Why Ben Wang’s age has Marvel fans divided over the new Iceman

Marvel is finally getting its X-Men ducks in a row, and yes, that means we’re deep into the business of agonising over cast choices. Take Iceman, or Bobby Drake for the comic diehards – he’s now the centre of the latest bit of MCU fuss, and for a reason you might not expect.

Ben Wang is 29 – and a lot of fans genuinely thought he was much younger.

The word is that Ben Wang is currently in pole position for the role of Iceman. Not quite a done deal yet, but the bookies would have him as the favourite. Other names that Marvel’s apparently dragged in for a screen test? Gabriel LaBelle, Jackson Kelly, and Rhenzy Feliz – but from what’s come out, Wang is the one to watch. Here’s the part that’s sent social media into a minor meltdown: people clocked his age, did a double take, and decided that 29 is just a bit older than what they were expecting for Bobby Drake. Sure, he looks pretty young (I reckon you could shave a few years off on the right lighting), but fans worry that might not work a few films down the line when everyone’s meant to be the baby-faced juniors of the team.

That said, Wang isn’t exactly green. He’s got a growing stack of credits, including the upcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, so if Marvel’s biggest issue is that he doesn’t look old enough, they could probably live with that.

Sadie Sink was the first official mutant cast, set to play Jean Grey – the news dropped in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Now, about the rest of the X-Men lineup: it’s not just Iceman getting headlines. Sadie Sink takes on Jean Grey, and that’s been public since the last Spider-Man flick. Then Marvel boss Kevin Feige did his big reveal in 2028: Kit Connor, Christopher Abbott, Samara Weaving, Inde Navarrette, Maya Boyd, and Asa Germann are all on board for the mutant reboot. Special mention: Adam Driver is heading up the villainy as Mister Sinister – a classic X-Men baddie, famously intertwined with Cyclops, Jean, and their whole timey-wimey offspring saga. If you were a fan of X-Men ’97, that’s your clue that some iconic plots might be making the jump to proper movie territory, now Sinister’s involved.

The X-Men handover

One last bit of transition drama – the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday will serve as the send-off for the old guard. That’ll mark Sir Patrick Stewart’s last run as Professor X – Stewart sadly passed away earlier this week – and Christopher Abbott is now set to take the telepathic reins for the new MCU era.

• Ben Wang likely to play Iceman, despite some fan fuss over his age (29)
• Other contenders: Gabriel LaBelle, Jackson Kelly, Rhenzy Feliz
• Sadie Sink confirmed as Jean Grey; Kit Connor, Samara Weaving, Inde Navarrette, Maya Boyd and Asa Germann all join the cast
• Adam Driver cast as Mister Sinister, main villain
• Avengers: Doomsday is Sir Patrick Stewart’s final Professor X appearance before Christopher Abbott takes over