X-Men Week

Meet Marvel's new X-Men

We cast our 35 favorite X-Men characters for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You're welcome, Disney.

by JoAnna Wendel and Jake Kleinman

After buying 20th Century Fox and reclaiming the movie rights to everyone's favorite mutant superhero team, Marvel announced plans to recast the entire X-Men roster.

We still don't know who will play Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and the rest of the gang, but here's our best guess at who Marvel should cast as the 35 best X-Men superheroes and supervillains.

35. Cyclops

Liam Hemsworth is a perfect fit to play Cyclops, while following in his brother Chris' MCU footsteps.

James Devaney / Contributor

34. kitty pryde

Beanie Feldstein: The Booksmart star has the comedy and acting chops to breathe new life into this fan-favorite mutant.

Karwai Tang / Contributor

33. Jean Grey

Evan Rachel Wood: This Westworld actress proved she can handle a lead role in a sci-fi epic. All she needs to play Jean Grey is the red hair.

Vera Anderson / Contributor

32. Colossus

Noah Centineo: This Netflix rom-com star could help Disney show the world a softer side of this Russian giant.

Phillip Faraone / Stringer

31. Professor X

Natalie Dormer: Hear us out. We’ve already had two men play Charles Xavier, and Dormer’s proven she has the talent (and the head shape) to take on the role.

Karwai Tang / Contributor

30. Magneto

Daniel Radcliffe: It’s time for Harry Potter to take on a villainous role, and who better than the master of metal himself?

David M. Benett / Contributor

29. Iceman

Frank Ocean: Can this hip hop legend act? Let’s find out...

Robert Kamau / Contributor

28. Beast

Daveed Diggs: Who better to play the Shakespeare-quoting mutant than the Hamilton breakout talent turned action star?

Vivien Killilea / Stringer

27. forge

Zahn McClarnon: The best choice to play this Native American mutant with the power to invent technology is this Westworld star.

Alberto E. Rodriguez / Staff

26. Mystique

Ana de Armas: The Knives Out star is ready for her Marvel debut. Let’s see what she can do with X-Men’s favorite shapeshifter.

BG004/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor

25. Rogue

Issa Rae: The Insecure star is just … insecure enough to nail the role of Rogue, a mutant whose powers stop her from ever making human contact.

Jim Spellman / Stringer

24. Nightcrawler

Lakeith Stanfield: He might love the Joker, but he's a perfect fit for the blue-skinned mutant Nightcrawler.

Jim Spellman / Stringer

23. Sabertooth

Post Malone: We literally can’t unsee this one. Make it happen, Disney!

Lorne Thomson / Contributor

22. Havoc

Luke Hemsworth: Who better to play Havoc than the brother to Cyclops/Liam Hemsworth.

Gregg DeGuire / Stringer

21. Toad

Ray Park: This isn’t a recast. Park played Toad in the original X-Men movie, but he did such a great job and got so little credit that he deserves another chance at the part.

Albert L. Ortega / Contributor

20. Wolverine

Taran Egerton: Obviously this is the most hotly contested slot on this board, but we’re all for a canonically accurate super-short Wolverine.

Samir Hussein / Contributor

19. Pyro

Dev Patel: This conflicted X-Men villain needs a great actor to define the role. Who better than Dev Patel?

Lia Toby / Contributor

18. Jubilee

Karen Fukuhara: The most annoying X-Man never got her due in Fox’s movies. Let’s fix that by casting this badass from The Boys as the spark-throwing mutant.

David Crotty / Contributor

17. Senator Robert Kelly

Daniel Craig: The James Bond actor proved he could basically do anything with Knives Out. But can he play a xenophobic U.S. senator?

Mark Sagliocco / Stringer

16. Angel

John Boyega: Finn may be done with Star Wars, but he’s got the passion to play this famous X-Men turned supervillain.

NurPhoto / Contributor

15. Banshee

Saoirse Ronan: The Ladybird star has the acting skills and accent to play this superhero with the power of sonic screams.

Joe Maher / Contributor

14. Domino

Lena Waithe: After Westworld, we know Waithe can handle sci-fi action, and she’s got the comedy skills needed to take on this snarky mutant with the power of good luck.

Liliane Lathan / Stringer

13. Cable

Jason Mamoa: Josh Brolin shined as the time-traveling mutant despite his small stature. But next time, let’s find someone with the physique to match Cable’s massive build.

Steve Granitz / Contributor

12. Psylocke

Lana Condor: After a forgotten turn as Jubilee in X-Men: Apocalypse, Condor deserves another shot with a badass character like Psylocke.

Gregg DeGuire / Stringer

11. Gambit

Channing Tatum: Channing’s Gambit movie has been in production hell for as long as we can remember, but Disney would be foolish to recast this one before we ever got to see it happen.

Tristar Media / Contributor

10. Emma Frost

Lili Reinhart: The Riverdale star is a perfect match for the White Queen, whether Marvel decides to play her as a hero, a villain, or something in between.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor

9. Juggernaut

Dwayne Johnson: Just imagine The Rock shouting “I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!” and you’ll be sold on this one.

Josh Jacks/Star Max / Contributor

8. X-23

Camila Mendes: You can’t have Betty without Veronica, right? This Riverdale actress could join her co-star as Wolverine’s clawed clone and adopted daughter.

Toni Anne Barson / Contributor

7. Blob

Kevin James: The king of queens can move on from Paul Blart, Mall Cop to this blubby mutant.

Gary Gershoff / Contributor

6. Apocalypse

Stanley Tucci: The Hunger Games actor had a small role in Captain America: The First Avenger, but we’ll allow it so he can bring his talents to the role of the X-Men’s most dangerous enemy.

David M. Benett / Contributor

5. Omega Red

Henry Cavill: The Witcher star is too busy for a leading role in the MCU, but he’s a perfect choice for this metal tentacle wielding supervillain

Andreas Rentz / Staff

4. Sunfire

Mackenyu Arata: He's got sci-fi experience in Pacific Rim and the Kamen Rider movies, so let's cast him as Sunfire.

Jun Sato / Contributor

3. Mister Sinister

Jon Hamm: Don Draper almost played this terrifying supervillain in a scrapped New Mutants post-credits scene. We won’t rest until that wrong is righted.

Jerod Harris / Stringer

2. thunderbird

Justin Rain: You might recognize him from Fear of the Walking Dead. Could this Canadian First Nations actor take on the role of Thunderbird?

1. storm

Janelle Monae: The musician-turned-actor says she would "love" to play Storm. Who are we to say no to the modern queen of R&B?

Pierre Suu / Contributor