Ever since the merger of Disney/Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox, fans have eagerly awaited what a Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the X-Men might look like. So far, the MCU has been content to mop up the remnants of the FoxVerse X-Men, with Kelsey Grammer’s Beast turning up in a post-credits scene from “The Marvels” and, of course, the entirety of this year’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.” While Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman’s Logan will undoubtedly appear in a future MCU entry given the dump truck of money “D&W” made, the end credits of that film seemed to indicate that the FoxVerse characters had taken their final bow. Now, with Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” movie on the horizon, it seems that the MCU is going to finally be tackling characters previously owned by Fox from scratch.
To that end, the unofficial casting game has already begun on social media, with everyone from fans to pundits spreading ideas and rumors about which actors might next play Marvel’s merry mutants. According to a rumor heard by Jeff Sneider, “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink seems to be at the top of Marvel’s list to play Jean Grey AKA Marvel Girl AKA Phoenix in … well, in whatever project Marvel wants to use to introduce the character, but presumably in an eventual MCU “X-Men” movie. While this casting is merely a rumor at present, and Sneider’s track record isn’t great, if it’s true, it does indicate where Marvel’s head is at regarding the age of the X-Men, and the level of star that they’re looking for to portray them.
Sadie Sink would make an excellent Jean, if the rumors are true
At first glance, the rumor of Sink joining the MCU as Jean Grey feels like a typical fancast idea. In other words, when it comes to currently working young redhead actresses with a measure of fame, Sink is unequivocally on that list. Still, Fox went a similar route in their casting of Jean for 2016’s “X-Men: Apocalypse,” tapping a young redhead actress from another popular genre show, Sophie Turner from “Game of Thrones.” So, although Sink is a fairly obvious pick for the character, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Furthermore, the idea of Sink as Jean Grey is one that could work really well, beyond the fact that she’s known as a redhead. In “Stranger Things,” her mixture of no-nonsense grit and empathetic vulnerability as Max makes her a very viable candidate to play the most complex woman in the classic X-Men lineup. It’s especially her stellar work in the most recent fourth season of the show that demonstrates this, as her struggle with the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) puts her character into a very horror movie Final Girl space. Not to mention that Sink has also amply played a more classic Final Girl type in “Fear Street Part Two: 1978,” proving that she can be menaced yet dish out some payback, too. All of these are key qualities for Jean Grey, a character who is often made to suffer through some extreme emotional and mental hardships, yet is just as often portrayed as one of the most powerful mutants around, so powerful that she can’t always safely contain her abilities.
Is Sink the only actress today who would make a great Jean? Of course not, which is why we have to wait and see who else might be a contender for the role, let alone whether or not this rumor has any validity to it. If this casting becomes a reality, however, it would certainly be a promising start to the MCU’s X-Men. In any case, let’s hope we see Sink and Jean on our movie screens very soon, either together or apart.
