Ben Wang Eyes Iceman Role as Marvel’s New X‑Men Star

Marvel might have just found its next Iceman. Deadline reports that Ben Wang is in negotiations to play Bobby Drake in the studio’s upcoming X-Men feature.

Talks are ongoing. Other actors—Gabriel LaBelle, Jackson Kelly and Rhenzy Feliz—have also auditioned for the role, though none of those callbacks are confirmed. Casting is moving fast, and Marvel seems determined to assemble a fresh, youthful core for this new chapter.

Iceman, aka Bobby Drake, is a founding member of the X-Men, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and introduced in 1963. His mutant ability to generate and shape ice made him one of the team’s most recognizable faces—Sean Ashmore portrayed him in Fox’s earlier X-Men films—and now the character is poised for a reboot that nods to both comic history and modern franchise building.

Wang’s rise has been steady. He first broke through on Disney+ with American Born Chinese, then took a lead turn opposite Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in Karate Kid: Legends. This year he appeared in the Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, and he’s set to play White Callow, District 12’s representative, in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, due in theaters November 20.

If negotiations finalize, Wang would join an already notable ensemble. Christopher Abbott is attached as Professor X, Adam Driver as Mister Sinister, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Indya Navarrete as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Asa Germann as Angel, and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey. Much of the cast was unveiled at this year’s D23 event, with certain names trickling out in earlier announcements.

The film will be directed by Jake Schreier from a screenplay by Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo, with Kevin Feige producing. Marvel has slotted the movie for a May 5, 2028 release—plenty of time for contracts to close and cameras to roll, but not so much time to stop fan speculation.

So will Ben Wang ice this iconic role? Keep an eye on Deadline and official Marvel channels; answers are coming sooner than you think.