getting the Fox X-Men back, and that some of this new cast could potentially show up in Avengers: Secret Wars alongside Sadie Sink, I think Marvel Studios is close to a real return to form. "Doomsday needs to be an absolute banger," and if it delivers, the hype heading into Secret Wars is going to be enormous. Marvel Studios has done the hard work to get things back on track, and now it is on them to capitalize on it.

Who do you want to see fill out the rest of the X-Men roster that has not been announced yet?