Marvel Studios Reportedly Eyes Kit Connor For Cyclops

Marvel Studios seems to have identified one of the pillars of what it hopes to be its next tentpole franchise. Deadline’s Justin Kroll reports that Kit Connor is the company’s top choice to play Cyclops in its upcoming X-Men relaunch.

The report comes at what is an incredibly exciting time for Marvel, as Spider-Man: Brand New Day is seemingly breaking a new box office record with each passing day. The film opened to a record-breaking $360 million domestically and has already passed $1 billion worldwide, perhaps silencing any lingering notion of a consumer ‘Marvel fatigue.’

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Marvel hopes its imminent X-Men relaunch will capture similar fanfare. With the team’s leader now reportedly selected, anticipation is growing palpable.

Kit Connor Eyed for Cyclops

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Connor, 22, is perhaps best known as the star of Netflix’s Heartstopper, a coming-of-age dramedy that debuted on the streamer in 2022.

His most significant film role to date came in 2025’s Warfare, an Alex Garland-directed war film documenting a group of U.S. Navy SEALS during the Iraq War. He’s next set to star in Garland’s adaptation of the popular Elden Ring video game.

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According to Kroll’s report, Connor was among several candidates for the coveted role. Marvel landed on the actor as its top choice for Cyclops last week after a lengthy audition period.

First appearing in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s The X-Men #1, Scott Summers is the original field leader of the X-Men and has operated at the team’s helm for some of its most iconic stories. Better known as Cyclops, his mutation causes him to emit a powerful optic blast whenever his eyes are open; his ruby quartz visor allows him to control this ability.

Photo: Marvel Studios

The character has previously been portrayed in live-action by James Marsden and Tye Sheridan (Tim Pocock also plays a young Scott in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the less said about that movie, the better). Marsden will reprise the role in this December’s Avengers: Doomsday.

James Marsden as Cyclops in Avengers Doomsday trailer

Photo: Marvel Studios

At the core of Scott’s character is his relationship with fellow mutant Jean Grey, who, without giving too much away, has been the subject of much recent fan discourse.

He also has an interesting dynamic with telepath Emma Frost. Ready or Not star Samara Weaving was cast as the character last week, giving this new X-Men film its first official cast member.

Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ Relaunch

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Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier boarded the first MCU X-Men film last summer. Writers Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo, who worked with Schreier on Netflix’s Beef, joined shortly thereafter.

Plot details are currently unknown, though we now know the film will feature Kit Connor as Cyclops and Samara Weaving as Emma Frost. We can also assume the presence of Charles Xavier and a certain red-headed telepath.

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Marvel has not yet confirmed a release date for its X-Men relaunch, though it has two summer 2028 dates reserved. The company views mutants as a cornerstone of its next phase, so either of these dates would be auspicious.

There seems to be some genuine excitement about this film and the X-Men, in general, perhaps stemming from the group’s prolonged absence from the big screen and the popularity of the animated X-Men ’97 series on Disney+. We can perhaps expect additional news regarding the upcoming film at the D23 Disney Entertainment Showcase on August 14.

Photo: Marvel Studios

Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel Studios’ lone mutant-centric film to date, grossed $1.3 billion worldwide in 2024. The company will be hoping for a similar result whenever its X-Men film hits theaters.

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