Marvel Reveals X-Men Cast and Sets May 5, 2028 Release Date at D23

Disney's D23 event just ended, and Marvel took the stage in a way that I thought was actually a lot better than SDCC Hall H. We got our main X-Men team along with a release date. The new X-Men movie is coming May 5th, 2028.

D23 covered three main things from Marvel: the X-Men cast and release date, a new Avengers Doomsday trailer, and a Vision Quest reveal. The Vision Quest trailer is out online now, and I will say it looks amazing. James Spader is returning as Ultron, there are some Wanda vibes, Tommy is returning for Vision, and there is a new son who is the son of Vision and Wanda. But the X-Men news is what I want to break down here.

Sadie Sink Joins as Jean Grey After Her Spider-Man Brand New Day Role

First and foremost, Sadie Sink has been cast as Jean Grey. I loved her in Spider-Man Brand New Day and thought she was amazing there, so I think this is a great casting. What's really interesting is that pretty much everything reported ahead of D23 ended up being true, including this casting, the new Avengers trailer, and the Vision Quest trailer. Kudos to the insiders who were reporting all of that.

Standing right next to Sadie Sink on stage was confirmation of the Cyclops casting, which lines up with what had already been reported before the event.

Kit Connor Cast as Cyclops, Confirming Earlier Deadline Report

Deadline was right about this one. Kit Connor has been cast as Cyclops, and he took the stage right next to Sadie Sink at D23. With Jean Grey and Cyclops both locked in, it seems clear that the first movie is going to focus heavily on their relationship.

Christopher Abbott Cast as Professor X, and I'm Curious Why

Christopher Abbott has been cast as Professor X, and this one is really interesting to me. I don't really know anything about him and don't think I've seen anything with him in it. I'm very open minded about this, but based on other names that were reportedly in the running for Professor X, looks-wise, I think there were people who probably looked more like the classic version of the character. That said, this is a reboot with a new group, so I'm definitely going to give him a shot. I don't feel like Marvel Studios could have gone a different way and it would have automatically been better, I'm just genuinely curious why they specifically chose Christopher Abbott, and I want to look into what he's done.

Samara Weaving Cast as Emma Frost in Another Correct Deadline Report

Deadline got another one right with Samara Weaving as Emma Frost. I really like Samara Weaving and think she looks perfect for the role, first and foremost. The blue eyes, the blonde hair, I think it's close to perfect casting, if not perfect casting outright. She's also an amazing actress in my opinion, and I've seen a lot of people online say the same thing since the news came out, that she's perfect for Emma Frost.

Rogue and Storm Round Out Three Big Casting Reveals With No Prior Confirmation

Beyond Jean Grey, Cyclops, Professor X and Emma Frost, there were three really big reveals we hadn't heard any real confirmation about. The actress cast as Rogue has broken out from the show Obsession, and Marvel Studios grabbed her very early on since she hasn't done much else yet. I personally really love this casting and think Kevin Feige did the right thing here, because I think she's going to make a great Rogue. Some people online said she looks a little small to play Rogue, but I'd point out you have to account for camera angles, perspective, and how the studio ultimately chooses to portray the character physically.

Maya Boyd has been cast as Storm, and I really love this one too. I think she has an amazing look for the role. It's been rumored that she might also appear in Black Panther 3, and I do think that's actually going to happen, so I think Ryan Coogler had a little bit to say in her casting. Jake Schreier and Kevin Feige seem to be pretty on point with everything they've said so far about the X-Men, the story, the script, and now the cast.

Adam Driver Confirmed as Mister Sinister, the First Villain

Adam Driver has been cast as Mister Sinister, and while I don't know if this is my favorite of all the castings, I still think it's pretty great. We had heard a lot about Adam Driver meeting with Marvel Studios about a number of different characters, and reports at various points had him linked to Magneto and even to Bolivar Trask before Marvel ultimately landed on Mister Sinister for him. When I heard Mister Sinister, I thought that was perfect for Adam Driver and that he's got the right look for it. He's going to be the first villain of the first new X-Men movie, which makes sense given that Jean Grey and Cyclops are the central focus of this first class team.

Kevin Feige and Adam Driver spoke a little about the casting. "Kevin and I have been talking for years about me joining the MCU," Driver said, adding that they had found something perfect with characters he feels very deeply about, landing on Mister Sinister. It seems he can relate to a lot about the character.

The story route they seem to be going down involves the Goblin Queen, Madelyne Pryor, and the cloning of Jean Grey. There's a lot to dive into in that first mutant movie, and I don't know if they're going to reveal right away that Sinister cloned her, maybe that ends up being a post credit scene, but it does seem like they're building toward Jean and Cyclops eventually having a son who goes on to become Cable. That sets up a path toward Apocalypse down the line, since Cable is an important character for that storyline, and Magneto hasn't even been announced yet.

Beast, Angel and Iceman Are Reportedly Still Being Negotiated

This is not the full cast, just the main cast that has contracts locked in. I wouldn't be surprised if Beast, Angel, and Iceman are eventually added, since it seems Beast is going to be in this movie, but Marvel appears to have had a hard time reaching final deals with the actors they want for these roles. So what we have now is as official as it gets: Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, the actress cast as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm, with Adam Driver as Mister Sinister, the first villain of the first new X-Men film in the MCU.

What do you think of this casting, especially the choice of Christopher Abbott for Professor X?