Adam Driver Reportedly Mr. Sinister, Not Magneto, as Margot Robbie Is Linked to Mystique

Adam Driver may not be playing Magneto after all. The insider Apocalyptic Horseman, who first said they had heard Driver was cast as Magneto, has corrected themselves and now says they are hearing that Driver is Mr. Sinister, a role I had already said I thought he would be great in.

When I wrote this in July 2026, there was a lot more X-Men news on the table too. It looked like Marvel Studios might be gearing up for a big X-Men announcement at San Diego Comic-Con, which was about a week away on Saturday, July 25th, and it looked like Marvel was planning some X-Men special presentations. Further down this piece I get to the reports about Bill Skarsgård, Cooper Hoffman and Margot Robbie.

Apocalyptic Horseman now says Adam Driver is Mr. Sinister

When the Magneto report first landed, the fandom seemed split down the middle. Some people loved the idea of Adam Driver as Magneto and some people really did not like it. One thing I heard from others, and even said myself, was that I thought he would make a really great Mr. Sinister. As it turns out, that might be who he is playing.

The sequence went like this. MyTimeToShineHello, another insider, said Adam Driver was cast for something with Marvel for the X-Men. Apocalyptic Horseman then came in and said, "I've heard the same thing, it's for Magneto." Now they have walked that back, writing: "So sorry, guys. Big mistake from my end, but hearing Adam Driver is Sinister."

I think he would play a better Mr. Sinister than Magneto. That is not a knock on him as Magneto. I thought he would do a great job there because I think he is a great actor, which is exactly why I also think he would work really well as Mr. Sinister. If I am being honest, I think his look is much better for Mr. Sinister than Magneto. We do not know who is playing Magneto yet, but I am sure this will come as great news for a lot of people.

Bill Skarsgård is reportedly in the mix for Professor Xavier

The same correction from Apocalyptic Horseman carried a second claim: "Bill Skarsgård is indeed one of the actors among the handful in the mix for Xavier. They're aiming young." Skarsgård has a very particular look, but I have seen a lot of pictures online of him as a bald Professor X, and it works. It totally works.

Even so, I am more partial to Patrick Wilson playing Professor Xavier, and he is one of the names that is in that mix. This is also not the first report we have heard about Skarsgård. MyTimeToShineHello has said it as well, so it seems clear to me that Bill Skarsgård is working with Marvel Studios right now, or at least talking with them.

Adam Driver's long road with Marvel Studios

It is worth remembering that Adam Driver was talking to Marvel Studios about playing Mr. Fantastic. He also played Kylo Ren in Star Wars, which is owned by Disney, and Disney owns Marvel, so there is a close connection there. He has probably been talking to them for a long time.

Kevin Feige has said Marvel sometimes talks to actors for six or more years before finalizing a role for them. So I fully believe that at one point Adam Driver looked pretty likely to play Mr. Fantastic, and that Margot Robbie was going to play Sue Storm. Then they passed for other characters, which brings me to the next report.

Margot Robbie was reportedly offered Mystique, not Emma Frost

What we are now hearing is that Margot Robbie might actually be playing a new Mystique rather than Emma Frost. I know that might come as a pretty big shock to some people. The claim comes from another insider, who said they were told that according to internal studio decisions, some of the core X-Men characters will be featured in special presentation format to give them the attention they deserve, and that Mystique was one of the characters set to get her own special.

That insider followed up with more from their source, saying Robbie is not in talks to play Emma Frost and that "she was offered the role of Mystique. Not for the X-Men movie." Put that together with the special presentation claim and it looks like Robbie has been offered the role. It does not say whether she accepted it.

Mystique is an awesome character, and I think Margot Robbie would make a great Mystique. I think she is comfortable in a role like this based on previous movies she has played, and I think Marvel wants her in the MCU because they already met with her about Sue Storm. I think a lot of actors would like to be in the MCU, not all, but a lot. It is one of the biggest, probably the biggest, franchises of all time, up there with the most iconic ever. I know I would want to be in it, but I am not an actor.

Why I like the idea of X-Men special presentations

A lot of people have said this online and I agree: the X-Men are a team, and a family too, so they need a movie where they are all together. Having said that, I would really like Marvel to dive deep into individual stories, not just origin stories but stories in general, and I am okay with special presentations being the way to do that.

What I would want is specials you do not necessarily have to watch to understand what is happening in the MCU movies, but that give you something extra that could be really satisfying to see on screen. We know the homework part of Marvel did not work out too well. A little bonus, a different story that shows you more about a character, is something I think a lot of people would like, especially for the X-Men. Something from Marvel Studios about the X-Men after Avengers: Secret Wars would be a grand slam in my book. We have also heard that some of the new X-Men roster will show up in Avengers: Secret Wars, but we will have to wait and see on that.

Cooper Hoffman is reportedly being considered for Cyclops

Apocalyptic Horseman is also the source of a report that Cooper Hoffman is being considered for Cyclops in the X-Men reboot film. I am not so sure about this one. I had never really heard of him before, but after looking him up and seeing some pictures, I think he would have to get in really good shape. Cyclops is ripped, and he is the leader of the X-Men.

His credits include The Long Walk and Licorice Pizza, though I have not seen anything he has been in. I think Marvel Studios is at the point where it is trying to get younger, lesser known actors, kind of like what it did at the beginning of the MCU: people who have experience but are not super known yet. Hoffman is 23, so he is young, and around the same age as Sadie Sink. I think this could work.

Sydney Sweeney as Emma Frost and the reported X-Men roster

As I said the day before writing this, I do think Sydney Sweeney would make a good Emma Frost. I think a lineup of Margot Robbie as Mystique, Sydney Sweeney as Emma Frost and Cooper Hoffman as Cyclops, with Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, would be really cool. That would be pretty cool.

As for the roster itself, this comes from insiders and is not officially confirmed. According to Apocalyptic Horseman, who I think has a pretty good track record recently, the lineup is Cyclops, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, Rogue, Storm, Professor X and Magneto. We have also been hearing for a while that the villains will be Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse. I think they are heading in a really great direction for the X-Men.

The X-Men cast could have been revealed at SDCC's Hall H

Apocalyptic Horseman also said the cast of the X-Men reboot film could be revealed at Marvel Studios' Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25th. My read at the time was that Marvel was debating it, probably based on whether it could get the cast locked down. If it could, I was sure some of the cast members would be presented in Hall H, because it did seem like Marvel was giving us a glimpse into the future.

At that point we were about a week away from possibly finding out who the new X-Men team is, and possibly getting the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which was looking more likely every day. Outlets like The Hollywood Reporter were stating that the trailer was expected publicly at San Diego Comic-Con, plus a lot more. Tickets were also supposed to go on sale that Monday, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day was coming out very soon as well. It was really peak Marvel time.

So which would you rather see: Adam Driver as Mr. Sinister, or Adam Driver as Magneto?