An original X-Man is returning to the big screen.Deadline is reporting that Marvel Studios has cast Asa Germann as Warren Worthington III, better known as the mutant superhero Angel, in Jake Schreier's upcoming 2028 reboot of X-Men, based on the Marvel Comics mutant superteam.
Germann joins Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Adam Driver as Mr. Sinister, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm. According to the article, Germann had previously been rumored for the role of Cyclops, which went to Kit Connor.
Germann, 28, is probably best known as Sam Riordan on the Prime Video series Gen V and The Boys. He's also appeared in Scream 7 and Dahmer -- Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Created in 1963 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Angel first appeared in X-Men (vol.1) #1 as Warren Worthington III, a founding member of the X-Men. As the son of Kathryn Worthington and Warren Worthington II, Warren attended the Phillips Exeter Academy in his adolescence when his mutant feathered wings began to grow from his shoulder blades. At first, Warren felt he was a freak, but he soon learned that he could use his wings to fly and help people. When there was a fire in his dormitory, he borrowed some props from the school's drama department, dressed up as a heavenly angel, and rescued his friends. Warren donned a mask and costume, calling himself the Avenging Angel, and became a solo adventurer, before being recruited by Professor Charles Xavier for his first group of X-Men.
Warren's status as a wealthy playboy, as well as being an outspoken individual who chafed at the notion of being told what to do, was the subject of much tension within the X-Men. In particular, Warren fell in love with his teammate Jean Grey, who was in love with Scott Summers, although he ultimately set aside his love for Jean, coming to terms with the fact that Jean loved Scott. Angel still harbored an unrequited love for Jean even as he began dating Candy Southern. Around this time, Angel publicly revealed himself as a mutant after discovering that his uncle Burt Worthington has not only murdered his father, but also poisoned his mother to ensure his inheritance of the Worthington fortune.
When the original X-Men were captured by the mutant island Krakoa, Professor X created a new team of X-Men to rescue them. When this new team decided to stay on as X-Men, Angel and the rest of the original team left, with the exception of Cyclops. He and Iceman went to Los Angeles, where they founded the Champions with Hercules, Black Widow, and Ghost Rider. Following the apparent death of Jean Grey and Cyclops' subsequent exile from the team, Warren rejoined the X-Men. However, he grew increasingly disturbed by the behavior and actions of Wolverine, and quit the team in protest. Shortly thereafter, Angel joined the Defenders, along with Beast, Iceman, and Candy Southern.
Angel considered retirement following the collapse of the Defenders, but the discovery of Jean Grey being alive changed his mind. Jean Grey was furious at the increase in anti-mutant hysteria in the two years she had been missing, and opposed the X-Men's decision to align themselves with Magneto. To appease Jean's desire for action, Warren organized X-Factor, recruiting his old friend Cameron Hodge to run the team, but unaware that Hodge was secretly opposed to mutants.
X-Factor's formation began a period of upheaval in Warren's life. Cameron Hodge abused Warren's trust and portrayed X-Factor as "mutant hunters" for hire, further fueling anti-mutant sentiment. An altercation with the Brotherhood of Mutants allowed Mystique to discover the relationship between the "mutant hunters" and the former X-Men. She exposed Warren as the financial backer for X-Factor, causing a public relations nightmare. Soon after, Warren's wings were mutilated by Harpoon during the "Mutant Massacre" event, resulting in Hodge having the wings amputated against Warren's will. Despondent over the loss, Warren escaped the hospital in his private jet, which was sabotaged by Hodge.
Seconds before the explosion, Warren was spirited away by Apocalypse and made into Death, one of his four Horsemen. Apocalypse subjected Angel to extensive genetic alterations, giving him blue skin and organic metal wings. He made Warren the leader of his Horsemen and gave him a drug that removed his reservations to follow Apocalypse's dark plans. During a later attack on Manhattan, Iceman faked his own death at Warren's hands, hoping that the shock of killing a friend would enable him to break free of the influence of Apocalypse's drug. Although freed, Warren refuses to rejoined X-Factor, feeling that he had changed too much psychologically to be a hero. He sought out Candy Southern, but learned that Candy had been lobotomized to protect Cameron Hodge's secrets using funds embezzled from Warren. In the confrontation that followed, Hodge murdered Candy in front of Warren, who killed Hodge. Changing his codename from Death, he later rejoined X-Factor and adopted the codename Archangel during the events of the "Inferno" event.
Recently, after an attack by anti-mutant terrorist organization Orchis left most mutant heroes dead or banished from Earth, Warren joined Madelyne Pryor's Dark X-Men, helping rescue mutants around the world. However, after being grievously injured and captured by Orchis during a mission, Warren was mind-controlled by Orchis and their ally Goblin Queen and sent to attack his teammates, forcing Gambit to kill him. Warren and all other X-Men who had been killed after the fall of Krakoa were resurrected by the Five inside the White Hot Room, and proceeded to rejoin the fight. After Orchis' fall, Apocalypse offered Archangel and Sunfire, his most favored former heralds, the opportunity to serve as his heir in guiding the future of mutantkind, but both refused.
Germann will be the third actor to portray Angel in live-action, after Ben Foster in the movie X-Men: The Last Stand, and Ben Hardy in the movie X-Men: Apocalypse.
X-Men (2028) is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 5, 2028.
