We knew it was only a matter of time until Marvel got the X-Men ball rolling, but boy does it feel good to know that a movie is now in the works at Marvel Studios. On Sept. 29, it was announced that the studio is officially on the hunt for a screenwriter to pen the first of hopefully many X-Men films. The only natural response, if you’re a fan of the X-Men like I am, is pandemonium and jubilation. It’s happening, everyone! Stay calm!
Fox’s X-Men trilogy created the foundation upon which superhero cinema as we know it exists. There’s no disputing that. From 2000 to 2020 the mutant superhero team and various other characters thrived under Fox’s leadership, churning out a total of 13 films including sequels and spin–offs. But in 2019 Disney acquired the studio, so now the characters that were once isolated from the Marvel Cinematic Universe can legally mingle with Earth’s mightiest heroes.
As much as we love to hate Fox’s X-Men films, some of them were downright spectacular. Others, not so much. In fact, around half of them still reek of the dog dung they danced around in. That’s what we’re here to discuss today, because if life isn’t about learning from your mistakes, then what’s the point?
So, please Marvel, learn from Fox’s mistakes. Don’t repeat these same problems in the MCU.
Shoehorning and spotlighting Wolverine into every film and at every opportunity
Don’t get me wrong. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is by far the best thing to come out of Fox’s X-Men, but we don’t need to replicate what can’t be replicated. Nor do we want a character to dominate the entire X-Men franchise the way Wolverine did. There were a total of 13 movies in the Fox franchise, including spin-offs and sequels. Wolverine either starred or made cameos in 9 of them. No more, we say! It’s time to bring in fresh blood. May we turn your attention to his clone daughter Laura Kinney, otherwise known as X-23? Now there’s a character who deserves the spotlight.
Exiling Gambit to the sidelines
It’s a crime that the only film in all the X-Men movies to include Gambit was the deplorable X-Men Origins: Wolverine. His appearance in the movie was fan-service at best, and a laughing stock at worst. Fox completely missed the chance to showcase the extent of his powers and entirely skipped over his storyline with Rogue. Speaking of which…
Not giving Rogue her big ‘80s hair and jacket
I know, I know. There are bigger fish to fry than Rogue’s hair and jacket, but come on. How are you not going to give us that? I get that it’s completely impractical, but just, like, do it anyway, please. I’d take even a slightly modern modification. And while you’re at it, do the same for Storm, yeah? Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Superfluous subplots that drown out the main storyline
This is me nitpicking, but it’s worth mentioning, since poorly-handled subplots were a common occurrence in the Fox franchise. Remember the Mutant Cure subplot in The Last Stand? If you momentarily forgot, I wouldn’t blame you. It’s a perfect example of stuffing too much into a story for the sake of explaining the final outcome. Instead of focusing on the Dark Phoenix Saga, the film tried to squeeze in the Cure storyline from Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men comics. What could have been time spent fleshing out Jean Grey’s complicated arc was otherwise spent jigsawing together puzzle pieces that don’t fit.
Of course, every movie needs a subplot, but huge ones like the two aforementioned are a lot to ask of a two-hour movie. Who’s to say whether Marvel will tackle the Mutant Cure storyline at all? But if it does, it’d be wise to either edge it to the forefront or wait until a more opportune time.
Over-focusing on male X-Men over female X-Men
Fox’s X-Men movies are a male-dominated franchise. Yes, even the storylines pertaining directly to female characters have the beating heart of a man’s perspective. Wolverine, Cyclops, Professor Xavier, Magneto, Beast, Iceman, Pyro, and so many more — their points of view dominate the movies, yet there are still so many powerful, dynamic, and fully realized female characters in the X-Men universe that haven’t been given the chance to spread their wings yet; Polaris, Jubilee, X-23, Magik, and so many more. Not to mention the ones we’ve already seen who deserve a second chance like Rogue, Jean Grey, Storm, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Blink, and Psylocke.
We’re not in the 2000s anymore. The few solo female superhero movies aren’t going to cut it, Marvel. Representation matters on all fronts, which leads me to our next point.
Shying away from representation
The X-Men are, by nature, political. Created as an allegory for the Civil Rights movement in America, the X-Men serve as a reminder of the disparity of injustice and discrimination. There are bound to be cries of Marvel “going woke” when the MCU’s version of X-Men hits the big screen, but that complaint is as redundant as it is an oxymoron. Being a mutant is political, just like being gay is political, or being Black is political. It’s not because it’s right or fair, it’s because there are swaths of people who fear the “other” and will do anything in their power to crush them under their heel.
Marvel would be wise to lean into this fact instead of shying away from it. Let Iceman be gay. Let Kitty be Jewish and proud. Let Mystique explore her sexuality with any person she desires. These are all aspects of the characters’ storyline that already exist in the comics. To shy away from them on the big screen would not only be disappointing, but also a shame.
Oh, and while we’re at it, either give us Cherik or stop queerbaiting us. Please and thank you.
The Dark Phoenix Saga… just don’t
Is there really any reason to elaborate here? Fox’s handling of the Dark Phoenix Saga fell completely flat on its face both times it was attempted, first with Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey in The Last Stand, and then with Sophie Turner’s in Dark Phoenix. The truth is we, the public, need time to recover. This isn’t an easy storyline to convey. Clearly, it requires delicate handling and several films to flesh it out. The best thing for Marvel to do right now is either save the Dark Phoenix storyline for a future phase entirely or begin quietly (and meaningfully) planting the seeds so as not to rush willy-nilly into a single, culminating film. Capeesh, Marvel? K, cool.
Now, back to the pandemonium and jubilation — we’re finally getting an MCU X-Men movie!