Since the merger of Disney/Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox, fans have been eagerly awaiting what a Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the X-Men could look like. So far, the MCU has been content to clean up the remains of the FoxVerse X-Men, with Kelsey Grammer’s Beast appears in a post-credits scene of “The Marvels” and, of course, this year’s entire “Deadpool & Wolverine.” While Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman’s Logan will undoubtedly appear in a future MCU entry given the dump truck full of cash that “D&W” earned, the end credits for this film seemed to indicate that the FoxVerse characters had taken their final bow. Now, with Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” movie on the horizon, it looks like the MCU will finally tackle Fox’s previously owned characters from scratch.

To that end, the unofficial casting game has already begun on social media, with everyone from fans to experts spreading ideas and rumors about which actors could next play Marvel’s merry mutants. According to a rumor heard by Jeff Sneider“Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink appears to be at the top of Marvel’s list to play Jean Gray AKA Marvel Girl AKA Phoenix in… well, in whatever project Marvel wants to use to introduce the character, but probably in a possible MCU. “X-Men” movie. Even if this casting is only a rumor for the moment, and Sneider’s track record isn’t greatif true, it indicates where Marvel’s head is at when it comes to the age of the X-Men and the level of star they’re looking for to represent them.

At first glance, the rumor of Sink joining the MCU as Jean Gray seems like a typical fancast idea. In other words, when it comes to young redhead actresses currently working and enjoying some fame, Sink is unequivocally on that list. Yet Fox followed a similar path when casting Jean for 2016’s “X-Men: Apocalypse,” tapping a young redhead actress from another popular genre series, Sophie Turner of “Game of Thrones.” So while Sink is a pretty obvious choice for the character, it’s not outside the realm of possibility.

Plus, the idea of ​​Sink as Jean Gray could work really well, beyond the fact that she’s known as a redhead. In “Stranger Things,” his blend of pragmatic courage and empathetic vulnerability as Max makes her a very viable candidate to play the most complex woman in the classic X-Men line. It is especially his remarkable work in the most recent fourth season of the series which demonstrates thiswhile her fight against the evil Vecna ​​(Jamie Campbell Bower) places her character in a very Final Girl horror movie space. Not to mention that Sink also largely played a more classic Final Girl type in “Fear Street, Part Two: 1978”, proving that she can be threatened while also getting revenge. All of these qualities are essential to Jean Grey, a character who is often made to suffer from extreme emotional and mental difficulties, but who is just as often depicted as one of the most powerful mutants in the world, so powerful that she cannot not always be safe. contain its abilities.

Is Sink the only actress today who would make a great Jean? Of course not, which is why we have to wait to see who else might be a contender for the role, let alone whether or not this rumor is valid. If this casting becomes reality, however, it would certainly be a promising start for the MCU’s X-Men. In any case, let’s hope that we will see Sink and Jean again very soon on our cinema screens, together or separately.