Marvel's X-Men Reboot May Feature Iconic Villain After Being Cut From Fox Movie

The X-Men have slowly begun to trickle their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though Multiverse variants are all fans have seen so far. One has to imagine that during or after the Multiverse Saga, the main MCU Earth's X-Men will make their presence felt. Naturally, that means their villains will also make their way into the sprawling Marvel Comics-based multimedia franchise, but who specifically will take them on at the movies? Rumor has it that spot might go to a villain who narrowly missed out on appearing in 20th Century Fox's "X-Men" saga.

Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman discussed the matter on his Patreon, claiming that iconic X-Men villain Magneto isn't being factored in as an MCU villain for the team. Rather, he alleges that Nathaniel Essex, better known as Mister Sinister, will take on that role. For those unaware, Sinister was nearly involved in the post-credits scene of 2020's "New Mutants," with Jon Hamm considered for the part. Unfortunately, the "Mad Men" alum never joined the Fox "X-Men" series, telling Yahoo! Entertainment in 2022, "I remember having a conversation with people: I'm a huge comic book fan, especially of the X-Men and the New Mutants, so I was excited to be considered. But these conversations happen and then life intervenes."

If Sinister is to face off against the MCU's X-Men, it'll be a refreshing change of pace for the team.

Throughout Fox's "X-Men" franchise, only a small handful of main antagonists rise to take on the titular team. Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen, Michael Fassbender) is the most prolific one, with the likes of William Stryker (Brian Cox, Danny Huston, Josh Helman) and Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) also appearing with evil schemes of their own. That's to say that for roughly two decades' worth of films, Fox didn't offer much variety when it comes to main X-Men villains. Thus, seeing as he's never been brought to the movies before, Mister Sinister is an excellent choice to battle the X-Men in the MCU. 

The character's fascination with evolution and mutation, which leads him to do some pretty horrendous things, could lead to brand new cinematic storytelling avenues for the X-Men while giving previous villains — chiefly Magneto — a rest for a bit. That's not to say that he can't or shouldn't join the X-Men's corner of the MCU early on, especially considering his importance to the team's lore. Still, giving a previously unadapted villain like Sinister a larger spotlight for a time could be refreshing. Besides, considering how popular Fassbender and McKellen's takes on Magneto are, giving fans time to soften on the idea of a recast could prove beneficial.

All in all, it's unknown just how true reports of Mister Sinister's MCU arrival are, so we'll just have to wait and see if he'll be the one fighting the X-Men when they finally make their proper franchise introduction.