Credit: Inside the MagicMarvel Studios has officially hit go on its major reset of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It may be Spider-Man Summer, and with Avengers: Doomsday (2026) right around the corner, all eyes are on how the tenured blockbuster franchise will bring Doctor Doom–played by Tony Stark veteran Robert Downey Jr.–into the fold. Of course, you can’t have Doomsday without Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), which debuts a year after Doomsday in December next year.
The two-parter, helmed by the Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) directing duo Anthony and Joe Russo, will combine decades of Marvel history into a major movie event. From classic MCU characters like Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to the superhero icons of the early 2000s, such as Cyclops (James Marsden) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Doomsday and Secret Wars are on track to culminate years of storytelling.
It seems fitting that on the eve of the MCU’s 20th anniversary (it, of course, began in 2008 with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man), the franchise will use 2027’s Secret Wars to usher in a new era for the major multi-platform phenomenon. And it’s no secret that a relaunch is happening. Back in 2025, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that a “reset” plan was in motion.
“Reboot is a scary word,” he told Variety last summer ahead of the release of Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). “Reboot can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Reset, singular timeline — we’re thinking along those lines.”
He added, “‘X-Men’ is where that will happen next.”
Over a year on from those comments, Marvel is sticking to their word, confirming that the famed mutants of the Marvel Universe will officially arrive in the MCU in May 2028. On stage at D23’s Entertainment Showcase, Kevin Feige was joined by X-Men movie director Jake Schreier–who helmed last year’s critical hit Thunderbolts* (2025) with Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova)–and MCU newcomer Sadie Sink (Stranger Things).
Sink made her MCU debut late last month as the antagonist in Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026). The Marvel-Sony movie, which has gone on to break box office records worldwide and is speeding towards a $2 billion global haul, saw Tom Holland’s beloved Peter Parker go up against Sink’s Jean Grey. While the end of Brand New Day saw Jean’s story left open-ended, there was no doubt where she was heading.
With a May 2028 date on the slate, audiences will have to wait almost two years to get their first MCU X-Men movie–but that doesn’t mean Marvel is keeping everything under wraps. In the last couple of weeks, Marvel confirmed two more additions to the mutant cast, with Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) taking on the role of Emma Frost and Heartstopper star Kit Connor playing Scott Summers/Cyclops.
However, the casting announcements have not ended there. At D23, Marvel confirmed four new faces are set to join the MCU in the upcoming X-Men movie. After years of speculation, Marvel revealed Christopher Abbott (Girls) will play Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X, Inde Navarrette (Obsession) will take on Rogue, Broadway star Maya Boyd (& Juliet) as Ororo Munroe/Storm, and Adam Driver (The Force Awakens) as Nathaniel Milbury/Mr. Sinister.
While Driver was not on stage, he did get beamed in on the big screen and did a playful nod towards the speculation that he was playing the famous X-Men anti-hero, Magneto. “When Kevin told me to show up for X-Men, I assumed he meant on set,” Driver told the crowd (via Marvel.com). “So instead of being there in California, I’m here at Pinewood [Studios] on this very lonely soundstage.”
He added, “Kevin and I have been talking for years about maybe joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And I think we finally found the perfect film at the perfect time. So I’m very excited to be playing Mag…. Nope. Even better. Nathaniel Milbury. So I’ll be right here, waiting for everybody to show up.”
After almost 20 years focused on the stories of the Avengers, the MCU will officially embark on a new era–a singular timeline following the chaos of the current Multiverse Saga–and commence the next decade with the mutants of the X-Men. Feige hinted at the direction the new movie will take in 2025.
“They have been a place to tell stories about young people who feel different and who feel Other and who feel like they don’t belong,” he told Variety. “That’s the universal story of mutants, and that is where we’re going.”
None of this cast, including Sink’s Jean Grey, has been confirmed for either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, but if the X-Men movie is set to follow Secret Wars (and it likely will as Marvel is trimming the overall release slate), then chances are the cast may appear in the latter–or, at least, in the post-credits scene.
With renewed interest in the MCU, thanks in part to Spider-Man: Brand New Day and hype for Avengers: Doomsday, the X-Men movie looks poised to usher in a brand new decade of storytelling for the franchise.
What are your thoughts on this new X-Men casting? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
