In September 2020, over two years after it was originally scheduled to arrive, The New Mutants, the final entry in 20th Century Fox’s series of X-Men movies, finally hit theaters. Back when reshoots were being planned for the The New Mutants, it was reported there would be a post-credits scene featuring Mister Sinister. Now Jon Hamm has confirmed that he was indeed on deck to play the major X-Men villain.
The Mad Men star almost being involved with The New Mutants was first revealed back March 2018, but while it was reported at the time that director Josh Boone had shot material that set the stage for Mister Sinister’s cinematic debut, Jon Hamm clarified to Yahoo that there isn’t actually any footage of him suited up as the character. As the actor explained:
I never shot anything. I remember having a conversation with people: I'm a huge comic book fan, especially of the X-Men and The New Mutants, so I was excited to be considered. But these conversations happen and then life intervenes.
Fully introduced in 1987’s Uncanny X-Men #221, Mister Sinister was originally Nathaniel Essex, a biologist who was born in London during the middle of the 19th century and became obsessed with evolution and “survival of the fittest.” This led to him carrying out brutal experiments on kidnapped human subjects, and eventually Essex crossed paths with the mutant powerhouse known as Apocalypse, who used alien technology to genetically engineer the malevolent human. In addition to his lifespan being extended, Essex gained powers like super strength, molecular manipulation and mild forms of telekinesis and telepathy.
There was a Mister Sinister tease in X-Men: Apocalypse’s post-credits scene through the briefcase labeled “Essex Corp,” though according to writer/producer Simon Kinberg, that was meant to set up the Gambit spinoff. As far as The New Mutants goes, Jon Hamm’s connection to Mister Sinister didn’t progress past the conversations stage, and that movie’s post-credits scene was ultimately scrapped. While there’d been talk of shooting another tag introducing Antonio Banderas as Sunspot’s father to set up a sequel, that scene didn’t become a reality either.
Because of the Disney/Fox merger, Marvel Studios now has the X-Men film rights, and although Deadpool 3 is in development, most assume that the mutant-centric property as a whole will be rebooted for the MCU. Mister Sinister is certainly worthy of cinematic attention, and although the Fox X-Men film series never got around to using him, the MCU would be wise to include him as a big bad. If that ends up happening, we’ll let you know.
Marvel Studios is still keeping its plans for the live-action X-Men shrouded in secrecy, but you’re welcome to look through our guide of upcoming Marvel movies to see what is officially on the MCU docket. As for Jon Hamm, he can next be seen starring alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, which opens in theaters on May 27.
