John Boyega, best known for his role as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, has expressed interest in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Bishop—just weeks after drawing attention for recent remarks about Star Wars and its fanbase.
Speaking to MTV’s Josh Horowitz at C2E2 in Chicago, John Boyega confirmed that he’d be open to playing Bishop, the energy-absorbing, time-traveling mutant from the X-Men universe.
(L-R): Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Val Cooper (voiced by Catherine Disher), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), and Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
“Oh, I’d play Bishop,” he said in response to a fan question. He also noted that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had once asked him which role he’d like to play, though he didn’t have an answer at the time.
The character of Bishop has seen renewed popularity thanks to his role in X-Men ’97, the animated revival now streaming on Disney+. First introduced in 1991’s Uncanny X-Men #282, Bishop hails from a dystopian future and is known for absorbing and redirecting energy as powerful blasts. He has long been a staple of the comics and is now believed to be part of Marvel’s future live-action plans.
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens – Disney+
Boyega’s openness to joining the Marvel Universe marks a notable shift from his previous stance on comic book films.
In 2022, he told Men’s Health, “[Marvel] is not in the vision for me now. I want to do nuanced things… I want to donate my services to original indie films that come with new, fresh ideas, because I know it’s real hard to top Iron Man in that universe.”
At the time, Boyega emphasized a desire to pursue roles outside the traditional blockbuster mold.
Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico kisses Finn, played by John Boyega in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – Disney+
In the years since, Boyega has taken on roles in smaller projects like Breaking and They Cloned Tyrone, both of which received positive reviews. However, with his recent interest in Bishop, it appears that Boyega is reconsidering his position on major franchise roles—particularly as Marvel’s X-Men reboot gains momentum.
The actor also made headlines this week for his commentary in the Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood. In the special, Boyega described Star Wars as “the most whitest, elite space,” saying that his presence in the franchise “was something.”
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens – Disney+
“You can always tell it’s something when some Star Wars fans try to say, ‘Well, we had Lando Calrissian and had Samuel L. Jackson!’” he said. “It’s like telling me how many cookie chips are in the cookie dough. They just scattered that in there, bro!”
He continued, “They’re okay with us playing the best friend, but once we touch their heroes, once we lead, once we trailblaze, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s just a bit too much! They’re pandering.’”
The remarks follow years of Boyega publicly criticizing the creative direction of the sequel trilogy. In a 2020 interview with GQ, he stated: “Do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight-up.”
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens – Disney+
He went on to say that Disney “gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley” while neglecting his own character, Finn. However, Boyega has since discontinued his criticism of Lucasfilm and Disney and seemingly turned his ire to the fanbase instead.
While Boyega has previously said he would not return to Star Wars, he now appears to be open to both that and other franchise opportunities, particularly within the Marvel ecosystem. With casting for the MCU’s X-Men reboot still unannounced, it remains to be seen whether Boyega will be seriously considered for the role of Bishop.
(L-R): Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou), Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Roberto Da Costa (voiced by Gui Agustini), Nightcrawler (voiced by Adrian Hough), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), and Morph (voiced by JP Karliak) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
Marvel Studios has yet to comment on casting for the upcoming film.
Would you want to see John Boyega as Bishop? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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And who says Marvel is going to be doing anything with Bishop anytime soon?
He can do as he likes.
I didn’t like finn. Didn’t like rey rey. Didn’t like any character in the disney arc whatsoever.
Also, have felt no kinship to a marvel character, in quite a spell.
So he might as well throw his name into the pantheon of doesn’t matter.
Why would you switch Fandoms to get trashed again…. If someone deserved to be Bishop is the dude that played Guardian in Thor movies