Kit Connor is reportedly Marvel's choice to play Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops, in the studio's new X-Men movie.
Deadline reports that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and director Jake Schreier considered several actors before choosing Connor last week. Marvel has not announced the casting, and the report does not say that a contract has been completed.
Connor is best known as Nick Nelson in Heartstopper. He has also taken on heavier roles in Warfare and the upcoming Elden Ring movie. Cyclops would place him at the center of one of Marvel's biggest new teams.
Marvel Has Not Confirmed the Casting
Deadline is one of Hollywood's major trade publications, so its casting reports usually carry more weight than an anonymous social media rumor. The careful wording still matters. Connor is reportedly Marvel's choice, but the studio has not introduced him as Cyclops or added him to an official cast list.
The new X-Men movie is being directed by Jake Schreier, who previously directed Thunderbolts*. Marvel has shared few story details, and there is no announced release date. Connor's reported casting gives fans their clearest idea yet of the age and direction of the new team.
Why Kit Connor Fits Scott Summers
Cyclops is not only the man who fires red beams from his eyes. Scott is usually the X-Men's field leader. He has to make decisions while the team is in danger, control a power that can hurt anyone in front of him, and carry the pressure of keeping everyone alive.
Marvel's own Cyclops profile describes him as a natural leader from the team's earliest missions. Connor can play warmth and vulnerability, but roles such as Warfare have also shown a more serious side. Scott needs both.
The casting would also put Connor close in age to Sadie Sink, whose Jean Grey is expected to have an important future in the MCU. Scott and Jean have one of the best-known relationships in X-Men history, but Marvel has not said how much of that story the new movie will use.
James Marsden Is Still Cyclops Too
Connor would not be the only Cyclops in Marvel's current plans. James Marsden is returning as the version he played in the original X-Men movies for Avengers: Doomsday. Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, and Kelsey Grammer are also returning from the older films.
Marsden recently said Doomsday has expanded what Cyclops gets to do compared with his earlier appearances. Fans who felt the original films pushed Scott aside may finally see that version treated as the team leader.
Will Kit Connor and James Marsden Appear Together?
There is no report that Connor and Marsden will share the screen. Marsden belongs to the returning Fox-era team in Avengers: Doomsday, while Connor is being considered for Marvel's new X-Men cast. They could remain separate versions of Scott Summers from different universes.
Marvel may also use Marsden's return as a farewell before Connor takes over the role for a younger team. For now, that is only a possibility. The confirmed news is Marsden's Doomsday return; Connor's casting still awaits an official Marvel announcement.
Would you rather see James Marsden get one final Cyclops story, or Kit Connor take over immediately?
