Why Kit Connor's Probable Cyclops Casting Upsets Heartstopper Fans

Ever since his noticeable bulk-up during Heartstopper, Kit Connor’s name has been thrown around in fan-castings for several Marvel superheroes. And now, it sounds like the actor is finally joining the MCU... except his reported role isn’t being met with excitement by everyone. Heartstopper fans in particular had the perfect Marvel hero in mind for Connor to portray, but it’s not the character he’s being eyed to play.

On Aug. 6, Deadline published a report claiming that Connor is Marvel’s top choice to suit up as their new iteration of the X-Men’s leader, Cyclops. This came as a bit of a surprise, since Cooper Hoffman had been the most prominent Cyclops casting rumor in the weeks ahead of this report. It also threw many fan-casters for a loop, as Connor had long been imagined to play Hulkling, another Marvel hero who’s expected to make his big-screen debut pretty soon. With Connor reportedly playing Cyclops, that effectively squashes any hope that he’ll be Hulkling.

The reason Heartstopper fans specifically were so tied to the idea of Connor as Hulkling is largely due to his proven chemistry with Joe Locke. In 2024’s Agatha All Along, Locke’s mysterious sorcerer character was revealed to be the superhero Wiccan, who goes on to have a beloved romance with Hulkling in the comics. Because of this love story (and Connor’s resemblance to Hulkling’s humanoid form Teddy Altman), fans believed he’d be the perfect choice for Hulkling — especially since Marvel seems to be building up to the character’s introduction in an eventual Young Avengers project.

But now, it’s looking like Hulkling will go to another actor, and Connor will visor up as the laser-blasting X-Men icon Cyclops.

So, if Connor won’t be Wiccan’s shapeshifting boyfriend, then who will be? Well, there’s another rumor going around that’s also very exciting. The chatter online is that Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie is being eyed to portray Hulkling. There’s not much basis for this speculation yet, but the choice would make sense considering Storrie became famous for acting in a queer romance, plus his publicized talent for accent work lends itself to Hulkling’s shapeshifting powers.

While Connor may not get to continue his chemistry with Locke in the MCU like Heartstopper fans wanted, there’s still hope the two will reunite on the big screen now that they’re both starring in Marvel’s next era.