Cailee Spaeny may have missed out on Rogue, but her shot at joining the MCU’s X-Men reboot apparently isn’t over. Marvel Studios is reportedly still talking with the Alien: Romulus star about playing another mutant, and there are a few characters who could be a great fit.
The weeks before D23 were packed with casting rumors as Marvel worked to assemble the live-action X-Men team ahead of its big presentation. Rogue was one of the major roles being filled, and Spaeny eventually emerged as the frontrunner.
After her performances in Alien: Romulus and Civil War, it wasn’t hard to imagine her joining Marvel’s mutant roster, and plenty of fans started treating the casting as practically a done deal. That didn’t happen.
Rogue ultimately went to Inde Navarrette, the Obsession breakout who had previously revealed that she met with Jake Schreier, director of Marvel’s upcoming X-Men movie. The decision caught some fans off guard, especially after Spaeny had been linked to the character for weeks.
However, Spaeny might still get her mutant moment. According to Knight Edge Media, Spaeny remains in talks with Marvel Studios about taking on a different mutant role in the upcoming X-Men reboot.
That possibility also fits with what Kevin Feige said during Marvel’s D23 presentation, where he made it clear that the actors announced onstage didn’t represent the movie’s entire cast.
There are still some pretty important characters left to fill. Beast and Magneto were among the roles rumored ahead of D23, and Marvel has a huge library of mutants it could bring into the movie.
One character who makes a lot of sense for Spaeny is Kitty Pryde. We still don’t know exactly what story Schreier and Marvel are planning, but some of the confirmed casting gives us an interesting idea of where things could be headed.
Adam Driver is officially playing Mister Sinister, although Marvel introduced him at D23 as Nathaniel Milbury, one of the villain’s many aliases.
In Marvel Comics, Nathaniel Milbury operated an orphanage in Nebraska that served as a front for his experiments on mutants. One of the children who ended up there was Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops.
Mister Sinister’s treatment of Scott helped fuel his disturbing obsession with the Summers family, a relationship that became a major part of X-Men mythology.
With Kit Connor playing Cyclops and Christopher Abbott taking on Charles Xavier, Marvel could be building a story around Xavier creating his school as a refuge for young mutants following the horrors inflicted on children by Milbury. The relatively young X-Men cast certainly leaves room for that kind of approach.
That’s also where Kitty Pryde could fit nicely. Kitty has long represented the younger generation entering Xavier’s world for the first time. She arrives at the school as a teenager still figuring out her powers and eventually becomes one of the most important members of the X-Men.
Her ability to phase through solid objects is incredibly useful, but it’s her intelligence, personality, and growth from inexperienced student to seasoned hero that have kept her relevant.
Spaeny could bring a lot to that role. She’s already shown that she can carry genre material while playing characters thrown into dangerous situations far outside their comfort zones.
Having her enter the MCU as Kitty would also give audiences a character through whom they could experience Xavier’s school and this new version of the mutant world.
Fans have already been throwing Kitty’s name around as an alternative role for Spaeny since D23, so Marvel going in that direction would probably make quite a few people happy.
Of course, Kitty isn’t the only possibility. Magik would be another cool choice. The mutant sorceress and sister of Colossus has a much darker corner of Marvel mythology surrounding her, complete with demons, magic, Limbo, and the massive Soulsword.
Polaris is another option, as is Jubilee. Neither character has been confirmed for the X-Men reboot, and both could have a place on Marvel’s expanding mutant roster.
Still, Kitty Pryde feels like the strongest candidate. Marvel Studios appears to be starting this franchise with some of the most recognizable and important characters from X-Men, and Kitty fits naturally alongside that group. She could also play an important part in the younger, school-focused story that the current cast appears capable of supporting.
For now, the big takeaway is that losing Rogue apparently hasn’t closed the Marvel door for Cailee Spaeny. If these talks result in a deal, she could still end up wearing an X-Men uniform, just as a completely different mutant.
Marvel Studios’ untitled X-Men movie is currently scheduled to hit theaters on May 5, 2028.
