After Sadie Sink, Marvel eyes another fan-favorite 'Stranger Things' star for 'X-Men' reboot
Marvel has a penchant for picking the best talent in the business for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and for good measure. As the MCU gears up for its upcoming phase ahead of the release of 'Avengers: Doomsday' on December 18, 2026, discussions surrounding the aftermath of the landmark film are circulating. The previous entries in the superhero saga, i.e., 'Captain America: Brave New World', shifted their focus on legacy heroes to carry forward the narrative. However, that didn't quite seem to do the trick, and Marvel had to bring back Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in the upcoming 'Avengers: Doomsday'. Now, they could have a new, but familiar face for a role in the 'X-Men' reboot.
Joe Keery, known worldwide as the affable and brave Steve Harrington from Netflix's 'Stranger Things', is rumored to be in consideration for a role in the reboot. Once the impending 'Avengers' movies hit the theatres, the MCU would then be led by the 'X-Men', as reported by Comic Book Movie. The new phase in the MCU is referred to as the 'Mutant Saga'. This gives the franchise a plethora of characters to choose from, with ripe potential for rejuvenating established narratives. Jake Schreier of 'Thunderbolts' fame set to direct the 'X-Men' reboot.
The speculation has been further fueled by an X post from insider Daniel Richtman, who stated that Keery is on the radar of Marvel's casting executives. Further details about this casting choice are currently unavailable, and an official Marvel announcement regarding it has yet to be made. Nevertheless, fans would love to see Keery don the mutant uniform, potentially playing characters such as Harry Osborn and Nova. The 'X-Men' reboot film will also be significantly different from the 20th Century Fox franchise led by Hugh Jackman. This aligns with Kevin Feige's previous declaration that the 'X-Men' reboot would be youth-focused, providing Keery with the perfect opportunity.
Speaking in a July 2025 interview with Variety magazine, Schreier had revealed, "I think that’s fair to say, there’s that red sniper dot out there somewhere, you know….But to be able to explore all of the ideas that are inherent to that rich source material, but also at the scale inherent to the source material, that’s like a very rare and fortunate opportunity. That’s very exciting.”
More recently, Keery captured attention with his Golden Globes 2026 red-carpet appearance. The popular star dyed his hair blonde for the occasion and presented an award alongside Charlie XCX to K-pop star Demon Hunters' track 'Golden', as per Gulf News. Keery is a successful musician himself, going by the name Djo, and has delivered a hit song, 'End of Beginning', which went viral on TikTok before eventually earning a spot on the Billboard Top 100. All episodes and seasons of 'Stranger Things' are available for streaming exclusively on Netflix.
