At this year's D23 event, Marvel Studios announced that Star Wars actor Adam Driver will play Nathaniel Milbury in Jake Schreier's upcoming X-Men reboot.
While "Nathaniel Milbury" is an alias of Mister Sinister, the decision to announce Driver with that specific name has raised eyebrows among fans. For example, could the distinct supervillain be reimagined as the leader of the Hellfire Club? The recent Wolverine game showed us just how different Sinister can be portrayed on screen, but Driver has now confirmed he is indeed playing Mister Sinister.
This came during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel. The actor later went on to reveal his longtime love of the X-Men franchise (like many of you reading this, he grew up watching X-Men: The Animated Series) and explained why he's repeatedly turned down MCU roles in the past.
"I was a big X-Men fan when I was a kid. The TV show was right in my generation. Huge for me," Driver shared. "Me and my cousin, Tony, he would be Sabertooth, and I would be Wolverine. It's a big deal because I was a big fan."
Asked about Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige's comments that the actor has repeatedly turned down roles the studio offered him, Driver explained, "I mean, I was a fan of the other things too, but this one felt like the right time, and then it's X-Men. It was really X-Men and Jake Schreier, who's the director, his idea for it, and Kevin Feige. It all kind of came together. The script is really cool."
Elaborating on his decision to reject other roles (Mister Fantastic is believed to be among them), the actor said, "A lot of people are going to watch it and if it's bad you a lot of people will see you being bad. I don't want to mess it up. I'm a huge fan of X-Men."
Driver should make for an incredible Mister Sinister, especially as he's no stranger to playing villains. Handled the right way, Nathaniel Milbury can be a recurring villain in the X-Men franchise beyond, but even if this is a one-and-done—rumour has it Marvel Studios has big plans for Apocalypse—Sinister is bound to make an impact.
After all, he's obsessed with the Summers bloodline, and X-Men will mark his live-action debut, a turning point for a franchise that previously focused almost entirely on Magneto.
Directed by Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts*), the untitled X-Men movie stars Kit Connor (Heartstopper) as Scott Summers, Sadie Sink (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) as Jean Grey, Inde Navarrette (Obsession) as Rogue, Asa Germann (Gen V) as Angel, Ben Wang (The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping), Maya Boyd (& Juliet) as Storm, and Christopher Abbott (Catch-22) as Professor Charles Xavier.
Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) also stars as Emma Frost, alongside Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), who plays Nathaniel Milbury, an alias of Mister Sinister in the comics. There are also rumours that Marvel Studios will introduce Apocalypse as the next Saga's big bad.
X-Men will be released exclusively in theaters May 5, 2028.