Recasting Original X-Men Movie If It Came Out Today

7. Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Rogue

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There aren't many actresses who can switch between being immensely restrained and immensely powerful at the drop of a hat, but Mary Elizabeth Winstead, of Scott Pilgrim and Death Proof fame, is one of them.

Characters like that practically define her career. In 10 Cloverfield Lane she played a timid, scared twenty-something that grew into a headstrong, resourceful woman as the movie progressed. In Die Hard 4.0, she initially seemed like the damsel in distress, but nope... she ended up kicking some serious ass.

That coin-flip between power and weakness is at the centre of Rogue's struggle. She's one of the strongest mutants in the film but she is scared of her power and what it can do, her deceptively innocent looks masking her true capabilities.

Winstead could capably portray a character like this. She's got that sweet, charming look but it's at contrast with her ability to fight like hell when she needs to. She's also appeared in plenty of high-profile projects, so has the experience necessary to lead a blockbuster franchise like X-Men.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!