MCU return on the cards? Dafne Keen interested in playing X-23 again

Marvel is finally shifting the X-Men into MCU territory, and the studio isn’t exactly being shy about making this a tentpole for the next chapter of its cinematic empire. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day doing good business and those looming Avengers crossovers on the calendar, the franchise is already plotting what it hopes will be a massive introduction for the mutants. Direction-wise, they’re sticking with familiar talent — Jake Schreier, who handled Thunderbolts*, is in the director’s chair. The script’s getting a once-over by Joanna Calo (The Bear) and Lee Sung Jin (Beef creator), two names with decent storytelling chops. All this is supposed to kick off Phase 7, so you don’t exactly have to squint to see the scale here.

The real buzz, naturally, is on the cast — arguably, it’s the biggest casting challenge since the original Avengers line-up. First, word got around that Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) will be the MCU’s new Emma Frost, taking over from January Jones. Not long after, Kit Connor of Heartstopper fame cropped up as Marvel’s pick for Scott Summers / Cyclops. If you were thinking the rumour mill stops there, think again: Nightcrawler, Beast, Rogue, Gambit — take your pick, all are apparently in the mix.

Enter Dafne Keen

Now, just when the character speculation was getting samey, along comes a genuine alum: Dafne Keen, best known as Laura/X-23 from Logan, and more recently Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). She turned up at Fan EXPO Boston to speak on a MovieWeb panel, and was asked about whether she’d stick with Laura. Her answer wasn’t coy in the least.

Asked by MovieWeb’s Joe Deckelmeier if she felt she had 'unfinished business with Laura', Keen didn’t play it safe:

In her own words at Fan EXPO Boston, Keen summed it up: 'Absolutely. I mean, she’s such an interesting kind of tormented character, and she has so much more story to live. I mean, the comic books are incredible. There’s so much to pull from, and yeah, I mean, if they wanted to, there is so much material, and I’d always be willing.'

Not exactly a standard 'never say never,' that. Keen genuinely sounds keen (sorry) to return, pointing out Laura still has plenty left in the tank, story-wise. That isn’t hyperbole — there’s a mountain of comics content Marvel’s barely touched.

Keen’s history with the character is short but striking: her breakout in 2017’s Logan gave Fox’s X-Men films one of their final bright spots, and the cameo-ish return alongside Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine seems to have cemented her as a fan favourite. Now 21, she’s arguably the right age for Marvel to build a long-term pillar of this new X-Men world rather than just ticking the 'where’s Wolverine then?' box.

Marvel’s X-Men relaunch will be one of the lead films kicking off Phase 7 of the MCU.

Where’s Wolverine?

This is where things get a bit interesting for the "old hands". There’s a swirl of rumours that Marvel may delay bringing in a fresh Wolverine to replace Jackman, at least at the start. Plot-wise, that opens a very obvious gap for Keen’s Laura/X-23 to take a front seat. She’d get a chance to make the character her own, have plenty of screen time to interact with the rest of the new cast, and essentially set her relationships with other team members before Marvel inevitably tries to recast Logan down the road.

Nothing is set in stone — Marvel’s casting approach is as secretive as ever, and the only official details are still about behind-the-camera talent. But from her own words, Keen’s clearly up for whatever they throw at her, and she’s already got the fans behind her if they want to take Laura even further into the MCU’s mutant future.