Adam Driver Opens Up About Joining ‘X-Men’ and the MCU: ‘Felt Like the Right Time’

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Adam Driver smiling.

The new “X-Men” series continues to add to its cast, giving viewers a glimpse of which mutants will appear in Jake Schreier’s rendition of this classic series. Adam Driver, who played Kylo Ren in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, is joining the cast as Mister Sinister, putting him in the role of a villain.

Driver appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to talk about his decision to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe after he turned down other roles in the MCU over the previous years. During his interview, Driver revealed that he and his cousin were big “X-Men” fans growing up. His cousin would be Sabretooth, and Driver would be Wolverine. While Driver won’t be Wolverine, he chose to finally join the MCU anyway.

‘X-Men’ Came at the Right Time for Driver

While talking to Kimmel, the topic of previous MCU offers made to Driver came up. Kimmel spoke about Kevin Feige’s attempts to get Driver into the MCU, which apparently consisted of meeting Driver on a Zoom call, offering a role, Driver saying he would think about it, and then Driver declining the role a few days later.

However, this time, Driver accepted the role. Not only has Driver been a long-time “X-Men” fan, but he felt like the role of Nathaniel, also known as Mister Sinister, came at the right time for him. In Driver’s words, “I was a big fan. 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.”

Mister Sinister in Existing ‘X-Men’ Content

“X-Men” has been rebooted multiple times over the years, and that’s likely what will happen in the new movies as well. Mister Sinister became a villain after the loss of his infant son, but he had help from Apocalypse to gain his powers, which are enhanced physical and mental abilities, making him ageless in the process.

Mister Sinister has an obsession with Scott Summers and Jean Grey, who will be played by Sadie Sink. He believes that Summers and Grey are the key to an evolutionary breakthrough, which makes sense with Grey being among the most powerful mutants in the “X-Men” universe.

This belief leads to the creation of Madelyne Pryor and the birth of Nathan Summers, who would become Cable. Mister Sinister would also enact other plans, such as the creation of the Marauders.

Eventually, Mister Sinister got his own twist, where it was revealed that the real Nathaniel died a long time ago, as in the human person he was, and now Mister Sinister is basically an entity that controls a network of clones.

While this is how Mister Sinister’s story has played out in existing content, a new reboot means that there will likely be changes made to the characters involved, and that includes Mister Sinister. That means that the only way to find out what’s changed is to watch the movie when it’s released.

The new “X-Men” movie is currently set to be released on May 5, 2028.