‘Street Fighter’ Star Cody Rhodes Says “I’m an X-Men” and Andrew Schulz Can’t Believe What He Just Heard

Cody Rhodes has spent the last couple of months at the center of one of Marvel’s more unexpected casting rumors. The WWE star has been tied to the MCU’s upcoming ‘X-Men’ reboot for weeks, and every small hint he drops sends fans scrambling to work out which mutant he might play.

It started in late August, when Rhodes shared an Instagram Story photo of himself at Marvel Studios’ offices in Burbank, California. He gave no context. A few days later, he posted another clip of himself signing autographs while the ‘X-Men ’97’ theme played in the background, which kept the speculation going.

The latest twist came during the press tour for ‘Street Fighter’. In a clip from an interview with Nerdist, Rhodes declared, “I’m an X-Man.” His co-star Andrew Schulz reacted with surprise: “Wait… you are? What did you just say?”

The 9-second clip spread quickly online. Fans took it as Rhodes possibly saying too much, while others pointed out it could just as easily be a self-described X-Men fan joking around with his castmates.

Cody Rhodes: "I’m an X-Men" Andrew Schulz: "Wait… you are? What did you just say?" (via @nerdist) https://t.co/5TKM50kivd

— CoveredGeekly (@CoveredGeekly) October 15, 2026

Context makes the moment look a little less like a slip. In the same Nerdist conversation with host Maude Garrett, Rhodes explained that he loves the X-Men and anything involving Patrick Stewart. He then defended an unpopular pick for his favorite mutant: “I stand by I think Cyclops is the best.”

Schulz offered Jubilee and Gambit instead, and David Dastmalchian chose Professor X. Rhodes still argued for Scott Summers, saying that “Scott Summers still led a team that was incredibly dysfunctional.” He has named Cyclops and Omega Red as favorite characters before.

This isn’t the first time Schulz has been part of the speculation. Earlier this month, Rhodes appeared on Schulz’s Flagrant podcast. After a conversation about a possible heel turn and a dramatic hair change, Schulz asked which franchise Rogue belongs to. Rhodes laughed it off and didn’t say anything.

PERFECT! Watch the New Trailer for Street Fighter, hitting theaters everywhere October 16. https://t.co/jAAPf1k9jf

— Street Fighter Movie (@Street_Fighter) September 1, 2026

That exchange set off a wave of posts on X. Some fans were convinced Rhodes had already landed a part, and Cable came up as the most popular guess. Other suggestions included Colossus, Bishop, Havok, Sabretooth and Stryfe.

Marvel’s mutant reboot is directed by Jake Schreier, who previously helmed ‘Thunderbolts’, and is set to open on May 5, 2028. The confirmed cast includes Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Maya Boyd as Storm and Inde Navarrette as Rogue.

Adam Driver is playing a villain named Nathaniel Milbury. Marvel still hasn’t revealed who will play Wolverine, Magneto, or Beast, which leaves plenty of room for speculation about who else could join the team.

Rhodes has some history with comic book projects. He played Derek Sampson for 7 episodes of ‘Arrow’ and pursued the role of Black Bolt for Marvel’s ‘Inhumans’ series in 2016. His WWE persona Stardust also borrowed heavily from superhero and supervillain imagery.

Still, wrestlers’ MCU appearances haven’t always made it to the screen. Becky Lynch shot material for ‘Eternals’ that was cut, and Seth Rollins’ scenes were removed from ‘Captain America: Brave New World’. Nothing about Rhodes and ‘X-Men’ has been confirmed.

For now, Rhodes’ big-screen focus is Paramount’s ‘Street Fighter’, in which he plays Guile. The film opens in theaters on October 16, so whatever comes next for him in Hollywood may depend partly on how audiences react to his turn as the military brawler.

Whether “I’m an X-Men” was a confession, a joke, or just a fan getting carried away, Rhodes knows how to keep people talking. Until Marvel says something official, the mystery will keep giving fans something to argue about.

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