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 theUncanny X-Menseries. The original comic run began back in the 1960s, with veteran writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby at the helm, and the recentUncanny X-Menseries 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, includingIt,The Shining,The Mist, andThe 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’sCarriereboot shared its first filming updaterecently, withThe Haunting of Hill House’s Mike Flanagan helming the modern-day live-action of the author’s 1974 debut novel for Amazon.
Stephen King’s Son Joe Hill Makes an Unexpected Cameo in Uncanny X-Men #17
Appearing inUncanny 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’sHeart-Shaped Box, 2010’sHorns, and the comic book seriesLocke & 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, asKing has previously defendedThe 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 isThe Dark Towerseries, and a popular fan cast champions anOG 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 atThe Dark Towersource 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 releasedThe Life of Chuck, the upcomingThe Long Walk, and Doug Liman’s announcedThe Standproject, 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’sDeadpool 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 inAvengers: Doomsday, andMarvel Studios is possibly eyeing a rising star to portray Kitty Pridein Jake Schreier’s upcomingX-Menreboot.
