The biggest countdown in the world right now isn’t that ticking clock for Avengers: Doomsday’s release: it’s the countdown to see if Marvel Studios does it big at D23 Expo 2026 by revealing the full cast of the new X-Men movie that will be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For weeks now, trade publications and online scoopers have all been feeding the rumor mill with names of actors supposedly being looked at for X-Men roles, if not getting cast officially. Speculation has been heavy that Kevin Feige and the team at Marvel Studios have been trying to get contracts in place so that they can use the D23 stage to make an official X-Men reveal.
Now, with just hours left before Marvel Studios’ panel at D23, another scoop claims to know which actors have been locked in for the pivotal roles of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto. But are they the actors that fans were hoping for?
According to reporter Jeff Sneider, Christopher Abbott (Possessor, Kraven the Hunter) and Adam Driver (the Star Wars sequel trilogy) have been cast in the X-Men MCU Reboot. Abbott and Driver had both previously been rumored for the roles of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto (respectively), so these two names aren’t coming out of left field. Abbott is 40, and Driver is 42, so the casting also clears up speculation about what age range the MCU Xavier and Magneto would be, with some casting rumors dipping as low as actors in their mid-30s. Both Abbott and Driver had breakout roles working on HBO’s groundbreaking 2010s series, Girls, where they both played the love interest of the show’s two biggest lead characters. They both also had turbulent experiences working in big blockbuster franchise universes: Driver’s time as Ben Solo/Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy is now a thing of infamy; meanwhile, Abbott had the misfortune of joining the Sony Spider-Man spinoff universe as its crash-and-burn end, playing a superpowered hitman in Kraven the Hunter.
We can’t fully assume, but it’s a fair bet that coming up in their careers around the same time, on the same show, allowed Abbott and Driver to at least somewhat bond as actors. There’s little doubt that Marvel Studios did extensive chemistry tests on the actors hoping to play Xavier and Magneto, so Abbott and Driver must have had the spark needed to make the Charles and Erik dynamic pop, like James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender in the X-Men: First Class series of films, or the original duo of Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen from the 2000s trilogy.
The larger question that’s coming right behind this casting reveal is how the new X-Men reboot will address Xavier and Magneto’s respective origin stories. The pair have always been linked to certain historical events, most notably Magneto’s status as a WWII holocaust survivor. With the new X-Men movie being set in the late 2020s (if not later), that will be a nearly century-long gap to fill. Explaining a 40-something Magneto’s connection to the war will be tricky. The same could be said for trying to explain wealthy elitist Charles Xavier and his views in a Gen Z/Gen Alpha world. Abbott’s casting also suggests that his Charles Xavier could reflect more of the modern, darker edge of the character, who hasn’t been revered as a benefactor by modern fans, and is (to the contrary) increasingly criticized as a manipulator of children (or worse).
We’re sure to know more as D23 Expo 2026 unfolds. Stay tuned to the ComicBook Marvel Page for the latest!
