Adam Driver Finally Says Yes to Marvel as Mister Sinister in X-Men Reboot

Adam Driver will play Mister Sinister in Marvel Studios' upcoming "X-Men" reboot, ending years of refusals that Marvel head Kevin Feige described as a company "tradition."

Driver explained his change of heart during a recent appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" "I was a big fan [of 'X-Men]," he said. "I mean, I was a fan of the other things too, but this one felt like the right time."

The actor has declined multiple Marvel roles over the years. Feige told the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast that whenever a new Marvel project approaches production, he and Driver meet on Zoom, and Driver passes. "It's no secret we'd like to [work with Adam]," Feige said. "But it's a tradition to Zoom with him and then he passes. That's a long-lived tradition. He couldn't be more cordial. He is usually upfront about how he is feeling."

Why did Driver hold out for so long?

Driver said his selectivity came down to the sheer size of the audience. "A lot of people are going to watch it, and if it's bad, you know, a lot of people will see you being bad," he said. "Plus, I don't want to mess it up."

The three factors that convinced him, Driver said, were the "X-Men" property itself, the director, and the studio's leadership. "It was really 'X-Men,' Jake Schreier, who's the director, his idea for it, and that it's Kevin Feige," Driver said. "It all kind of came together. The script is really cool."

Who is Mister Sinister?

Driver will play Dr. Nathaniel Essex, also known as Mister Sinister, a superintelligent, shape-shifting telepath who serves as the film's main antagonist.

His opponents form the core of the new X-Men team:

• Sadie Sink as Jean Grey
• Inde Navarrette as Rogue
• Kit Connor as Cyclops
• Christopher Abbott as Charles Xavier
• Maya Boyd as Storm
• Asa Germann as Angel

What does this change for the franchise?

Driver's casting signals Marvel's ambition to anchor its X-Men relaunch with a prestige-caliber performer, and it breaks a pattern of rejections that Feige himself joked about publicly. The actor's stated warness — his fear of being "bad" in front of a massive audience — suggests the studio tailored its pitch carefully around Schreier's vision and the strength of the script.

With Driver's villain facing a young ensemble led by Sink, Connor and Abbott, the reboot now pairs a marquee antagonist with a largely emerging cast, and the film's eventual performance will test whether the long courtship pays off.