D23 delivered the first real glimpse into Marvel Studios’ vision for the X‑Men slated for release on May 5th, 2028 – and the cast Kevin Feige revealed hints at a storyline far more ambitious than a simple team origin.
- Kit Connor as Scott Summers
- Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier
- Samara Weaving as Emma Frost
- Inde Navarrette as Rogue
- Maya Boyd as Storm
- Adam Driver as Nathaniel Milbury (Mr. Sinister)
The inclusion of Mr. Sinister is the biggest news, and here’s why. Nathaniel Milbury is one of the many aliases of Mr. Sinister. His real name is Nathaniel Essex. Milbury comes from the place where Essex grew up in the 19th century, and it would be difficult to tie his comic-accurate origins into a cohesive narrative surrounding modern characters in an MCU installment. The use of Milbury instead of Essex gives the impression of a somewhat obscure X-Men villain that seems intentional to throw off speculation of any plot trajectory.
Additionally, the inclusion of Emma Frost in the character announcements was somewhat of another red herring. While she ultimately changes sides and joins the X-Men, Emma Frost is introduced in the comics as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club attempting to subvert Jean Grey for her powers. While this might be a central element in the upcoming X-Men installment, it is unlikely to be included in the X-Men subplot leading up to Doomsday or Secret Wars.
Both of these potential misdirections make more sense if Marvel is positioning the X‑Men to debut in the midst of an adaptation of Inferno – one of the more chaotic crossovers in X-Men history. Which kicks off with the demonic invasion of New York brought about by Madelyne Pryor.
Pryor was a clone created by Sinister using Jean Grey’s DNA, after her (Jean’s) alleged death. Sinister strategically inserted Pryor into Scott Summers’ life, knowing he would instantly take notice because Madelyne looked nearly identical to Jean. Sinister’s goal was to engineer a mutant child of unprecedented power and potential.
That child would be Nathan Summers, Cable. And since Cable’s connection to the MCU is already somewhat established after the events of the second Deadpool movie, his reintroduction into the MCU becomes far more plausible. Now, let’s put a pin in this for a second…
Hell Hath No Fury: The Birth of Inferno
In the Inferno story, once Scott discovers that Jean is still alive, he returns to her, leaving Madelyne and Nathan on their own. Now spurned by the love of her life, Madelyne is manipulated into giving in to her anger by the demon S’ym. S’ym was the begrudging servant of Magik (Iliyana Rasputin) after she defeated S’ym’s master in Limbo, Belasco. S’ym’s accomplice, N’astirh manipulates Magik into creating a portal for the demons to escape Limbo and into New York. This incursion into New York draws the combined efforts of heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four to confront the demons. One of the notable conflicts that ensues is a fight between Spider-Man and the demon-possessed Hobgoblin. This could be the lead-in for Ned Leeds’ MCU Hobgoblin debut.
Now let’s look at a moment from the Doomsday Sneak Peek that Marvel posted earlier this week (you can watch it here on the Trailer Drops page). Thor launches himself at Doom and says “You will beg for hell long before I grant it!” Doom casually swats him away and responds “Hell answers to me.”
This very well could be a nod to the man behind the mask, Victor von Doom. A broken man orphaned when his mother, Cynthia von Doom, was murdered by Mephisto, and his father died after fleeing their hometown after the locals discovered Cynthia had been a witch. With Mephisto already introduced at the end of Ironheart, Doom’s line – “Hell answers to me” – feels like, dare I say, damning evidence that Marvel is leaning into his sorcerous lineage and his long‑standing connection to Mephisto’s realm.
Inferno’s Multiversal Fallout
If Magik’s portals – or even Cable’s time traveling technology – are the mechanism that pulls the Deadpool & Wolverine lineup into the main MCU timeline, it could explain why we see Gambit in both Doomsday trailers. At first glance, that sounds like a stretch. But we’re not doing yoga, I promise! Colossus is Magik’s brother and they’re quite close in the comics, and we know that Cable (Nathan Summers) is Scott and Madelyne’s son. All of these characters, save Deadpool, have moderate to significant ties to Inferno’s fallout.
Lastly, and this is the Spec’ I’m MOST excited about, the cutscene at the end of X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016. The scene showed men in suits gathering vials of Logan’s blood from the Alkali Lake facility and placing it in a briefcase labeled “Essex Corp.” This directly teased the creation of X-23 in the 2017 film “Logan.” After Dafne Keen’s reprisal of the role in the 2024 film, and her appearance at the table at the end of that film, I’m left with one reasonable conclusion.
X-23, Laura Kinney, was bequeathed the mantle of “All-New Wolverine” in 2016 after it was widely believed that Wolverine had finally died in culmination of the 2014 “Death of Wolverine” comic run. SPOILER! He didn’t. However, given that Feige and the folks at Marvel are setting up a new X-team to carry the torch, it only makes sense that Hugh Jackman would pass the torch as well.
From Essex Corp to X-23, Cable to Colossus, Magik to Madelyne Pryor, Sinister’s arrival doesn’t just set up the X‑Men – it may be the keystone that ties together mutants, magic, Mephisto, and the MCU’s next era.
What do you think? Will Mr. Sinister have longer-lasting implications for the MCU? Or will he get the old one-and-done Ultron treatment? Let me know below!