Power on… Marvel’s new X-Men movie cast reveal at D23 Expo 2026 — and why it proves leak culture is broken

• August 17, 2026

It took a while, but Marvel has officially unveiled the first cast members for its forthcoming X-Men movie — and it raises questions about the credibility of many so-called industry insiders.

Revealed last Friday (August 14), the announcement was one of six big Marvel and Star Wars stories to emerge from D23 Expo 2026. Thankfully, the reveal was worth the wait, too, because a wealth of acting talent has been assembled for the X-Men’s latest big-screen reboot.

Indeed, joining the already confirmed Sadie Sink (Jean Grey) on the cast list are Christopher Abbott (Professor X), Kit Connor (Cyclops), Samara Weaving (Emma Frost), Inde Navarrette (Rogue), and Maya Boyd (Storm). They’ll share the screen with none other than Adam Driver as Nathaniel Milbury — or, as comic book fans will know him, Nathaniel Essex/Mister Sinister.

It’s a stacked cast that I’m incredibly excited to see breathe new life into characters we’ve seen in previous X-Men movies, as well as animated offerings like X-Men ’97 on Disney+. More than that, though, I’m glad to see the back of what became a head-spinning cast rumor mill in the weeks leading up this reveal, while also taking some pleasure in witnessing those supposedly ‘in the know’ trying to save face over their incorrect scoops.

I’m going to preface the rest of this piece by saying I bare no ill will towards anyone who hears things on the grapevine. I also understand why they share their leaks online, because everyone wants to be the person to break a big story. Heck, I’m guilty of it myself — you get the scoop, write and/or post about it, everyone uses your story as the original source, and you become a trusted industry source.

Furthermore — and this is probably the most important point of all — things change. The entertainment business is a fast-paced beast at the best of times, so when someone hears that an actor is in talks to star in a film or TV show, posts about it, and then that star walks away from a project, it doesn’t mean that insider’s information was incorrect or that they were simply chasing clout by posting a fake rumor.

What isn’t okay — to me, anyway — is when scoopers desperately try to backtrack on what they were told without saying sorry for being wrong, or claim Marvel gave their contacts false information to make these leakers look bad (go figure that one out). The same principle applies to insiders who jumps on the bandwagon when someone shares something that ends up being accurate, but their fellow leakers were too unsure/afraid/scared/delete as applicable to raise their head above the parapet and post that information first.

Now, I’m not going to name names because they don’t need the additional exposure or a baying mob at their door. If you operate in spoiler-filled Reddit circles, you’ll already which unreliable insiders I’m referring to, anyway.

Nonetheless, of those who claimed to have dirt on the Marvel Phase 7 movie’s confirmed cast and/or who they’d be playing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) over the past month, I’ve only seen one apologize for getting things wrong. Ironically, that scooper is not only one of the most reliable around, but also got called out for owning up to their mistake. In an era where fake news is rampant and there are less trustworthy sources than ever before, it’s bizarre that this individual was criticized for holding themselves accountable.

But, I digress. If this X-Men movie casting saga — and, lest we forget, the soap opera that surrounded who would play the MCU’s Fantastic Four — has reminded me of anything, it’s that age old adage of not believing everything you read on the internet. And, unless one of the established trades like The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, or Variety report on something, it’s worth taking it with a giant helping of salt because, right now, leak culture is frankly broken.

For more on the forthcoming film, find out everything we know so far about Marvel’s new X-Men movie.

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About Power On… Nowadays, everyone has an opinion they want to share with the world — and TechRadar senior entertainment reporter Tom Power is no different. That’s why he created Power On…, aka a collection of articles that allow him to give his verdict on the industry’s biggest stories, things…