Marvel’s X-Men team has found the final member of its roster with Ben Wang as Iceman. When the cast for the upcoming MCU X-Men reboot was confirmed at D23 Expo, it was understood that the likes of Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, and Maya Boyd as Storm were just the first confirmed stars. Since then, a slew of other actors have been confirmed for the film, like Asa Germann as Angel and Peter Claffey as Beast. Now, though, with the addition of Bobby Drake, the original five heroes have a place in the MCU.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Today’s news comes Marvel to take on the role of Iceman in the MCU X-Men movie. Film fans will recognize Wang from a slew of high-profile projects that he’s starred in lately, like the one-two punch of The Long Walk and Karate Kid: Legends last year, on top of his starring role in the short-lived Disney+ series, American Born Chinese. Wang can next be seen in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Marvel Finds the MCU Iceman in Ben Wang
The trade further reports that in addition to Wang, some other noteworthy actors went up for the role of Iceman in the MCU, including Gabriel LaBelle of The Fabelmans and Saturday Night, Jackson Kelly of The Pitt, and Rhenzy Feliz of DC’s The Penguin series. In the end, Wang won the role. Interestingly, though, is the key detail that Bobby Drake has often been depicted as the youngest member of the original X-Men squad, made up of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Angel, and Iceman in the first issue, but ironically Wang, at 29, is older than most of the other actors on the squad by a few years (save Peter Claffey, who is the eldest of the five).
It was previously reported that Marvel would make sure that the five original X-Men characters (Jean Grey, Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, and Beast) would all appear in the upcoming movie, and it would also mark the first time that all five had been part of the team in a film. Though each character appeared in the Fox movies, at no point was the full team ever assembled together, let alone on screen at the same time. 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand is the only film to feature all five, but is also features Jean as an antagonist and kills off Scott in the opening minutes.
One major Iceman detail that remains to be seen about the MCU’s plan for the X-Men is how they will address the character’s history. A major retcon in the pages of Marvel comics at one point revealed that Bobby Drake was actually gay and had been repressing his feelings for a long time. Nothing has indicated just yet if Marvel intends to broach this storyline with the character on the big screen (or the shock that Jean Grey casually reading his mind is how he’s outed), but given the lack of gay characters in the MCU, it’s certainly a possibility.
What do you think of Ben Wang being cast as Iceman in the Marvel X-Men movie? How powerful do you think they’ll allow him to be in the films? Sound off in the comments below and let us know.
63 Years After His Comic Book Debut, Marvel Gives One Original X-Man A Shocking New Super-Power
More Movies
-
IMAGE COURTESY OF DISNEY Movies
6 hours agoFrozen Sequel Changes Confirmed By Disney Boss, But They’re the Right Decisions
-
Courtesy of Cannon Films Movies
7 hours agoEveryone Forgot Chuck Norris Made a National Treasure Meets Indiana Jones Flop and It’s Now a Free Streaming Hit
-
Movies
7 hours agoFirst Scream 8 Star Confirmed As Franchise Favorite Reveals They’re Returning
-
Movies
8 hours agoNew Hunger Games Movie To Be Released on Meta VR Glasses in 2027, But Fans Only See the Irony
-
Movies
8 hours agoJames Bond 26 Actor Revealed in New Report, And There’s Reason to Believe It
-
Movies
8 hours agoNew Avengers: Doomsday Images Offer Best Look Yet at Accurate X-Men Costumes and More
-
Marvel Studios Movies
10 hours agoHeated Rivalry Star’s Reported Marvel Role Would Be An MCU First In Ghost Rider
-
IMAGE COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS Movies
10 hours agoA New Marvel Movie From Ryan Reynolds Will Revive a Cult X-Men Team, According to New Rumor
1 Comment
Pingback: Shin Min-a aims to show both regal, human side of Navier in 'The Remarried Empress' - Comic Vibe