Surprise contender emerges for MCU’s Professor X as X-Men casting takes a twist

Anyone who's been keeping even half an eye on Marvel's progress will know the X-Men reboot is shaping up to be a proper event. But this latest update on who's in the running for Professor X—well, it genuinely came out of left field. If you thought Bill Skarsgård was about to slap on the bald cap, hold that thought.

The Professor X Question

Let's rewind. Only last week, chatter was circling that Bill Skarsgård—yes, the bloke from It and those Stranger scripts—was sniffing about the role of Professor Charles Xavier. But, as it turns out, there's been a twist in the tale. A fresh report from THR's Heat Vision says that Christopher Abbott and Tom Pelphrey (if you watched Ozark or Iron Fist, you know him) were both brought in to test for X-Men's famous telepath. If you care about process details, apparently Pelphrey didn't land it, though Marvel won't say whether Abbott has officially got the gig.

Heat Vision's report suggests a 'dark horse contender' ultimately won the part, with Marvel remaining tight-lipped on specifics.

If Abbott's your man, then here's your trivia for the pub quiz: he'd be the second-youngest Professor X ever, just after James McAvoy's younger version. Traditionally, Professor X has been at least ten years on everyone else in the school, which is the approach the comics and those old Fox films took—and, if you've caught X-Men ‘97, you'll know they're not exactly skewing young with Xavier there either. But Marvel seems to be rolling the dice with a fresher face this time round.

Another odd little detail: Abbott has actually already been in a Marvel film—he played The Foreigner in Kraven the Hunter back in 2024. Jumping franchises isn't exactly rare these days (cheers, Gemma Chan), but it's always a bit of a funny twist.

Marvel's Young Mutant Direction

While everyone's fussing about Professor X, Marvel's already been handing out mutant roles like party favours. Samara Weaving and Kit Connor have been picked as Emma Frost and Cyclops, respectively, and Sadie Sink was introduced as Jean Grey in the recent Spider-Man: Brand New Day flick—a cheeky bit of franchise overlap there. That same film also dropped a storyline about a 'mutation inhibitor' invented by Spider-Man and brought in Tramell Tillman as villain William Metzger, which is pretty deep-cut comic book territory for a major cinematic release.

So, with mutants gradually seeping back into the MCU proper, it's looking increasingly likely Marvel wants a decidedly younger set of X-Men at the school this time around. President Kevin Feige has already been banging on about the next phase being heavy on mutant antics. In fact, Sink let slip not long ago that X-Men filming kicks off next year.

The X-Men reboot is not expected to arrive in cinemas until after Avengers: Secret Wars, which is currently set for late 2027.

Speaking of old faces, if you've missed seeing the original early 2000s X-Men lot, don't worry. They're all due to show up once more in Avengers: Doomsday this year. Meanwhile, the full X-Men reboot will be taking its sweet time and isn't scheduled until after Secret Wars finishes up.

• Christopher Abbott tested for Professor X, with Tom Pelphrey missing out and Marvel tight-lipped about an official decision
• Bill Skarsgård was previously rumoured, but Abbott appears the new frontrunner (if the rumours hold water)
• Abbott previously played The Foreigner in Kraven the Hunter (2024)
• Samara Weaving, Kit Connor, and Sadie Sink round out the rumoured young cast as Emma Frost, Cyclops, and Jean Grey
• Marvel is aiming for a more youthful team than previous X-Men runs
• The current X-Men reboot won’t be out before Secret Wars in 2027, with filming due to start next year