Casting Sadie Sink In The MCU: 5 Marvel Characters She Could Play

Sadie Sink is a great candidate to join the MCU, and luckily for her, there are plenty of characters she’d be well-suited to play. The franchise is always looking out for new talent as its expansion across the Multiverse shows no signs of stopping. Thankfully, there’s equally no shortage of exciting characters waiting for their time to shine, whether on the big screen, in a Disney+ show, or as part of a genre-bending Marvel Special Presentation. Since Stranger Things season 1 debut on Netflix, the stellar cast has been at the center of Marvel fan-casting discussions, especially Sadie Sink.

2021 proved that Sadie Sink is Stranger Things’ breakout star thanks to her riveting performance in The Whale. Naturally, casting rumors abound about who Sink could play in the MCU, some even going so far as to suggest that she’s already been cast. While Marvel loves to keep its decisions hush-hush, Sink has denied such rumors. However, she also revealed that if the right superhero role were to come around, she’d definitely be interested, claiming “who wouldn’t want to play a superhero.” Luckily, given her talents, versatility, and emotional range, Sink would be a great option for several important Marvel characters.

5 Songbird

Songbird using her powers against enemies in Marvel Comics

The purveying rumor going around is that Sink is being considered for the role of Songbird. Melissa Gold formerly operated as the villain Screaming Mimi, characterized by her sonic screams and crossing paths with various heroes like Captain America, Dazzler, and Hawkeye. Using the moniker of Songbird, she was a founding member of the Thunderbolts in the comics, which unlike the MCU’s current team, including Stranger Things’ David Harbour as Red Guardian, were actually the villainous Masters of Evil posing as heroes. Despite the MCU’s more anti-heroic stance, there’s still a chance Songbird and other original members might feature in Thunderbolts as antagonists.

While the rumors should be taken with a large dose of salt, there’s actually some merit to them. Songbird has a certain unexpected edge to her, something Sink has excelled at with Max in Stranger Things. Yet also like Max, Songbird gradually comes into her own, understanding who she is and what she is capable of, and as such she develops a genuinely heroic disposition. Casting Sink, a young but experienced actress, is the perfect avenue for the MCU to equally develop Songbird, allowing them to showcase her transformation from villain to hero.

4 Firestar

Phase 4 rapidly expanded the MCU by formally introducing mutants with the likes of Namor and Ms. Marvel, and Sink could have a stake in the action. She’d be a good fit for Firestar, the fiery young mutant named Angelica “Angel” Jones debuting in 1981’s Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends as a pastiche of the Human Torch. However, since then she’s lived a vibrant life in the comics, having joined the New Warriors, Avengers, and X-Men. Interestingly, while she is a mutant, her stories haven’t been completely X-Men-centric, so she’d be a great choice to join the MCU alongside Namor or Ms. Marvel.

This would be a role quite unlike anything Sink has done so far, and the MCU is already primed for her introduction. Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man could use new friends. Spider-Man 4, potentially one of the missing Phase 6 movies, could introduce Sink as Firestar and an ally to the lonely Spider-Man. Introducing her like this could help explore important parts of the character’s history, and then when the X-Men come into play, they can appropriately delve into those stories.

3 Jean Grey

Jean Grey wielding the Phoenix Force in Marvel Comics

Thanks to Deadpool 3, Deadpool and Wolverine are incoming, but the X-Men as a whole is still years away. Nevertheless, Sink would be a great candidate to play one of the most important X-Men, Jean Grey. Naturally, she was a central figure in Fox’s X-Men franchise, as played by Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner, and the same should ring true for the MCU. Casting Sadie Sink in this role would define her as one of the franchise’s premier stars in the next great saga, which is likely going to be mutant-centric, although a theory suggests Jean Grey’s introduction could be coming as soon as The Marvels.

Nevertheless, choosing Sink would allow the MCU to showcase Jean Grey and the X-Men's plethora of stories, especially if they don’t rush straight to the Dark Phoenix arc as Fox did twice. As Jean Grey, Sink could show off her impressive range, as Jean is often quite calm and caring, but with her vast powers, she can lose control. This would be a perfect role to define Sinks’ post-Stranger Things career.

2 Squirrel Girl

Another Marvel hero completely unlike Max in Stranger Things is Squirrel Girl. While Max is cynical, sarcastic, and hiding deep trauma, Squirrel Girl is an effervescent bundle of energy. The MCU is more than ready for Squirrel Girl, especially following the inclusion of her Great Lakes Avengers teammate, Mr. Immortal, in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. There was a time when she might’ve been deemed too weird, but if audiences can handle a talking raccoon, then a bubbly girl with a bushy tail and cute squirrel companions won’t be an issue. In fact, Squirrel Girl would be a great candidate for her own Disney+ series or Special Presentation.

Sink could bring great strength and vulnerability to the role, allowing for a more nuanced approach to Squirrel Girl’s stories, all the while still exuding the character’s lovable charm and wit. This type of role could have her star on her own or team up with other heroes, from the Great Lakes Avengers to the main Avengers, and even the Young Avengers that’s been gradually developing. With Sink, Squirrel Girl could stand out for more than her bushy tail.

1 Kitty Pryde

While she’s not an original X-Man, Kitty Pryde has become one of the most recognizable members across the comics and TV shows, so the MCU should treat her accordingly and feature her prominently when the team shows up. Kitty could be an unexpectedly good fit for Sadie Sink as there are some fun similarities between her and Max. They’re both very relatable to younger audiences, someone bold and loyal, though still naive and fearful, with emotional maturity beyond her age.

Just as it’s important to get the timing of the X-Men’s introduction right, they really need to nail Kitty Pryde’s characterization. They need someone young and versatile who can mature in the role just as she did in the comics, and Sadie Sink would be perfect. In particular, Sink could be great opposite Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in the unlikely event that he sticks around following Deadpool 3 and the MCU adapts the Kitty Pryde and Wolverine miniseries. As Kitty Pryde, Jean Grey, or any of these characters, Sadie Sink could have a long and exciting career in the MCU following the conclusion of Stranger Things.

MORE: How Secret Invasion Can Connect To Marvel's Armor Wars Movie