James McAvoy Reveals the One MCU Legend AI Can’t Replace — And It Isn’t Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man

New York Comic Con 2025 delivered a mutant-sized jolt as James McAvoy weighed in on Kevin Feige’s plan to recast the X-Men post-Avengers: Secret Wars, teasing where Marvel’s mutants go next.

New York Comic Con 2025 gave X-Men fans a little gift: James McAvoy, a live mic, and a very funny, very heartfelt opinion about the franchise going forward. The short version: Kevin Feige says fresh X-Men are coming after Avengers: Secret Wars, and McAvoy is cool with that. But there is one mutant he says nobody can replace. And no, it is not Iron Man.

McAvoy on Wolverine: good luck topping Hugh Jackman

Asked about the future of the X-Men on screen, McAvoy zeroed in on Hugh Jackman. In his view, you can swap out plenty of superheroes, but Wolverine is welded to Jackman at this point. His bit about A.I. running Hollywood got the room laughing and the internet nodding along.

I was gonna say, 10 years from now - it is probably gonna be 10 minutes from now - when A.I. has taken over and playing all the roles, and there are no actors anymore, he will still be playing Wolverine. Even A.I. will be like, Nah, he got it! Nah!

That take went viral fast, mostly because it is hard to argue. Jackman has been the face (and the claws) of Wolverine for more than two decades. After Deadpool & Wolverine cracked the multiverse door in 2024, fans are now fully convinced he could swing back in for Avengers: Doomsday and/or Secret Wars. Emphasis on could - that part is fan speculation, but the momentum is there.

So, about Marvel recasting the X-Men...

Kevin Feige has been clear: a new roster of X-Men will debut after Secret Wars. McAvoy and Elliot Page, who played Professor X and Kitty Pryde in the Fox-era films, did not flinch at that. During their NYCC panel (moderated by Josh Horowitz), the conversation even framed it as their one last return in Avengers: Doomsday before a full handoff to fresh faces.

Horowitz tossed out a couple of names floating around the rumor mill - Colman Domingo for Professor X and Bella Ramsey for Kitty Pryde. Page smiled, called those picks fantastic, and admitted he does not really track the weekly casting chatter. He is more into seeing new actors take a swing at a new iteration. McAvoy echoed that, saying he was a fan long before he was on the payroll and he will be a fan after, and he singled out Domingo as an amazing choice for Xavier. The overall vibe from both of them: supportive, curious, and ready to watch someone else suit up.

Meanwhile, Wolverine already has a new voice - in a game

Back to Logan for a second, because there is more. Insomniac Games is making Marvel's Wolverine for PlayStation 5, planned for late 2026. PlayStation just confirmed that Australian actor Liam McIntyre is voicing the character. If the name rings a bell: Spartacus: Vengeance and The Flash, where he played Weather Wizard.

It is one of the greatest honors of my life, one of the biggest responsibilities I have ever had, and one of the coolest things I have ever got to do... My job is to try and find the essence of who Wolverine is, especially as it applies to our story. People hurt him, take from him, and betray him, but he still fights for people who cannot fight for themselves.

On top of that, Cal Dodd is back as Wolverine in X-Men '97 Season 2 on Disney+ in 2026. Add the ongoing Jackman drumbeat on the film side, and you might be looking at a year with three different Wolverines across media:

• Hugh Jackman - potentially popping up again in Avengers: Doomsday and/or Secret Wars (fan speculation, but strong chatter after Deadpool & Wolverine)
• Liam McIntyre - voicing Logan in Insomniac's Marvel's Wolverine on PS5 in late 2026
• Cal Dodd - returning as the animated Logan in X-Men '97 Season 2 on Disney+ in 2026

Where this leaves the X-Men

Feige is steering toward a hard reset after Secret Wars, the old guard seems genuinely excited to see what comes next, and the most consensus opinion in the room is that Jackman as Wolverine is still the toughest act to follow. That tracks.

Tell me who you want to see suit up as the new Professor X, Kitty Pryde, and Wolverine - and if you are cool with three Logans at once. Also, if you feel like a rewatch, the X-Men movies are streaming in the US on Disney+.