Marvel almost made me feel good about how they pulled this off. For weeks, Bill Skarsgård’s name and then Tom Pelphrey’s had been all over the internet. People made up whole theories about what those choices would mean for the tone of the X-Men reboot. Then, on August 14 at D23, Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, left the room and gave the part to Christopher Abbott. It looks like the room needed a moment.
Anyone who has seen Abbott in James White, Possessor, or It’s All Gone Pete Tong will tell you without a doubt that he is a truly captivating actor. So what about Professor Charles Xavier? The bald, wheelchair-bound psychic father who became famous thanks to Patrick Stewart for almost twenty years? It’s not clear what that link is. Just give it a second thought. After a while, things begin to make sense.
Marvel wasn’t the only one to make an announcement at D23. The studio showed off a bigger cast, with Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Kit Connor as Cyclops, and Sadie Sink returning as Jean Gray, a role she played for the first time in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The cast is mostly younger, less experienced, and purposely unknown. At 37, Abbott has that kind of energy. He’s not a company name. He’s a performer who performs.
But Abbott’s confirmation wasn’t the most important part of the D23 presentation. Adam Driver showed up via video message to say he would be playing Nathaniel Milbury, who is really Mr. Sinister. It had been years since Driver and Feige had talked about working together, and Driver said that this project felt like the right fit for the right time. What that means doesn’t really matter; you can take it at face value or see it as careful PR. Driver as a Marvel villain is the kind of casting that changes everything about a movie.
One gets the sense that Marvel is trying to thread a needle here. The X-Men haven’t been seen as a group since Fox’s Dark Phoenix in 2019. That movie wasn’t exactly a high point for the franchise. Since then, some mutant characters have made their way into MCU movies, most notably Deadpool and Wolverine. Several actors who played original X-Men characters are reportedly set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. This reboot, which was directed by Thunderbolts’ Jake Schreier, is under a lot of real and heavy pressure.
It’s harder to say what Abbott brings to Xavier at this point, which may be the point. Stewart’s performance of the part was warm, calm, and almost religious. James McAvoy’s younger version added doubt and a lack of clear morals. Abbott has made a name for himself writing about men who don’t quite show how they’re feeling. That’s an interesting set of skills to bring to a role that’s based on telepathy, a power that means knowing exactly what other people are thinking while not saying much yourself.
Feige confirmed that there will be more casting news soon. The movie will come out on May 5, 2028, which gives Marvel time to make it right. It’s still not clear how much of the older continuity the movie will keep and how much it will throw out. But as I watch this cast come together—with some unusual choices, some serious dramatic actors, and a bad guy played by one of the most respected actors of his generation—I get the sense that Marvel is treating this reboot as more than just keeping the brand alive.
Christopher Abbott as Professor X might be the choice that no one saw coming. It might also be the one that makes the most sense when the movie comes out.
