Joseph Quinn’s career has been on a steady incline ever since he landed a role on Netflix’s Stranger Things. While it’s unlikely he’ll return to the hit sci-fi series, reprising his role as the presumed dead Eddie Munson, he still holds the cast close to his heart. In fact, he hopes to see some of them follow in his footsteps and join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the X-Men reboot, and I can’t help but agree.
Unlike The Fantastic Four: First Steps, whose cast is locked, the X-Men reboot is still in early development. Of course, that hasn’t stopped fans of the iconic mutants from speculating who might play the roles this time around. High on the list of the dream cast is Stranger Things Season 2 breakout star Sadie Sink, who was one of the best parts of the underrated season. Rumors have been swirling that The Whale star is being considered for the role of Jean Grey, and from the sounds of a panel Quinn attended at MegaCon in Orland, he agrees:
I think she would be brilliant in that role.
She definitely has the look down with her natural fire-red hair. Not to mention, she knows a thing or two about supernatural characters and worlds, having spent the last eight years filming Stranger Things. While several fans support the idea, including me, the move is going to depend on when production is set to begin. Sink wrapped production on the Netflix show back in December, but she is keeping busy by returning to Broadway in the new play John Proctor Is the Villain this spring.
Of course, Sink isn’t the only Stranger Things alumni who has Quinn’s full support in joining the MCU. During the same panel, he shared another casting suggestion, though this one might be way more controversial.
Maybe Charlie [Heaton] as Wolverine.
While not everyone will agree, Heaton does have experience playing a mutant character. In 2020, he stars as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball in the adaptation of Marvel Comics’ The New Mutants, which just so happens to be a spin-off film in the X-Men film series. Unfortunately, the film received mixed reviews and was ultimately written off as a box office flop.
Still, Heaton has the Marvel connection so I can see why Quinn is throwing his support behind his Stranger Things co-star, whom he never actually shared the screen with. Still, it might not be as widely supportive of a casting move since Wolverine has long since been synonymous with Hugh Jackman.
It would be nice, though, to see a new generation take on the iconic role. It might complicate matters since Jackman’s Wolverine is already part of the MCU, but that’s what the multiverse is for, right?
As of now, this is all just fun speculation on fan and Quinn’s part, but if Marvel is serious about rebooting the X-Men, they should definitely consider the Gladiator II star’s casting opinions.
Until then, Marvel fans have a lot to look forward to in terms of upcoming movies. Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters this week, another Stranger Things alumni, David Harbour, returns to the big screen in Thunderbolts in May, and in July, Quinn gets to make his MCU debut as Johnny Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.