Adam Driver linked to villain role as candidates for Marvel's Professor X come into view
Two actors are vying to be the X-Men’s leader, Professor X, with another name being eyed for Sebastian Shaw — and the picks could ruffle a few feathers.
It feels like we haven’t had this much hype around the Marvel Cinematic Universe since that first mad sprint of releases post-lockdown. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day in cinemas and Avengers: Doomsday just around the corner, everyone’s speculating and arguing about one thing: the big debut of the X-Men in the MCU proper. There’s plenty to pick over, from fresh casting news to rumours flying faster than Quicksilver. Bit of a bumper crop for X-Men fans at the moment, frankly.
Marvel Studios plans to reveal more X-Men casting details at D23, kicking off 14 August 2026.
Top of the chat lately: who’s getting the nod as Professor X, and which villain’s lined up to make mutants’ lives miserable this time?
Cyclops in, Professor X undecided
You’ll probably have seen Kit Connor announced as Cyclops, snapping up one of comicdom’s moodiest poster boys. But as for the X-Men’s actual leader, it’s turning into a bit of a saga. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision newsletter, Marvel’s been circling three names to sit in Charles Xavier’s wheelchair: Bill Skarsgård (that’s Nosferatu), Christopher Abbott (recently doing the rounds in Wolf Man), and Tom Pelphrey (yep, the Iron Fist bloke from Netflix’s slightly ill-fated Marvel era). Now, word is Pelphrey’s definitely out — no hints as to why, no update yet on Abbott or Skarsgård still being in play. And, as ever, Marvel might just chuck in a surprise choice at the last minute if the mood takes them. More surprises almost certainly at D23 this August.
- Kit Connor – Cast as Cyclops
- Professor X shortlisters: Bill Skarsgård, Christopher Abbott (Pelphrey out)
- X-Men news expected at D23 (14 Aug 2026)
Villains: Adam Driver and the Hellfire Club
Now, onto the baddies. This one’s had assorted names chucked around since forever. The newsletter reckons Marvel’s top pick for the villain is Adam Driver — and, interesting twist, he’s apparently in the frame for Sebastian Shaw, not Magneto as originally rumoured. For those not steeped in Marvel lore, Shaw’s the Hellfire Club’s boss: a mutant who soaks up kinetic energy and turns it into brute force. Last time we saw Shaw on screen, Kevin Bacon was chewing the scenery in X-Men: First Class. Not bad company for Driver to step into, assuming he says yes. As ever, nothing signed and sealed — though Kevin Feige’s already gone on the record saying he’s chatted with Driver before about MCU roles (none of which panned out at the time).
And crucially, you’ve got Samara Weaving already locked in as Emma Frost (traditionally Shaw’s right hand, the Hellfire Club White Queen), so it’s all pointing at the Hellfire Club as this version’s first major adversaries for the X-Men.
Phoenix: Third Time Lucky?
This is where it gets interesting, and frankly a bit risky on Marvel’s part. Both Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw made their comics debut during the classic ‘Dark Phoenix Saga’, and with Sadie Sink cast as Jean Grey, MCU-watching mutants are squinting hard at the tea leaves. The running theory? The MCU is gearing up for a proper, long-haul telling of the Phoenix story — after two studio bodged attempts, maybe third time’s the charm. Speculate away, but the setup is sitting right there: Jean, Professor X and the team go up against the Hellfire Club, Phoenix Force drama ensues, and somewhere down the line Jean pops her clogs. Maybe second film, maybe third — Marvel do like to spin these things out.
The next few MCU phases might not be called a Mutant Saga at all but a Phoenix Saga instead, if Marvel are feeling honest about where the real centre of gravity is this time.