Photo by Gage Skidmore, cropped (CC BY-SA)
The Lowdown
Marvel’s new X-Men team may have found its Iceman. Ben Wang, the lead of Karate Kid: Legends, has entered talks to play Bobby Drake in Marvel Studios’ X-Men, according to Deadline (Deadline). To be clear, this is a negotiation, not a done deal. Marvel hasn’t announced anything and didn’t respond to Deadline, so treat it as a strong report until the studio says otherwise.
Key Takeaways
- Ben Wang is in talks to play Iceman, aka Bobby Drake, in Marvel Studios’ X-Men, according to Deadline. He is not officially cast (Deadline).
- Marvel could not be reached for comment, and no other outlet has independently confirmed the report so far (Deadline; Screen Rant).
- Deadline says Gabriel LaBelle, Jackson Kelly and Rhenzy Feliz also tested for the part, though it calls that unconfirmed (Deadline).
- Jake Schreier directs the film, which opens in theaters May 5, 2028 (Deadline).
What Deadline Is Reporting
Deadline broke the news Monday afternoon as an exclusive, citing unnamed sources. Wang has started negotiations for Iceman, and the outlet frames it as the deal coming together rather than finished, with Marvel unavailable for comment (Deadline). Until the studio or Wang’s team confirms it, he’s the frontrunner, not the guy in the suit.
It wasn’t a one-man race. Deadline says it heard that Gabriel LaBelle, Jackson Kelly and Rhenzy Feliz were among the actors who screen tested, while noting it couldn’t confirm that part (Deadline).
If the deal closes, Wang joins a lineup that is already mostly locked. Per Deadline, Christopher Abbott plays Professor X, Adam Driver is Mr. Sinister, Kit Connor is Cyclops, Samara Weaving is Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette is Rogue, Maya Boyd is Storm, Asa Germann is Angel and Sadie Sink is Jean Grey (Deadline). Most of those names came out at D23 earlier this year, while Sink’s casting was revealed in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Deadline).
Behind the camera, Beef director Jake Schreier is in charge, working from a script by his Beef partner Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo, with Kevin Feige producing (Deadline). The release date is May 5, 2028 (Deadline), and the cast is already prepping. ComicBook.com reported over the weekend that Boyd has started training for Storm (ComicBook.com).
Who Is Bobby Drake?
Iceman is one of the five original X-Men. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced him in The X-Men #1 in September 1963, and his power is total control over ice and cold (Deadline). Movie fans know him best from the 2000s Fox films, where Shawn Ashmore played him (Deadline).
Our Take: Why Wang Makes Sense
This is opinion, but Wang is an easy guy to root for here. He has spent the last few years proving he can carry a big franchise without looking lost. In Disney+’s American Born Chinese he played a regular high schooler pulled into a world of gods and monsters, which is basically the Bobby Drake starter kit. In Karate Kid: Legends he led a legacy sequel next to Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, a role built around martial arts, so the physical side of a superhero shoot won’t be new to him.
He also fits the tone the character needs. Bobby has always been the joker of the original five, the one who cracks wise while everyone else broods. Wang has a light, slightly goofy screen presence that should sit well next to a cast built around heavier hitters like Driver and Abbott. And with The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping about to put him in front of a huge audience, Marvel would be getting him on the way up.
How Fans Are Reacting
The news spread fast on X, where fan accounts like X-Men Updates shared Deadline’s report within minutes (@XMenUpdate on X). The early replies we saw skewed positive. Some fans called it perfect casting, and others pointed to his Karate Kid: Legends run as a reason to be excited.
Ben Wang is reportedly in talks for the role of Iceman in ‘X-MEN’.
— X-Men Updates (@XMenUpdate) November 2, 2026
(via: @Deadline)
The Background
Wang was born in Beijing and grew up in Minnesota before studying musical theater at NYU. Beyond American Born Chinese and Karate Kid: Legends, his credits include Chang Can Dunk, the 2024 Mean Girls musical, the SXSW comedy Brian and The Long Walk (Deadline). He plays District 12 tribute Wyatt Callow in Sunrise on the Reaping and is due in the final season of Apple TV’s For All Mankind (Deadline). Our photo shows him at CinemaCon in Las Vegas in April 2025, where he was named a Star of Tomorrow. For more on the Marvel side of things, browse our movies coverage.
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People in This Story
Bios from PCP’s Who’s Who. Tap a name for the full profile.
Actor
Ben Wang is an American actor who starred in Karate Kid: Legends and the Disney+ series American Born Chinese, and plays Wyatt Callow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
Actor
Born in 1997, Rhenzy Feliz is an American actor who played Vic Aguilar in The Penguin (2024).
Actor
American actor Christopher Abbott played Foreigner in Kraven the Hunter (2024).
Actor
Inde Navarrette is an American actor whose roles include Sarah Cushing in Superman & Lois (2021).
Actor · Singer
Sadie Sink is the American actor behind Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).
Actor · Producer
Shawn Ashmore is the Canadian actor and producer behind Iceman in X2 (2003).
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