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Get those fan-casting bets ready, MCU stans, Marvel Studios & Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man 4 has just announced its latest addition. That's none other than Hawkins's own Sadie Sink, who brought the character of Max Mayfield to life in Netflix's Stranger Things. But here's the thing, even though Marvel has not announced who Sink will be playing next to Tom Holland's Peter Parker (or confirming for themselves the hire), there's already been a rumor that she's on track to take an MCU role.

That is: the X-Men's Jean Grey.

The story comes form the good folks at Deadline, who first announced Sink's casting on March 12. Also included in the breaking news was the mention of Sink's rumored role as the Girl Who Would be Phoenix, a role that, if cast, Sink would be taking over from Game of Thrones's Sophie Turner, who herself took over the role from GoldenEye's Famke Janssen. However, Deadline makes a point of clarifying that fans shouldn't "count out the idea that she shows up as another beloved redheaded Spider-Man character."

Wait, what? Was that meant to imply that Sadie Sink might be cast as MJ Watson? If so, what does that mean for Zendaya's MJ Jones, who has taken over the character's comic book role in all but name?

Of course, any kind of MCU casting comes with an important caveat: that is, Marvel's multiversality (sure it's a word). Remember, long before Pedro Pascal introduced us to the Baxter Building, John Krasinski was technically Reed Richards. Could there be an MJ somewhere in the multiverse that remembers who Peter Parker really is? It's possible, and it's possible that she'll look like Max Mayfield.

So will Sink be the Spider-Man's new love interest, or will she be one of the first waves of Mutants introduced into the MCU (well, except for the ones in Deadpool & Wolverine)? We'll let you know as soon as we do, but for now, we just can't wait to see what Sink has in store for us in the final season of Stranger Things.

Spider-Man 4 hits theaters July 31, 2026.

Marvel's most reliable superhero has proven he can do a whole lot more than just 'whatever a spider can.' Swing into Spidey's history with Popverse's 10 best Spider-Man comic books, our Spider-Man movie watch order, and if you want our opinions on the subject, read our articles ranking Spider-Man's actors and Spider-Man's girlfriends.