“In the not too distant future…” This is the caption with which 2000’s X-Men movie opens, and sure enough, in the not too distant future the X-Men will be forming once again within the MCU.
While we wait for a full-on reboot of the Children of the Atom to emerge, although Marvel is already searching for scriptwriters, things have definitely heated up on the mutant front across Phase Four and Five so far. Movies and TV series such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ms. Marvel, The Marvels, and the upcoming Deadpool 3 deserve much of the credit in this regard.
After Doctor Strange 2 and The Marvels included cameos from old favorites and Kamala Khan’s Disney Plus debut revealed she’s a mutant, the Ryan Reynolds threequel is going even further in establishing the X-Men’s existence. As production plows ahead, Deadpool 3 is adding more and more familiar faces from Fox’s franchise, helping to up the number of mutants confirmed to exist on Earth-616. Although, let’s not forget those who could conceivably be outed as X-gene carriers in other future projects.
With that in mind, let’s stick on our Cerebro helmets and take stock of every mutant in the MCU so far.
Confirmed mutant characters
Ms. Marvel
Black Bolt might’ve shown up in Doctor Strange 2, but it seems that wasn’t enough to get Marvel to connect Kamala to the Inhumans mythos. Instead, Ms. Marvel retconned her as a mutant (something eventually established in the comics as well). Nevertheless, despite her newfound mutanthood, Kamala seems unlikely to join the X-Men given that she’s currently assembling the Young Avengers.
Professor X
Predating Kamala’s outing as a mutant by just a couple of months, Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier crossed over from the Fox franchise in Doctor Strange 2. Hailing from Earth-838, this was an alternate version of Professor X from the one Stewart had played for 20 years previously, which arguably opens the door for him to reprise his role as Earth-616’s Xavier as well.
Namor
As per his status in the source material, Tenoch Huerta’s Namor was specifically stated to be a mutant in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This was a much bigger deal than it may have appeared as it not only marked the first time the all-important term had been uttered in an MCU movie, but also made him the first MCU original character (who is a mutant in the comics, too) to make their franchise debut.
Beast
The Marvels made good on all those X-Men teasing promos in its post-credits scene, which saw Monica Rambeau cross through a wormhole and end up in the X-Mansion, allowing Kelsey Grammer to return as Frasier Beast. Given that this Hank McCoy’s appearance was very different from the one in the Fox films, we’re guessing this was another variant of Beast from elsewhere in the multiverse.
Characters who might be mutants
Scarlet Witch
As fans know, Wanda Maximoff is traditionally the daughter of Magneto in the comics. While this is canonically not the case in the MCU, it’s possible she could still be revealed as a mutant at some point as WandaVision made clear that her exposure to the Mind Stone only unlocked Wanda’s latent abilities and did not create them, as was originally believed.
Quicksilver
So, if that’s true of Wanda, then we can assume it’s also the case for her late twin brother, Pietro Maximoff. Tragically, Pietro never got to really test the extent of his power due to his untimely death in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but it’s feasible that his super-speed was a natural gift given a boost by the Mind Stone, especially as Kamala’s bangle confirms mutants sometimes need amplifiers in the MCU.
“Ralph Bohner”
From one Quicksilver to another. Unfortunately, Evan Peters’ Fake Pietro in WandaVision was ultimately unveiled not to be Fox’s Peter Maximoff but some guy called “Ralph Bohner.” However, there is a widespread fan theory that he actually is Quicksilver, and Agatha Harkness was still controlling his mind at the end of the show, leaving the door open for Peters to return at a later date.
Ursa Major
When Black Widow came out in summer 2021, many fans championed it for low-key introducing the MCU’s first mutant. One of Red Guardian’s fellow inmates at his Russian prison was Mikhail Ursus aka Ursa Major, a mutant who can transform into a bear in the comics. Actor Olivier Richters certainly believes his character can be categorized as a mutant and is hoping for a comeback.
Molly Hernandez
Any Runaways fans in the house? In the Hulu series, Molly Hernandez got her super-strength from being exposed to extraterrestrial Gibborim Rocks. In the comics, however, her counterpart Molly Hayes is a mutant. We have no idea if the Runaways cast could return to the MCU, but with mutantkind now a thing, fans could always make it their headcanon that Molly was secretly a mutant all along.
Mr. Immortal
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law introduced a wildly revisionist take on a comic book hero in the form of Craig Hollis aka Mr. Immortal. Although the MCU’s Hollis is depicted as a man visibly in his 60s known for faking his death to avoid his many spouses, the original Mr. Immortal is a teen vigilante, a member of the Great Lake Avengers, and, yes, a mutant.
El Aguila
Similarly, She-Hulk likewise featured a guest spot from El Aguila, a self-described swashbuckler with the power to produce bioelectricity, which he channels through his sword. In the source material, he has this power because he’s a mutant, often serving as a frenemy of Power Man and Iron Fist. Like Mr. Immortal, it’s entirely possible he’s a mutant in the MCU, too, it just hasn’t been spelled out.
Mutant characters debuting soon
Deadpool
Obviously, the most notable mutant on his way is none other than Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson. Deadpool 3 started shooting has been shooting on and off since May 2023, with Shawn Levy directing, ahead of its eventual arrival in theaters in May 2024. It’s long been expected that this one would properly introduce the X-Men into the MCU, and that certainly seems to be the case, going by its extended cast.
Wolverine
If you haven’t heard that Hugh Jackman is back as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 by now, I can only assume you’ve been trapped in the Quantum Realm. Yes, dreams will come true when we finally see the Aussie icon share the screen with Reynolds’ Merc with the Mouth. He’s unlikely to be the MCU’s full-time Wolvie, though, as we’re pretty sure DP3 will act as his true, final hurrah in his record-breaking role.
Colossus
Daniel Cudmore originated the role of Colossus/Peter Rasputin in the initial Fox X-Men movies, but the more familiar version to moviegoers is the full CG character played by Stefan Kapicic in the first two Deadpool films. He’ll be joining Reynolds and Jackman in making the hop over to the MCU, although it’s too early to tell if he’ll bring his sister, The New Mutants‘ Illyana Rasputin, with him.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Alongside Colossus, DP’s other X-Men best pal, the impeccably named Negasonic Teenage Warhead, is likewise back in Deadpool 3, with Brianna Hildebrand reprising the part as the gloomy adolescent who can produce nuclear blasts. Remember, Deadpool 2 established that the heroine was gay, making her the first openly lesbian superpowered character in the MCU.
Yukio
Speaking of, Negasonic Teenage Warhead’s girlfriend in Deadpool 2 was the perky and pink-haired Yukio, a loose adaptation of the comics character who had previously appeared in The Wolverine. Shioli Kutsuna is reuniting with her on-screen love interest Hildebrand in Deadpool 3. Her inclusion means that the MCU now has its first openly gay superhero couple. Hopefully, we’ll get a few more “Hi, Wade”s.
Sabretooth
Most of those rumored Deadpool 3 cameos await confirmation, but set photos from the threequel’s shoot have at least revealed that Sabretooth is definitely back on board. The real surprise, though? That it’s not the Liev Schreiber version but one resembling Tyler Mane’s more feral incarnation from 2000’s X-Men (though it’s currently unclear if Mane is reprising his role or not).
X-Men ’97 team
And let’s not forget that animated revival series X-Men ’97 is also headed to Disney Plus. Fans might be discounting this as non-MCU due to it being a continuation of the beloved ’90s series, but it is produced by Marvel Studios, and showrunner Beau DeMayo has heavily hinted that the show will have some major multiversal tie-ins, suggesting it’ll be more important to the overall franchise than we might be expecting.
