Now that the X-Men are safely in the hands of Marvel Studios following Disney’s acquisition of Fox, the possibilities for how the mutants will finally join the MCU, as well as the stories that can be told in any number of solo flicks and spinoffs, are virtually endless. The majority of the twelve entries in Fox’s X-Men franchise played it pretty safe when it came to adapting famous comic book stories, and even told the Phoenix Saga twice to disappointing results, so it stands to reason that Kevin Feige will be keen to avoid retracing the steps of his predecessors.
Feige’s first-ever role in Hollywood was as an associate producer on Bryan Singer’s X-Men 20 years ago, and he went on to co-produce X2 and executive produce The Last Stand before spearheading Marvel Studios, so he’s more than familiar with how things were handled behind the scenes during the early days of the franchise.
That being said, we’ve heard from our sources – the same ones who said that Taskmaster would be the main villain in Black Widow and the Guardians will cameo in Thor: Love and Thunder, both of which are now confirmed – that not only is Feige considering bringing back a major villain that’s already appeared in an X-Men movie, but he even wants the same actor to play the role. That’s right, Marvel are keen to have Oscar Isaac return as Apocalypse, and give the actor a chance to do justice to one of the most fearsome villains in comic book history.
Of course, the 41 year-old is immensely talented, but his turn as the title character failed miserably to make an impact, with many fans unable to get past the fact that he looked like Power Rangers‘ Ivan Ooze. Obviously nothing can be confirmed just yet at this early, early stage, and likely won’t be for some time given that we won’t see the X-Men as part of the MCU for a while, but one idea being discussed is to tie Apocalypse to the Eternals, and make them responsible for giving him the X-Gene. On a narrative level that makes sense, as he’s the world’s first and oldest mutant and they’re a race of immortal aliens, and it could also explain why mutation has been laying dormant for so long.
In any case, people were definitely onboard with Isaac as Apocalypse when the casting was initially announced, so maybe he deserves a second bite at the cherry. After all, it worked with Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool following the disastrous X-Men Origins: Wolverine, so why not try it here, too?
