Could Dafne Keen Reprise Her X-Men Role in the MCU? Fans Don’t Want It Any Other Way

One of the breakout stars of 2017 was young actress Dafne Keen, who shined as the super-powered teen Laura Kinney/X-23 in Logan. Keen is a rising star in the entertainment industry after her role in the superhero film and her starring role in HBO’s His Dark Materials.

Now, due to Disney’s acquisition of Fox and various Marvel characters, fans have begun to wonder if X-23 will make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The powerful mutant is one of the most popular X-Men characters in Marvel Comics, and fans have praised Keen’s realistic performance of the young hero. The performance has caused many fans to wonder: who is Dafne Keen, and will she reprise her role as X-23 in future Marvel films? 

Who is Dafne Keen? 

Dafne Keen was born on January 4, 2005, in Madrid, Spain. She is the daughter of British actor Will Keen and director/writer Maria Fernandez Ache. Dafne made her acting debut in the BBC Worldwide drama The Refugees, alongside her father Will.

The show focuses on three billion refugees from the future that travel to the past to escape from a deadly disease. The Keen father and daughter are also father and daughter in the show. Keen’s role was as Ani Cruz, who must deal with one of the mysterious future refugees who come to her with an important mission.

Then in 2017, Keen then made her explosive breakout in the film industry as Laura Kinney in Logan. Keen has not yet a lot of television and film appearances in her budding career, but the roles she has quickly made a name for herself with quality performances. The most recent of these roles is as the heroine Lyra Belacqua or Lyra Silvertongue in His Dark Materials. 

The HBO adaptation of Philip Pullman’s popular book series also starred Ruth Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, James McAvoy, and Dafne Keen’s father Will. 

Keen’s role in ‘Logan’

In Logan, Keen plays the powerful Marvel character Laura Kinney, who is also known as X-23. Kinney is a child-clone of Wolverine, and has the same superpowers and claws as her mentor.

That mentor is one of the most iconic members of the X-Men team, Wolverine a.k.a Logan a.k.a James Howlett. Wolverine has been a major part of every X-Men film released, beginning with 2000s X-Men. The various X-Men films have spanned decades, and many characters have different actors for their young and old versions.

This is not true for Wolverine, as he has been played by Hugh Jackman in every film. The Wolverine centric Logan is a fan-favorite comic book adaptation, and considered one of the greatest superhero films of all-time. The sendoff film for the legendary Hugh Jackman and his character Wolverine, was the culmination of nine films spanning nearly 20 years.

According to IndieWire, Logan director James Mangold is still pushing for a spin-off to his film starring Keen. Kinney/X-23 is meant to be the replacement character for Wolverine, which has fans excited about a long term role for X-23 played by Keen. 

Fan thoughts about Keen joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Keen’s portrayal of Kinney/X-23 was beloved by fans and critics alike. As of now, there is no announced plan for X-23 and her fellow X-Men to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but rumors of their inclusion have been swirling.

This is due to Disney’s recent acquisition of Fox, who held the rights to Marvel characters such as the X-Men and The Fantastic Four. This is an exciting possibility for Marvel fans, as both the X-Men and Fantastic Four are and have been major players in the long history of Marvel comics.

There are many team-ups, battles and storylines that fans are clamoring for, many of which include X-23. As these rumors gain momentum, fans have refused to even consider another actress taking the X-23 role from Keen. The young actress has already nailed the role once, and many fans believe that she can do something really special with the continuation of the Laura Kinney/X-23 character.