The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The indications have been growing, and at some point, Marvel's mutants will be unleashed in an unusual manner on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After Fox's franchise gave us almost 20 years and 13 films of mutant adventures, superhero fans are familiar with the X-Men. Dark Phoenix and New Mutants may have ended the run on a sour note, but they can take on new heights in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Professor Charles Xavier, who played Professor Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, became the first X-Man character to be seen in the Fox films as well.
When Wolverine and Wade Wilson meet in Deadpool 3, the MCU debut for both characters, we can anticipate Xavier to be recast along with the vast majority of big-ticket mutants.
Who else from the X-Men's cast of leading and supporting characters might return? Here's our pick of who we think will return to movie screens shortly and how it might happen.
Magneto
Erik Magnus Lehnsherr Aks Magneto is an excellent example of a top-tier Marvel villain. Magneto is not just a bad guy, it's also a brilliant example of a fantastic X-Man.
Magento can play an enormous role in every segment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’d love to see him perform a personal Atomic Saga and spin-off into an epic Magneto limited series on Disney Plus.
Storm
Ororo Munroe, the mighty mutant Storm, can have a lot of fun in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her Omega-level mutant ability to control local weather systems and planetary ecosystems perfectly complements her lineage of African princesses.
Ororo, as one of the most powerful mutants of all time, should staking her spot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we can see her making a spectacular comeback in the third Black Panther film.
The Apocalypse
Apocalypse, the most underserved antagonist in Fox's celluloid era, has so much more to offer to mutantkind's celluloid journey. The ancient mutant only arrived in 1985, but has more than made his presence felt. With him linked to Multiverse Saga bad guy Kang, Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe might plant seeds that will grow into a reality further down the line.
Apocalypse's abilities are incredible, including immortality and the ability to control every cell in his body. That combination of change and longevity in one powerful form makes him a real threat to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even in an alternate reality in which he is in his ascendancy.
Jean Grey (Phoenix)
Phoenix was dragged down in the Fox franchise not once but twice. In The Last Stand, she never got a chance to shine as she stomped around with lower-level mutants. By Dark Phoenix, nobody cared.
The Phoenix Force, which resides in Jean Grey's already formidable strength, is a multiverse-level threat, second only to the One-Above-All. If the next seventh and eighth phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were to take us on a Cosmic Saga, which saw the Fantastic Four defeat Galactus, the follow-up might see the X-Men risk everything to reclaim their much-missed team member.
Legion
Legion, a fascinating and troubled mutant known for Noah Hawley's fantastic offshoot series Legion, never made it into Fox's film franchise, even if it is only to create unexpected realities. Legion is the son of Charles Xavier, but also a mutant with multiple personalities — Typhoid Mary is said to be launching strength into the universe in Deadpool 3 — but he can take the Marvel Cinematic Universe to incredible new places.
Let's see Xaver unleashed in the major X-Men films series, put him to the test, and, as he did briefly in the comics, join the superteam.
Kitty Pryde is a British actress.
Kitty Pryde was a vital part of comic book writer Chris Claremont's definitive run. Just as Marvel Girl aka Jean Grey walked us into Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men #1 in 1963, Kitty Pryde introduced a new era of X-Men.
Kitty Pryde proved her worth in the otherwise disappointing trilogy closer The Last Stand and then X-Men: Days of Future Past, just as she did in the comic arc that inspired that time-twisting film. Why not as a double act with Colossus?
William Stryker is a British journalist.
Stryker, a classic X-Men character, fits right into the Marvel Cinematic Universe's military titans, but he's also a very special kind of soldier-meets-admin bad guy who stands easily in the legacy of Alexander Pierce and von Strucker in the comics. It's certainly not a live-action version that has ever been successful.
Wolverine would have a fair amount of adamantium to his name in a series of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, with Stryker as the adversary number one. At the very least, it will erase X-Men Origins: Wolverine's memories.
Mystique
Mystique, or Raven Darkhölme, has proven to be an essential part of the celluloid X-Men universe, evolving from a glaring distraction to a central figure in the X-Men's rise and fall. The MCU version will walk in the shadow of Jennifer Lawrence's most recent charismatic portrayal, but there's still plenty of Raven to explore.
When the consequences of Secret Invasion are known, Mystique should be at the front of the next X-Men films, if not impersonating key political figures a movie or two before.
Bolivar Trask
During Fox's X-Men run, the Sentinels went from ridiculous to sublime, making the most of long-running fan anticipation. There are few Earth-bound threats that can engulf a mutant spectacle as these giant mutant-hunting robots.
After his all-too-future appearance in X-Men: Days of Future Past, there's more to come from the anti-mutant scientist introduced in the mid-1960s. We're not sure how the MCU will introduce their mutants, but it's hard to imagine them missing the opportunity for social commentary and metaphor in previous X-Men films.
Larry, Bolivar's son, continued his father's avenging Sentinels before realizing he was a mutant with precognitive abilities. That might also serve as a thrilling background for an early X-Men film.
Emma Frost is a British author.
Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class reboot of the X-Men franchise with a period flourish was fine, but it did not justice to all of its characters. Members of the Hellfire Club, including Sebastian Shaw, deserve more screen time. Most importantly, Emma Frost wants to shine (in her diamond form).
If there is room for a Xavier School series on Disney Plus, it might do worse than examine the consequences of the White Queen's transformation from highly powered villain to headmistress. It's the opposite journey to the one Mystique and Magneto took in the Fox series.