For a long time, it looked as if the Fox X-Universe was going out on a low note. The disappointing X-Men double-whammy of Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants very much failed to impress. Fortunately, the newly multiversal MCU has picked up the baton, with Patrick Stewart’s Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness being followed by Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in the upcoming Deadpool 3.
However, there might be one element from Dark Phoenix worth revisiting. Sophie Turner impressed everyone as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, before going on to play Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse, with the character taking center stage in Dark Phoenix. So, if the MCU is happy to have the Fox actors reprise their roles in the MCU, why not give Turner another chance?
Sadly, it seems that fans just aren’t enthused, arguing that her Jean Grey was something of a letdown:
Others say they’d rather see the younger X-Men actors in new MCU roles:
Or, perhaps she could play Jean Grey’s villainous clone Madelyn Pryor (aka Goblin Queen):
Well, don’t sugarcoat it:
Maybe, Wolverine aside, it’s time for a fresh start?
Kevin Feige is taking his sweet time bringing the merry band of mutants to the MCU. The current lineup takes us up to May 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars, with no X-Men project in sight.
In some ways, it’s easy to see why Marvel Studios is keeping mutants in reserve. Major heroes like Captain America, Black Widow, and Iron Man have already departed the MCU, with other longtime favorites including Thor, the Hulk, and Hawkeye also potentially on the way out over the coming phases.
Having the globally popular students of Charles Xavier in the back pocket is an ace in the hole for the studio, and if box office begins to drop off in the late 2020s, then busting out a new generation of mutants is a surefire way to reinvigorate future phases.
Even so, let’s hope we don’t have to wait too long, as we want to see at least some of our MCU faves interacting with the X-Men before they retire.