Ben Wang is in negotiations to play Iceman in Marvel Studios’ X-Men reboot, Deadline reported Monday, a deal that would fill most of the original five-member lineup ahead of the film’s May 5, 2028 release. Wang plays District 12 tribute Wyatt Callow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, due in theaters in about two weeks. His credits include The Long Walk, Karate Kid: Legends and American Born Chinese, and he has signed on for the final season of Apple TV’s For All Mankind. Neither Marvel nor Wang has confirmed a deal.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit reported that Wang beat out Gabriel LaBelle of The Fabelmans, Jackson Kelly of The Pitt and Rhenzy Feliz, who starred in Marvel Television’s Runaways and HBO’s The Penguin. Some outlets describe the casting as settled. Others say talks continue.
Wang joins Kit Connor as Scott Summers, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey and Asa Germann as Angel. Peter Claffey of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is said to lead the race for Beast, though the trades have not reported it. Inde Navarrette plays Rogue, Maya Boyd plays Storm and Christopher Abbott plays Professor Xavier. Samara Weaving takes Emma Frost, and Adam Driver plays Nathaniel Milbury, an alias of Mister Sinister in the comics. Jake Schreier, who directed Thunderbolts*, helms a script by Michael Lesslie.
Bobby Drake debuted in The X-Men #1 in 1963 as the team’s youngest and most playful member. Later comics established him as an Omega-level mutant, and recent stories wrote him as gay, a detail that has colored coverage of the search for his screen counterpart. Shawn Ashmore played Iceman in Fox’s X-Men films.
Fans split quickly online. Supporters pointed to Wang’s work in Karate Kid: Legends and called the choice a good fit. Critics questioned whether he matches the character’s youthful image, and some wanted Marvel to introduce Asian mutants from the comics instead of changing an original team member. Industry chatter already points to the next hire. Alex Perez of The Cosmic Circus claimed Moira MacTaggert is next to be cast, with Gambit and either Beast or Nightcrawler to follow. Marvel has not commented on any of it.
