X-Men Movies Star Doubles Down on Desire to be MCU’s Beast (But Will It Happen?)

Before playing Lex Luthor in the DC Universe’s Superman, Nicholas Hoult portrayed Beast in multiple X-Men films, and he’s once again expressed interested in reprising that role for an MCU reboot. While at MEGACON Orlando, the actor spoke with CBR and was asked about film characters he would like to play in the future. Hoult made sure to mention that he hopes to reprise Lex Luthor several times, but he would also be game for a return to the Marvel world should that opportunity present itself. The actor is looking forward to seeing what Marvel Studios does with the property now that Disney has the film rights.

“There’s so much I want to do with Lex [Luthor]. I hope to play that character for a while,” Hoult said. “I’m also excited to see what Marvel does with the X-Men. I’d be honored to play Beast again.”

Hoult debuted as Hank McCoy/Beast in 2011’s X-Men: First Class and reprised the role in three sequels. His last appearance as the character was Dark Phoenix in 2019. Hoult took over the part from Kelsey Grammer, who had portrayed Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand. Back in 2020, Hoult said he’d like to be the MCU’s Beast, stating there was “a lot more to explore.”

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There are plans in place to bring the X-Men to the MCU, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has indicated fans will have to wait before seeing those characters on-screen. It sounds like an X-Men film wouldn’t release until after Avengers: Secret Wars, which opens in 2027. Earlier this week, rumors suggest Marvel was in the process of casting the X-Men reboot, eyeing actors for characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Kitty Pryde.

Marvel Studios has brought back actors from Fox’s X-Men movies to reprise their roles. Patrick Stewart portrayed Charles Xavier again in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while the dynamic duo of Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds headlined Deadpool & Wolverine. However, those instances felt more like special events rather than laying the foundation for the MCU’s future. When the X-Men make their proper arrival in the franchise, Marvel will likely want to find new actors to bring these characters to life, helping create some much-needed separation from Fox’s series. There also isn’t a guarantee Beast will be in the X-Men reboot; it’s too early to tell which mutants will appear. After Beast played a key role in the most recent Fox movies, perhaps Marvel will look to give other characters the spotlight.

And as fun as it might be to see Hoult back as Beast, the actor now has a different comic book movie commitment he didn’t have when he first indicated interest in the MCU. Hoult is one of many actors who have played Marvel and DC characters, but it’s atypical to be pulling double duty simultaneously. Unless Lex Luthor in Superman is a one-off (and from Hoult’s comments, it doesn’t appear to be), the DC Universe should be keeping Hoult busy for the next handful of years. With that in mind, the odds of him being the MCU’s Beast are quite low — but at least it will be interesting to see how his Lex develops over time.