Marvel's 'X-Men': Official Cast & Where You've Seen Every Actor Before

At long last, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is introducing its own version of the X-Men. Set for release on May 5, 2028, and directed by Jake Schreier, X-Men will kick off a new era of the MCU coinciding with the franchise’s 20th anniversary. With X-Men poised to be the franchise’s foundation, the casting process was one of Hollywood’s most sought-after. Because X-Men is expected to be a decade-long series, Marvel is largely aiming for younger actors who will bring the team back to its roots as young adult heroes.

While Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey debuted in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the first official announcement of the X-Men roster came at D23, where Marvel Studios unveiled part of the cast. More names are expected, but for now audiences have their first hint of the MCU’s X-Men. Here is everything you need to know about the characters and the actors cast to play these iconic Marvel characters.

Jean Grey

Sadie Sink

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in X-Men #1 in 1963, Jean Grey is one of the founding members of the team. A powerful telekinetic and telepath, Jean Grey is one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel Universe, whose powers are only increased when she bonds with the Dark Phoenix. Jean Grey was previously played by Famke Janssen in the original X-Men trilogy, and then by Sadie Sink in X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

Sadie Sink is reprising her role as Jean Grey after making her MCU debut in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Sink is best known for playing Max Mayfield on Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things. Her other credits include The Glass Castle, The Whale, and Fear Street Part Two: 1978 and Fear Street Part Three: 1666. Sink’s Jean Grey is seemingly being set up as the leading face of the X-Men and Marvel’s larger plans for the mutants.

Cyclops

Kit Connor

Netflix
Marvel Comics

Introduced as the X-Men’s field leader in 1963, Cyclops is one of the most famous members of the X-Men and one of the team’s longest-serving members. His eyes release a powerful optic blast, one that requires a special visor or a pair of sunglasses to hold them back. He and Jean Grey have one of the most famous (and complicated) romances in all of Marvel Comics. James Marsden and Tye Sheridan have previously played Cyclops, with Marsden set to reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday.

Kit Connor is a rising star, best known for playing Nick Nelson in the Netflix romance Heartstopper. Connor also voiced Brightbill in the hit animated film The Wild Robot and was recently cast in Netflix’s animated film Charlie vs. The Chocolate Factory. Connor played young Elton John in Rocketman and also co-starred in Warfare. He also had a small role in Ready Player One, opposite the previous Cyclops actor, Tye Sheridan.

Professor Charles Xavier

Christopher Abbott

The leader of the X-Men and founder of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, Professor Charles Xavier is the leading voice in mutant rights. Xavier is one of the most powerful telepaths in the world and uses his abilities to track down mutants and bring them to his school as both a sanctuary and a place to safely learn how to use their abilities. Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy played Professor X in the original 20th Century Fox movie, and Stewart will reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday.

Christopher Abbott is no stranger to the Marvel multiverse, as he previously played The Foreigner in 2024’s Kraven the Hunter. Abbott’s other notable film credits include the lead role in Poor Things, Wolf Man, and The Testament of Ann Lee. Abbott also had a recurring role on the HBO series Girls alongside The Fantastic Four: First Steps actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach and X-Men co-star Adam Driver.

Emma Frost

Samara Weaving

Emma Frost was originally the White Queen of the Hellfire Club before founding her own mutant academy and ultimately joining Xavier’s Institute as a full-blown member of the X-Men. Emma Frost originally possessed telepathy, but later developed a second mutation that gave her diamond skin, making her nearly indestructible, though it also blocked her telepathic abilities. Emma Frost often walks a fine line between hero and villain, making her role in the MCU’s X-Men interesting to parse. January Jones played Emma Frost in X-Men: First Class, while Tahyna Tozzi played a diamond-skinned mutant named Emma in X-Men Origins: Wolverine who was intended to be Emma Frost, but later retconned as a separate mutant.

Samara Weaving is a true scream queen, thanks to her roles in horror films like Ready or Not and its sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, The Babysitter, and Scream VI. She has also appeared in Bill & Ted Face the Music and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Her previous attempt at blockbuster action movies was Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, where she played Scarlett. She got her big break in the Australian soap opera, Home and Away.

Storm

Maya Boyd

Created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, Storm was one of the new characters created for Giant-Size X-Men #1 in 1975. Since then, she has become one of the most iconic and popular figures not just in the X-Men, but in all of Marvel Comics. Storm is an Omega-level mutant, the strongest in her power class, as she can control and manipulate the weather. Storm’s natural leadership skills have made her a mainstay in the Marvel Universe, having also served in The Avengers and Fantastic Four and even was Queen of Wakanda when she married T’Challa / The Black Panther. Storm has previously been played by Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp.

X-Men might mark Maya Boyd‘s first on-screen credit, but she is more than qualified. The actress might be unknown to mainstream audiences, but her resume includes theater work, including productions of Merrily We Roll Along, & Juliet, and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Storm could be her breakout role, and if the rumors are true, she could play a significant role in both X-Men and Black Panther III.

Rogue

Indie Navarrette

When Rogue debuted in The Avengers Annual #10 in 1981, she was originally a member of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Mutants. Rogue absorbs the life force of anyone she touches and, in the case of superpowered individuals, their powers. She gained the ability to fly and super strength when she drained Carol Danvers’ power. Rogue ultimately joined the X-Men and became one of the team’s most powerful members. In the comics, she is Mystique’s adopted daughter, Nightcrawler’s adopted sister, and is famously associated with her romance with Gambit. Rogue was played by Anna Paquin in the 20th Century Fox X-Men films.

Indie Navarrette is the breakout star of 2026, thanks to her iconic performance as Nikki in the runaway blockbuster hit, Obsession. X-Men is not Navarrette’s first foray into the superhero genre, as she got her big break playing the role of Sarah Cortez on the CW series, Superman & Lois. She also had a recurring role in the fourth season of 13 Reasons Why. Navarrette’s had previously teased meeting X-Men director Jake Schreier, but she cleverly misdirected everyone by putting her name in for Mystique, concealing her role as Rogue.

Mr. Sinister

Adam Driver

Mister Sinister’s real name is Nathan Essex, a 19th-century biologist who became obsessed with studying mutation. The mutant Apocalypse transformed Essex, giving him superpowers and a long lifespan. Sinister’s study of mutation ultimately led him to conclude that merging Summers and Grey DNA could create an Omega-level mutant powerful enough to kill Apocalypse. Sinister is tied to the creation of the Jean Grey clone Madelyn Pryor, the techno-organic virus that infects Cable, and Gambit’s origin. Mister Sinister is one of the X-Men’s most famous villains, and one who has never been portrayed on film. Later entries in the X-Men films tried to build up to him before all spin-offs and sequels were canceled after Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox.

Adam Driver returns to the Disney family, having previously played the role of Ben Solo / Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. Since playing Adam Sackler on HBO’s Girls, Driver has become one of the most acclaimed and respected actors of his generation and has often worked with some of the best directors, including Jim Jarmusch, Michael Mann, and Spike Lee. Driver’s credits include Marriage Story, BlacKkKlansman, Logan Lucky, Inside Llewyn Davis, and Megalopolis. He has been on Marvel Studios’ radar for some time, reportedly being offered the role of Mister Fantastic in Fantastic Four: First Steps but ultimately turning the part down. Now, though, he has finally found the right MCU title for himself.