Let’s dreamcast the X-Men before they appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 07: Actor Tom Ellis attends ‘Lucifer’ event during aTVfest 2016 presented by SCAD on February 7, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

5. Tom Ellis as Iceman

Though Iceman was portrayed in the original X-Men movies as part of the younger generation, in the comic canon he was actually around right from the get-go. Iceman is an original X-Man, and he’s known for exactly what you would guess from his name. Utilizing the ability to completely cover himself in ice and shoot it from his fingertips, he can slide around super fast, freeze foes in place, and do any number of other cool tricks. You might guess that with that sort of slippery ability, he’s also prone to wisecracks, and you’d be right.

As a character, Iceman (a.k.a. Bobby Drake) is an honest, loyal person. He says what’s on his mind, and does what he believes is right. For all that forthrightness, however, he’s got a complex personality that has only gotten more complex as the comics have gone on. Recently, it was revealed that Iceman is gay, making him one of the most prominent gay superheros in comics.

Tom Ellis shouldn’t need any justification when it comes to his proven ability to crack jokes and taunt people in the thick of hairy situations. His role on Lucifer actually bears several striking similarities to Iceman, such as the fact that Lucifer Morningstar is typically unfailingly honest to people, regardless of whether they’ll like it or not. With his stellar acting chops, Ellis could easily elevate Iceman’s impact on X-Men and viewer alike. Which would be something of a new thing for the character, who did a lot of “sitting at the kids’ table” with Rogue in the older films.