The Long Walk's Ben Wang freezes competition to become Marvel's new Iceman

Marvel's upcoming X-Men reboot will feature Adam Driver, Chris Abbott, and Inde Navarrette.

The Long Walk's Ben Wang freezes competition to become Marvel's new Iceman

Cerebro is powered up and hunting for mutants to fill the boots and yellow spandex previously occupied by Fox’s X-Men. Marvel Studios is heading toward its most important film in years, Avengers: Doomsday, while enjoying the public’s renewed interest in the brand thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day and a concentrated blast of X-Men casting announcements. Doomsday will presumably serve as the Fox universe’s final appearance in the wider MCU, with Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Kelsey Grammer, and the late Patrick Stewart returning for one last adventure. Amid that fanfare, Marvel began building its new cast, starting with Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) in Brand New Day. Since the film’s debut, the studio has also announced Kit Connor as Cyclops, Asa Germann as Angel, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, and Adam Driver as Mister Sinister. We can add another to the team. 

The Hollywood Reporter writer Borys Kit posted on X that Ben Wang from The Long Walk, ‌Karate Kid: Legends, and Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass has enrolled in Professor Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Wang will play Iceman, previously portrayed by Shawn Ashmore. According to Kit, Wang beat out some strong competition, including little Sammy Fabelman. (Other outlets say Wang’s still in talks, so it could still go to one of them.) “Gabriel LaBelle, Jackson Kelly, and Rhenzy Feliz were all in the running,” he writes. LaBelle broke out as Sammy in Steven Spielberg’s fictionalized biopic about how his moviemaking destroyed his parents’ marriage. Jackson Kelly appeared in four episodes of The Pitt in 2025, and Rhenzy Feliz appeared on The Penguin and in The Mastermind, The Tender Bar, and Encanto. 

X-Men is still on ice for the time being. Directed by Thunderbolts‘ Jake Schreier, the film is slated for release on May 5, 2028.

 
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