Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink will join Tom Holland in Spider-Man 4
This week, Marvel fans finally received long-awaited news about Spider-Man 4, the upcoming instalment in Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures’ collaboration. Details about the web-slinging sequel have been under tight wraps as the MCU continues to go through a multiversal transition. Though we still have yet to go through Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps still, the anticipation for the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man film is through the roof.
Recently, it was announced that Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink will join Tom Holland in Spider-Man 4. Though her role remains a mystery for now, many suspect that her character will be an important one in the grand scheme of the MCU. As such, there are many theories as to who Sink could be playing. Some have guessed Jean Grey, one of the iconic members of the X-Men, Gwen Stacy, or even Mary Jane as a replacement for Zendaya’s MJ. However, there’s one character that would make the most sense.
Sadie Sink Has a High Chance of Playing Firestar
Now, many MCU fans may be unfamiliar with who Firestar is. After all, most of her on-screen appearances occurred on the 1980s Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends animated show. However, Firestar has had a long history within Marvel Comics. From it, it’s understandable why some would believe Sink would play Jean Grey given the characters’ similarities.
Angelica Jones, aka Firestar, originally debuted in 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #193, being a reinforcement mutant for the Hellions, a team of mutants trained under Emma Frost. Since then, Firestar has gone on to join the New Warriors and even join the Avengers’ reserve forces. However, it wouldn’t be a few years later that Firestar would have more involvement with the X-Men.
In recent years, Firestar would be selected by Jean Grey to infiltrate the ranks of one of the X-Men’s enemies, the Orchis. Given Firestar’s nomination to join the X-Men and Jean Grey’s recommendation, it’s a little more clearer as to why some would believe Sink would be Jean Grey.
Furthermore, both Jean Grey and Firestar share striking physical appearances and superpowers. Both are redheads who are mutants that worked closely with the X-Men. Additionally, Firestar and Jean Grey both had psionic powers, with Firestar being able to disrupt them while Jean could take them away. In addition to psionic powers, both characters also had fire-based abilities, with Firestar using her microwave energy to generate fire while Jean, empowered by the Phoenix, could create fire under any conditions.
With these facts, the confusion between Firestar and Jean Grey often happens. However, Firestar has actual connections to Spider-Man and it’s likely that Kevin Feige and director Destin Daniel Cretton would want to capitalize on this.
Firestar’s Connections to Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends Tie It All Together
Firestar’s appearances and interactions throughout Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends actually make her more connected to the Spider-Man world than the X-Men.
In that show, she first met Peter Parker during a school convention with her friend, and future X-Man, Bobby Drake aka Iceman. When the convention was attacked by the Beetle, Peter, Angelica, and Bobby stopped the villain despite Bobby’s jealousy for Peter’s flirtations. However, the three would develop a good friendship throughout the show, never putting their romantic interests first.
Given Firestar’s story in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, it’s likely that Sink’s portrayal of the character could follow the same path. Sink’s Firestar could potentially attend the same college Holland’s Spider-Man is going to, given how Parker was preparing for the GED test in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
While Spider-Man 4’s plot is still a mystery, it’s very likely that an incident could occur that activates Firestar’s powers for the first time. As such, this would mark a second indication of mutants in the Sacred Timeline universe of the MCU since Ms. Marvel’s reveal.
The inclusion of Jean Grey in Spider-Man 4 is not just because of how the character doesn’t have as many strong ties as Firestar does, but also because of the track record of Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures in sharing characters with each other.
Throughout Tom Holland’s Spider-Man film trilogy, the only characters that had a resounding impact were Iron Man and Doctor Strange. Furthermore, Venom: The Last Dance nearly retconned the Lethal Protector’s stay in the MCU even though that film set up an important world-ending villain: Knull.
It’s very likely that Marvel Studios would want to save the debut for the X-Men’s iconic members for future films. However, given how the MCU is moving towards more multiversal shenanigans with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, anything can happen. Time will only tell who Sink is playing in Spider-Man 4, but it’s promised that her character will make a lasting impact.
Spider-Man 4 is currently in development.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.