Kit Connor has reportedly been chosen to play Cyclops in Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot, putting the Heartstopper star in line for one of the most recognisable mutant roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios has not commented, and Connor’s representatives have not responded to the report.
The casting, if confirmed, would make Connor the third actor to play Cyclops in live action. James Marsden played Scott Summers in Fox’s original X-Men trilogy and is set to return to the role in this year’s Avengers: Doomsday, while Tye Sheridan took over the part in the franchise’s younger timeline. Cyclops has been one of the X-Men’s key figures since his Marvel Comics debut in 1963, serving as the team’s field leader and using a ruby quartz visor to control the optic blasts from his eyes.
Deadline reported that Jake Schreier and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige spent several months meeting and testing actors before settling on Connor last week. The timing matters because it suggests the reboot’s mutant roster is starting to take shape, with reports earlier this week also saying Samara Weaving had been selected to play Emma Frost. Jean Grey has already appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Sadie Sink is taking on the role of Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day as the film’s main antagonist.
For Connor, the reported move would extend a rapid rise that began with Nick Nelson in Netflix’s Heartstopper, and continues with the upcoming feature continuation Heartstopper Forever. He also has major roles in Alex Garland’s Warfare and the filmmaker’s upcoming Elden Ring adaptation, which means his schedule already stretches across television, war drama and fantasy.
The unanswered question is simple: whether Marvel Studios will formally confirm the casting, and when. For now, the report points to a reboot cast coming into view one mutant at a time, with Cyclops again at the center of that plan.
