When Earth's Mightiest Heroes return to our screens in next year's Avengers: Doomsday, they'll be joined by both the Fantastic Four and 20th Century Fox's X-Men. However, unless Marvel Studios has some big surprises planned, the latter team will be missing some of its most iconic members.
Among those missing in action is Famke Janssen's Jean Grey; while the character died in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past fixed the timeline and brought her back to life (much to Wolverine's chagrin, she was still romantically entangled with Cyclops).
The actress has already said she won't be part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast, and doubled down on that in an interview with Variety.
"When I say that [I won't be in Avengers: Doomsday], people don’t believe me," Janssen stated. "So I’m just gonna wait for the movie to come out and, you know, people can see for themselves."
Asked if she'd have a different answer if she was offered the chance to play Jean again, she added, "I’m always open to anything. I’m very open-minded, and I love my career and the trajectory that it’s taken over time. I’m grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way, including the 'X-Men' movies, 'GoldenEye,' the 'Taken' franchise, all of them. It’s just been an amazing journey."
"So, it depends. It depends on the timing. It’s just a hypothetical question, because I don’t know that they would ever bring back my Jean Grey. At that point, I would take a look at it," Janssen continued. "But I love where my life and career is going right now, the fact that I’m wearing different hats and that I’m executive producing."
Regardless of who we do and don't see in Avengers: Doomsday, a new version of Jean Grey will almost certainly be introduced in Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier's X-Men reboot. Set for release post-Secret Wars, the expectation is that we'll get a younger, comic-accurate take on the mutant heroes.
Pushed on whether she has any advice for the next person to play Jean on screen, Janssen replied, "No. I’m excited to see who they’re getting next. I mean, Sophie Turner was amazing, and I’m sure the next person will be too. They’ve been so good at casting incredible actors and no one needs any tips from me. I’m looking forward to seeing who they cast."
Speculation continues to run rampant that Spider-Man: Brand New Day star Sadie Sink is playing the new Jean Grey. That's only intensified, following reports that Sink will appear in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.