Before his notable role in HBO‘s Succession, Brian Cox starred in X2: X-Men United as William Stryker Jr. This character appeared in many of the Fox‘s X-Men films, and with Deadpool & Wolverine set to hit theaters this year, it is no surprise that people would speculate that he would reprise his role one way or another. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for the Scottish actor.

In an interview with The Starting Line Podcast, Cox commented about his Marvel future and how he has moved on from the role. The actor dismissed the rumors, stating that he hadn’t heard any news about it. “I haven’t heard about it. I did Stryker, and then they did it again in Australia…” Cox replied. “…When these things finish, I tend to let go of them. I don’t dwell on anything.” Cox isn’t the first X-Men alumnus who was asked about a potential return to the Marvel franchise. Famke Janssen, who played Jean Grey, gave a vague response when asked a similar question about her character’s future.

Despite admitting that he won’t be involved in the upcoming MCU project, he is open to the idea of seeing his character return, but played by someone else. Cox explained that he’s a very busy man and if there would come a day when Marvel Studios would offer a hefty paycheck, he won’t be able to take on the role.

“If they want to do it with another, that’s their business. I’m going to be busy anyway next year. So I won’t have time to do anything. As it is, I’ve got to look at stuff. And I’m saying, if they’re offering me a lot of money to do certain things, and I can’t do it. I’m just saying ‘nope, I’m tied up’ because I’m doing what I want to do.”

Which X-Men Characters Are in the MCU?

Before Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine return in Deadpool & Wolverine, a handful of old X-Men characters slowly made an appearance in the MCU. The first was in WandaVision, when Evan Peters reprized his X-Men version of Peter Maximoff, but was later revealed to be a guy named Ralph Bohner. The next was Patrick Stewart, who played Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Most recently, Kelsey Grammer returned as Beast in The Marvels in the post-credits scene.

It’s currently unknown which other X-Men characters will appear in the upcoming Deadpool film. At the same time, Marvel Studios has yet to announce a live-action X-Men reboot, despite teasing the superhero group in many of its programming.

Deadpool & Wolverine will hit theaters on July 26, 2024.

via Collider