3 Heroes That Can Finally Be Done Right In The MCU's X-Men Reboot

Published Aug 27, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Nicholas Raymond is an author and journalist based out of Alabama, where he proudly roots for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. A graduate of the University of Montevallo, he has a degree in mass communication with a concentration in journalism. A trio of Marvel superheroes could finally receive some long-deserved justice in the upcoming X-Men reboot. Despite all the years 20th Century Fox spent making X-Men movies and spinoffs, there remains multiple iconic characters in their corner of the Marvel Universe that lack accurate portrayals to this day. In all fairness, though, the movies did offer worthwhile interpretations of many characters that continue to be perceived as the definitive takes on those heroes and villains. That's certainly the case for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, Patrick Stewart's Professor Xavier, and Ian McKellan's Magneto. Additionally, Fox's X-Men movies also treated fans to memorable versions of Storm, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Mystique, Colossus, and Iceman. As for the MCU, there's already indications that it's on the right track with the X-Men, even though it's only just begun adapting the characters to the big screen. Via a fan-favorite performance from Channing Tatum in Deadpool & Wolverine, the MCU delivered a comic-accurate Gambit, complete with his '90s aesthetic and Cajun accent. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, for its part, set Sadie Sink's Jean Grey on a path to become the Omega-level mutant and flagship X-Men heroine she's meant to be. Of course, there's a great deal of ground left to cover. But, depending on how Marvel Studios fills out the rest of the cast for its X-Men reboot, audiences may soon see more faithful live-action takes on classic X-Men characters for the first time ever. 3 Cyclops Arguably the X-Men character in the greatest need of an accurate movie portrayal, Cyclops has appeared multiple times but in one way or another, all X-Men movies featuring him have fallen short of demonstrating Scott Summers to be the highly skilled, competent, and deeply troubled X-Men leader longtime readers of the comics expect to see from him. The original X-Men trilogy had the potential to do just that with James Marsden playing the character, but they were never willing to take him out of Wolverine's shadow. Avengers: Doomsday stands a good chance at redeeming Marsden's Cyclops, and if his '90s-inspired costume is any indication, that may very well happen. But given his age and the apparent absence of Famke Janssen's Jean Grey, Doomsday will show is a later chapter in Cyclops' story. The X-Men reboot, on the other hand, will have an opportunity to get him right from the start, showing how Kit Connor's Scott matures from a young X-Men recruit, develops a rapport with Jean Grey, and establishes himself as the leader. And perhaps he'll be able to accomplish all that without there being a Wolverine to steal the spotlight. 2 Beast Kelsey Grammer's Beast was quite possibly one of the best parts of X-Men: The Last Stand, and he could turn out to be an equally fun addition to Avengers: Doomsday. But though his well-spoken and polished persona brought a lot of charm to Grammer's performance, it was a long way away from traditional depictions of Hank McCoy. Rather than a wise politician, Marvel Comics' Beast is a brilliant scientist whose intellect is a key part of his character, in the same way that Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and Reed Richards couldn't be done correctly without properly utilizing their respective scientific talents. The Nicholas Hoult version of Beast in Fox's X-Men reboot rightfully remedied that, but still left out a major facet of Beast's character. Like The Last Stand, they ignored the sillier side of Hank McCoy; in the classic comic books, Hank is a notorious prankster and often looked at as "the life of the party" when a member of both the X-Men and the Avengers teams. If the X-Men reboot adds Beast to its cast, it could make comedy relief a major asset to the character. 1 Angel When it comes to live action, Warren Worthington III is among the most underrepresented X-Men heroes. Angel is a founding member of the X-Men and a classic staple of the comics, having been on hand for a long list of major stories and crossover events. He's also been in many Marvel cartoons and video games. The movies, however, have only scarcely used him. He had roles in X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Apocalypse, but was left off the team lineups in both outings. What's worse is that Apocalypse didn't even depict him as a hero; it was more interested in turn as Archangel, one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen. Considering that Angel still hasn't appeared as one of the X-Men, the reboot will have a low bar to meet if it elects to incorporate him into the story. As one of the five heroes making up the original team, Warren Worthington III should certainly be a candidate for team membership as Marvel looks to finalize its first roster of the new generation of X-Men.