We’re now coming up to the fourth anniversary of Disney’s purchase of Fox. Along with that came a huge amount of Marvel IP, with a Fantastic Four movie now in development (and a Reed Richards variant in Multiverse of Madness), while Deadpool 3 is set to throw Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with the Mouth against one another.
Despite this, an actual X-Men MCU movie still feels a long way away. Marvel Studios has teased mutants in Ms. Marvel and Wakanda Forever, but it remains to be seen how they’re going to fold Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters into the wider story. However the mutants arrive it looks like it won’t be until after Avengers: Secret Wars lands in 2026, which will conclude Phase Six and the Multiverse Saga.
The studio’s producers are clearly excited to get their teeth into these characters, with longtime franchise veteran Nate Moore namedropping two mutants he’s desperate to work with. In an interview with Deadline, he was asked about Black Marvel superheroes he wants to bring into the MCU, and didn’t hesitate to answer.
“There’s no secret the X-Men are coming home, if you talk Storm and Bishop, they’re two of the great characters in that franchise.”
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 potentially not far behind. Having the globally popular mutants in the back pocket is one heck of 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 our current MCU faves interacting with the X-Men before they retire.