Step aside, Hugh Jackman: 8 stars Marvel should consider for the top X-Men roles

Now that Avengers: Endgame is done with and phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is complete, we can get back to what currently is the longest running superhero film franchise: X-Men.

Overshadowed by the numerous characters packed into the MCU and their criss-crossing storylines, it’s often forgotten that the X-Men franchise is now 19 years old and began life eight years before Robert Downey Jnr built his first Iron Man suit.

The June 6 release of Dark Phoenix could, however, potentially mark a sort of end for the series. Marvel has reacquired the rights to X-Men from 20th Century Fox following the recent Disney-Fox merger and there’s intense speculation that Marvel will seek to recast the mutant superheroes now it has control back and will look to do things its own way – with its own actors.

Should that happen, here are the stars we think Marvel should consider for X-Men’s major characters …

1. Wolverine – Tom Hardy

Hugh Jackman’s long and successful reign as Wolverine seemingly came to an end following Logan (2017) and he has left big shoes to fill. One man who could take on the mantle of probably the most iconic X-Men, however, is Tom Hardy.

The British actor already has experience of the superhero genre after playing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), while his portrayals of a grizzled trapper in The Revenant (2015) and as the titular hero in Mad Max: Fury Road showed he has enough rough and ready edges to fit as Wolverine.

2. Cyclops – Logan Lerman

Speaking of Logans, Mr Lerman has demonstrated enough charm, stoicism and grit to take over the role of the X-Men’s leader, Cyclops. He may not have played a mutant with superpowers but he has portrayed a Greek demigod in Percy Jackson & the Olympians (2016), and displayed a certain degree of vulnerability – perfectly suitable for Cyclops – in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). His role in Fury (2014) showed he could deliver in more gritty films, too.