We’ve suspected for some time that the upcoming MCU X-Men reboot would feature the original five members for the first time together on screen. We already have Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Angel, with different actors known to audition for Beast/Hank McCoy. And now Deadline reports Marvel is looking at Karate Kid: Legends actor Ben Wang for the role of Bobby Drake/Iceman. The actor will soon appear in the upcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. He also starred in America Born Chinese. As his name suggests, Iceman is a mutant with the power to generate extreme cold and manipulate ice.
Other actors who tested for the role include The Fableman’s Gabriel LaBelle, The Pitt’s Jackson Kelly, and Rhenzy Feliz from The Penguin. The character of Iceman is rather important to Marvel Comics, as he’s a founding member of the X-Men. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appearing first in 1963’s X-Men #1. He’d go on to bigger fame as Spidey’s superhero partner in the ’80s cartoon Spider-Man and this Amazing Friends. This show introduced the character to a whole new generation of kids, increasing his fame. In the last decade, Iceman came out as gay in the comics, making him perhaps Marvel’s most prominent LGBTQ hero.
Nerdist’s Take: We’re Happy That the MCU X-Men Will Give Us the Original 5 Members Together On Screen At Last
In the previous Fox X-Men films, the “First Class” didn’t include any of the original X-Men team from the comics. We eventually learned that Beast was the only original comics X-Man in that roster. Characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Angel would not join until much later. If director Jake Schreier’s X-Men actually begins with the “O5,” as X-Men fans call them, it will be the first time in live-action. As for announced characters like Emma Frost, Rogue, and Storm, we have a feeling they won’t begin the movie as members of the X-Men. But we’ll have to wait until summer 2028 to see if our suspicions are correct.