New X-Men and a New Tony Stark (Among Others) Are Coming to the MCU, Says Kevin Feige

Marvel’s Kevin Feige has some big news for fans: after the events of Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will bring in a brand-new cast of X-Men, and eventually, a new Tony Stark will join the lineup.

During a recent interview with the press, Feige explained that the upcoming X-Men movie, directed by Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts), will feature fresh faces playing the iconic mutants. While many familiar actors from the older X-Men movies of the 2000s and 2010s, like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Rebecca Romijn, will return for Avengers: Doomsday in 2026, the plan is to recast those characters for future films.

This change also reflects the 2015 Secret Wars comic storyline, where multiple timelines collapsed and merged, mixing up the Marvel universe.

Feige said, “We’re utilizing that [story] not just to round out the stories we’ve been telling post-‘Endgame,’ just as importantly — and you can look at the ‘Secret Wars’ comics for where that takes you — it very, very much sets us up for the future.” He added, “‘Endgame,’ literally, was about endings. ‘Secret Wars’ is about beginnings.”

Importantly, Feige made it clear that this won’t be a full reboot of the MCU. Instead, it will be a reset, a way to refresh the timeline without starting over completely. “Reboot is a scary word,” he said. “Reboot can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Reset, singular timeline — we’re thinking along those lines.” He also noted, “‘X-Men’ is where that will happen next.”

Talking about the X-Men’s stories, Feige pointed out that they mostly focus on young mutants learning to find their place. “They have been a place to tell stories about young people who feel different and who feel Other and who feel like they don’t belong,” he said. “That’s the universal story of mutants, and that is where we’re going.”

Feige also hinted that other famous Marvel characters will be recast eventually, including fan favorites like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. He compared this to other big franchises that have done the same, like James Bond and Superman. “Amy Pascal and David Heyman are now searching for a new James Bond,” Feige mentioned. “David [Corenswet], the new Superman — he was awesome. That will always be the case.”

He admitted it won’t be easy to replace stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. “I think it’s hard for anybody to do that when an actor has done such a great role,” Feige said. “How are they going to ever replace Sean Connery [as James Bond], right?”

As for fan-favorite characters like Deadpool and Wolverine, played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, Feige left the possibility open for more movies. “I think there is more fun to be had with both of those characters,” he said, “But we’ll see where.”

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!