Marvel boss Kevin Feige's new comments make me think that the new X-Men team in the MCU will be set up similarly to the original Avengers team back in Phase 1. Feige first teased the integration of mutants into the MCU in 2019, shortly after Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox was finalized. In the five years since, we've been waiting patiently for the X-Men to make their official debut, and while I've been disappointed that the team hasn't yet appeared, Feige's new comments have me very excited about mutantkind's future in the MCU.
Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot saw its first huge update in May 2024, when The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes writer Michael Lesslie was tasked with penning the script (via Deadline). I reckon Marvel feels a huge amount of pressure to get the X-Men right, as Fox's X-Men franchise saw its ups and downs, and seldom adapted some of Marvel Comics' most iconic characters faithfully. Marvel Studios can do better, and Kevin Feige's new comments make me think this will happen by taking inspiration from the MCU's original Avengers team.
Kevin Feige Has Teased X-Men Heroes In The MCU’s Upcoming Projects
Marvel Has Already Introduced A Number Of Mutants To The MCU
Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore in November 2024 (via Deadline), Kevin Feige addressed the future of the X-Men in the MCU, and his comments make me even more excited. As well as raising anticipation for 2025's Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Feige noted that we will see "some X-Men players that [we] might recognize" in the MCU's "next few movies." Feige's comments make me think the MCU post-Avengers: Secret Wars will be focused intensely on mutants, but we'll see some X-Men members much sooner.
I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize. Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, [it’s] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.
Marvel Studios recently brought a slew of fantastic mutants into the MCU's official continuity, as 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine bridged the gap between the MCU's Earth-616 and Fox's Earth-10005. However, Deadpool & Wolverine caught up with the mutants of Fox's X-Men franchise, so we're still waiting for the MCU's official X-Men team to appear. Feige's comments suggest that set-up for the X-Men will begin very soon, which takes me back to Phase 1 and makes me think the X-Men will finally be handled correctly in the MCU.
MCU’s X-Men Set-Up Reminds Me Of Phase 1’s Avengers
The Original Avengers Team Was Set Up Over Four Years
The idea that the core members of the X-Men may be introduced in the MCU's "next few movies" before coming together to form the mutant superhero team after Secret Wars reminds me of the set-up for the original Avengers team in the MCU's Phase 1. Unlike some other superhero franchises, Marvel Studios took its time when setting up the Avengers, bringing them together in 2012's eponymous The Avengers only after they'd all already been introduced. This process took four years, with some heroes having bigger roles than others, but we met them all.
|
MCU Phase 1 Movie |
Release Date |
Director |
|---|---|---|
|
Iron Man |
May 2, 2008 |
Jon Favreau |
|
The Incredible Hulk |
June 13, 2008 |
Louis Leterrier |
|
Iron Man 2 |
May 7, 2010 |
Jon Favreau |
|
Thor |
May 6, 2011 |
Kenneth Branagh |
|
Captain America: The First Avenger |
July 22, 2011 |
Joe Johnston |
|
The Avengers |
May 4, 2012 |
Joss Whedon |
I would love for this to also be the case for the MCU's upcoming X-Men team. It would be great for us to meet all the core members of the X-Men individually in upcoming projects, fleshing them out as existing characters in the MCU, and allowing us to get a better understanding of who they are as individuals before they come together as the X-Men. The prospect of seeing the likes of Professor X, Jean Grey, Rogue and perhaps even a new Wolverine, among others, very soon has me incredibly excited about the MCU's upcoming slate.
I Have High Hopes For The X-Men After Kevin Feige’s Comments
The X-Men Will Be Handled With Care In The MCU
Setting up the original Avengers team over four years and five movies made its eventual formation in 2012's The Avengers even more brilliant. Marvel Studios could jump straight into the action with very little set up, as each member had already been introduced and primed to join the Avengers. I'm thrilled that the same might be done with the X-Men. Marvel needs to take its time and be careful and considerate when reinventing the X-Men, as Fox had a solid two-decade-long run with these iconic mutant characters, but I now have more faith the X-Men will excel in the MCU.
