This article contains spoilers for Uncanny X-Men #17
The Marvel franchise, both on the silver screen and in the comics, is no stranger to character cameos from the source material’s pantheon of superheroes, but horror fans never expected to see a Stephen King connection appear in the latest issue of the Uncanny X-Men series. The original comic run began back in the 1960s, with veteran writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby at the helm, and the recent Uncanny X-Men series began in August 2024 with writer Gail Simone and artist David Marquez leading the story.
King needs no introduction to pop culture enthusiasts, having written a boat-load of iconic stories, including It, The Shining, The Mist, and The Green Mile, to name a few. Dominating the horror scene for five decades, the Master of Horror has no short supply of adaptations underway in 2025. King’s Carrie reboot shared its first filming update recently, with The Haunting of Hill House’s Mike Flanagan helming the modern-day live-action of the author’s 1974 debut novel for Amazon.
Documentary About Stephen King’s Worst Villain With 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Streaming for Free
One of Stephen King's scariest villains is exposed in a deep dive documentary, and it's streaming for free now.
Stephen King's Son Joe Hill Makes an Unexpected Cameo in Uncanny X-Men #17
Appearing in Uncanny X-Men #17, King’s son and fellow writer Joe Hill made a surprising cameo in one of the panels. Hill is an established writer, having penned 2007’s Heart-Shaped Box, 2010’s Horns, and the comic book series Locke & Key ( the latter two have already been adapted for live-action, following in his father’s footsteps). Hill appeared in the comic alongside other real-life professionals to offer his opinion on an in-comic slasher movie being made about a mutant killing humans, and Hill backs the mutants’ rebellion, saying, “Horror has always targeted the most defenseless in society. Maybe it’s time they fought back.” This isn't Hill's father's first brush with Marvel, as King has previously defended The Marvels' under-par box office performance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, questioning why supposed fans of the franchise would gloat over the project’s failure.
Another King project being given the live-action treatment is The Dark Tower series, and a popular fan cast champions an OG Marvel actor for the role of John Farson. Flanagan is double-dipping into King’s catalog to write Roland Deschain’s small-screen debut as well, but no official word has left the airtight development on who could portray the gunslinger. Nikolaj Arcel took a shot at The Dark Tower source material in the 2017 feature film, starring Matthew McConaughey as The Man in Black with Idris Elba as Roland. Critics and fans accumulated mostly negative reviews for the movie, aimed towards squeezing the sprawling eight-novel series into one film.
Matching the hype around current King adaptations, including the recently released The Life of Chuck, the upcoming The Long Walk, and Doug Liman’s announced The Stand project, is the X-Men’s long-awaited injection into the evolving MCU. Hugh Jackman made his Wolverine debut in the live-action universe through 2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine, despite previously portraying Logan for over 20 years. Fellow actors from the X-Men’s 20th Century Fox era, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and more, have already been confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, and Marvel Studios is possibly eyeing a rising star to portray Kitty Pride in Jake Schreier’s upcoming X-Men reboot.
Source: Reddit