I’m even more hopeful about the upcomingX-Menreboot following recent reports of Jean Grey’s casting in theMCU. As a member of the original X-Men team in Marvel Comics and one of the most-adapted and beloved mutants in the Marvel Universe, it makes sense to me that Jean Grey would be an essential character to debut inMarvel Studios' upcomingX-Menmovie. The powerful telepath has previously been portrayed in live-action by Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner, and her possible MCU casting may now have been revealed.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige first teased the introduction of theMCU’s X-Men teamback in 2019, shortly after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. However, it’s only recently that we’ve been hearing more solid updates concerning the highly-anticipated reboot, including the hiring ofThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakeswriterMichael Lesslie to penX-Men’sscript.Feige has also recently teased the introductions of notable X-Men heroes in several upcoming MCU projects, which makes me even more excited about Jean Grey’s new casting report.
Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink Could Be In The Running To Play MCU’s Jean Grey
Sadie Sink Portrays Maxine “Max” Mayfield In Netflix’s Stranger Things
A report by insiderJeff Sneidershared on December 19 suggests thatSadie Sink is the frontrunner to play Jean Grey in the MCU. You’ll probably best know Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Netflix’sStranger Things, and she is also known for roles inFear Street, Dear ZoeandThe Whale.She is a fantastic actor who has the talent necessary to bring Jean Grey to life in the MCU, especially thanks to her long red hair and her huge fan-base, particularly following her increased dramatic role inStranger Thingsseason 4.
Sadie Sink [is] in line to be Jean Grey. I think it makes sense with her being in Stranger Things, [and] Stranger Things wrapping up next year, her schedule is pretty free after that. Those kids are gonna be red-hot, and Marvel, as we all know, chases heat, right? I think that she’s a talented actress and someone who Marvel probably is down to be committed to for the long term… There’s no director on X-Men yet… It wouldn’t shock me if some members of the X-Men were in [Avengers:] Secret Wars.
Sneider is right when he suggests that Marvel"chases heat,“as several lesser-known actors have become Hollywood legends and household names because of their careers in the MCU. We’ve seen this happen to Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Iman Vellani and more, andwhile Sadie Sink already has a huge fan-base, she is still at the start of her acting career, so it would be great to see this skyrocket. Sadie Sink is an inspiredcasting for the MCU’s Jean Grey, and this possible casting makes me even more excited about theX-Menreboot.
Sadie Sink’s Possible Casting Makes Me Think Marvel Will Debut A Younger X-Men Team
Sadie Sink Is Only 22 Years Old
At only 22 years old, Sadie Sink is a younger actor than many were expecting Marvel to cast in the role of Jean Grey. This makes me think that the MCU’sX-Menreboot will be featuring a young X-Men team, perhaps inspired by2011’sX-Men: First Classand possibly even including the original line-up of young mutant heroes from Marvel Comics.I would love to see younger actors cast as Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, Iceman and Angel in the MCU, properly bringing the original team into live-action for the first time ever.
Why My Dream MCU X-Men Team Leaves Out Wolverine (& Yours Should Too)
I’ve worked out which version of Marvel’s X-Men team should be introduced to the MCU - and it doesn’t include any version of Wolverine.
I think casting a younger version of the X-Men team is a brilliant idea for Marvel Studios. Not only could the team be established as a completely new group, butyounger stars could explore the team’s growth and development over several years as they grow up in the MCU. Sadie Sink’s possible casting has me very hopeful that Marvel Studios has considered the benefits of debuting a young X-Men team, but has also made me very excited about the potential ofJean Grey getting a re-do, as she was never handled properly in Fox’sX-Menfranchise.
Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey Is A Brilliant Opportunity For Marvel To Make Up For Its Past Mistakes With The Character
Jean Grey Was Never Done Justice In Fox’s X-Men Franchise
Marvel Studios casting a young star such as Sadie Sink as Jean Grey is exactly what the iconic Marvel hero needs to seek redemption in live-action.20th Century Fox never did Jean Grey justice, whether it was Famke Janssen or Sophie Turner’s iterations. Fox seemed to only ever want to adapt Marvel Comics’Dark Phoenix Sagato put Jean Grey front-and-center, but these adaptations (2006’sX-Men: The Last Standand 2019’sDark Phoenix) were not good.The fact that Jean Grey might be the first X-Man cast in the MCU suggests she’ll have a far more substantive and meaningful role.
Sadie Sink’s age also leads me to thinking that the MCU’s Jean Grey won’t just be lumped into a boring love triangle with Cyclops and Wolverine, just as Janssen’s version was. Wolverine will be significantly older than the young Jean Grey, so it would be too inappropriate and controversial for this romance to be explored. I’d be happy if this storyline was ignored, as Jean Grey is far more than just the men she is romantically involved with, and I want the MCU’sX-Menreboot to really investigate her as one of Marvel’s most formidable female heroes.
Marvel’s X-Men
Marvel’s X-Men is the tentative title for the future debut of the legendary Marvel mutant superhero team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
