There are four perfect characters that Sadie Sink could bring into theMCUfollowing her official casting in Marvel Studios' upcomingSpider-Man 4. Sadie Sink gained international acclaim and renown after debuting as Max Mayfield in Netflix’sStranger Things, and has been building a strong portfolio since the beloved series' most recent fourth season. More recently, however, Sink has become the subject of reports suggesting she’ll be joining the MCU, and these reports have now been confirmed, asSadie Sink has been cast inSpider-Man 4.
Spider-Man 4is scheduled to be releasedshortly afterAvengers: Doomsdayin 2026, and will mark the return of Tom Holland as Peter Parker’s Spider-Man. After the events of 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Home, which ended with Doctor Strange wiping everyone’s memory of Parker,it’s unclear whether Holland’s supporting cast will also be returning. This creates the opportunity for director Destin Daniel Cretton to introduce new allies andvillains for Spider-Man, which opens the door for Sadie Sink to play any number of exciting new MCU characters.
4Jean Grey
Jean Grey First Appeared In Marvel Comics' The X-Men #1 (1963)
Recent reports concerning Sadie Sink’s casting in the MCU, prior to her being officially cast inSpider-Man 4, suggested that she was in talks to play a new live-action iteration of Jean Grey.The iconic and original member of the X-Men has previously been portrayed by Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner in 20th Century Fox’sX-Menfranchise, but is expected to be completely revitalized for the MCU’s upcomingX-Menstories. Her signature red hair and extreme dramatic talent makeSadie Sink perfect for the role of Jean Grey.
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Sophie Turner
Although this would be an inspired casting choice,Spider-Man 4may seem an unusual place to introduce Jean Grey. If introducing ayounger version of the X-Men, Marvel could debut Jean Grey as a classmate of Peter Parker before she finds Xavier’s School and joins the X-Men. Jean Grey and Spider-Man have crossed paths a number of times in Marvel Comics, when the wall-crawler finds himself fighting alongside, and sometimes against, the X-Men, and given Spider-Man’s popularity, it would perhaps benefit Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey to be introduced alongside one of Marvel’s most successful and beloved characters.
3Gwen Stacy
Gwen Stacy First Appeared In Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man #31 (1965)
Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s first romantic partnerin Marvel Comics, is typically depicted with blonde hair, which has led some to discount Sadie Sink as a possible casting choice for this possible new love interest in the MCU. However,both Bryce Dallas Howard and Emma Stone, who previously played Gwen Stacy in live-action, had red hair prior to appearing in their respectiveSpider-Manmovies, so Sadie Sink could follow suit. Gwen Stacy would perhaps be the natural next romance for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker after his loss of Zendaya’s MJ.
I’m So Torn About The MCU’s Gwen Stacy Debut After No Way Home Ended Spider-Man’s MJ Romance
Gwen Stacey is set to appear in the MCU in the imminent future, but it still hurts to remember what Peter Parker lost in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
While it might be a shame to pin a talent as strong as Sadie Sink’s on just a love interest such as Gwen Stacy, there are clear ways Marvel could make this role incredibly significant. Not only could the MCU depict Stacy’s famous and tragic demise, but Marvel could also explore the Jackal’s cloning of the young supporting character and perhaps even transform Earth-616’sGwen Stacy into Spider-Woman, Carnage or Gwenpool.Sadie Sink could have a bright and lengthy future in the MCU as Gwen Stacy, which is a very exciting prospect for Marvel Studios.
2Angel Jones' Firestar
Angel Jones First Appeared In The Animated Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends Series Premiere (1981)
Unlike most other Marvel Comics characters, Angelica “Angel” Jones' Firestar made her first appearance not on the page, but in the NBC animated TV series,Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.Kathy Garver voiced the hero, who was created when NBC couldn’t get the rights to the Human Torch, so has similar abilities to Johnny Storm, including being able to control heat in all its forms. Given Firestar’s connection to Spider-Man, even as a romantic interest in the animated series, it would be amazing to see Sadie Sink bring this flaming hotsuperhero to life inSpider-Man 4.
Joseph Quinn’s debut as Johnny Storm’s Human Torch in 2025’sThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsmay make Marvel Studios less likely to debut Firestar a year later, as their powers are very similar.
When introduced to Marvel Comics, Firestar’s direct connection to Spider-Man wasn’t a focus, but rather she was made a young mutant and a member of the X-Men. Firestar and Spider-Man did cross paths, and the former had an attraction to Parker’s clone, Ben Reilly. Firestar and Sadie Sink share similar traits and qualities, andSink’s similar age to Peter Parker in the MCU means she could easily appear as one of his Amazing Friends. It would be fantastic to see Spider-Man gain a new team of allies inSpider-Man 4, and Firestar would be a formidable asset to this team.
1Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson Made Her First Cameo Appearance In Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man #25 (1965)
Perhaps the most obvious choice for Sadie Sink’s casting inSpider-Man 4, primarily given her age and bright red hair, would see her debut in the MCU as a different version of Mary Jane Watson.Zendaya portrayed a version of MJ inHomecoming, Far From HomeandNo Way Homewho was not very comic-accurate, but was still a great love interest for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.Sadie Sink could easily join the MCU as Mary Jane Watson, a more comic-accurate iteration of the iconic Marvel character, or even a version from another reality.
What’s Going On With Zendaya In The MCU’s Spider-Man 4
The MCU has announced her second major casting for the upcoming Spider-Man 4, throwing a beloved character’s future in the franchise into question.
Although not his first love interest in Marvel Comics,Mary Jane became Peter Parker’s most notable and longest-running romantic partner, and even later became his wife. Their marriage ended due to the machinations of Mephisto, who has been rumored to soon debut in the MCU, so bringing a more faithful incarnation of MJ into live-action, perhaps following in the footsteps ofKirsten Dunst’s from Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy, could set up some of these exciting storylines. Sadie Sink has immense range and is a well-known name, so herSpider-Man 4debut could change the shape of the MCU forever.
