‘The story until then and beyond’: Kevin Feige cancels a dreaded Marvel retirement, adds X-Men’s ‘future’ as icing on the top

As part of the D23 event in Brazil, Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, has revealed the MCU’s exciting plans for the X-Men and the return of a beloved character everyone feared had retired.

The closing of the Infinity Saga represented the end of the line for multiple key Marvel heroes, including Robert Downey Jr.’ Iron Man, Scarlet Johanson’s Black Widow, and Chris Evans’ Captain America. Yet, the “Multiversal Saga” kept the trend alive when it supposedly killed Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. It definitely didn’t help when Olsen expressed discontent with the film’s plot and commented on how her character was treated. Along with this, her absence from subsequent projects, which extended to avoid even mentioning the Scarlet Witch, sparked fears that the actress was done with the MCU for good.

Of course, the success of Agatha All Along led to an uproar of disgruntled fans who wanted Wanda to return, followed by Olsen herself adding her voice to the crowd, hinting she wanted to return sooner than later.

It looks like everyone’s wishes will come true. In a revealing interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, the Marvel Studios president has strategically shifted from “no comment” to a surprisingly candid acknowledgment of Wanda’s future in the MCU. In Feige’s words:

“We’ve recently had Agatha All Along on Disney Plus, and that series has been great for us. Since then, there have been a lot of questions about Wanda in fans’ minds… So all I can say is that we’re excited to find out when and how Scarlet Witch can come back.”

It’s settled, then. Feige is still playing coy about the how and the when, but the lingering “if” has been erased for good and there’s no longer any doubt the Scarlet Witch is coming back to the MCU. The timing couldn’t be better, considering the character’s comic book history with the X-Men, who’ll soon become the center of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Kevin Feige reveals when the X-Men will enter the MCU

In the same interview where he spilled the beans on the Scarlet Witch, Feige revealed an unprecedented level of long-term planning that extends well beyond Avengers: Secret Wars. Unlike the approach to Endgame, where the focus was primarily on reaching a conclusion, Marvel Studios now has a clear roadmap for its future.

“When we were preparing for Avengers: Endgame years ago, it was a matter of getting to the grand finale of our narrative, and then we had to start all over again after that. This time, on the road to Secret Wars, we already know very well what the story will be until then and beyond. The X-Men are an important part of that future.”

It makes sense that Marvel Studios is already planning what to do once the “Multiversal Saga” is done. Since Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has been getting a lot of heat from fans, who have openly denounced the lack of consistency regarding quality. It’s a fact that the MCU has stretched too thin while juggling too many movies and TV shows, which is why Marvel Studios is aiming to downsize in the near future. So, since the “Multiversal Saga” didn’t work out as planned, Feige is bringing the big guns and putting the X-Men at the center of the MCU for whatever comes after Avengers: Secret Wars.

That’s an exciting perspective. The X-Men have headed some of the best Marvel Comics crossovers, including House of M, centered on the Scarlet Witch. Plus, with Mutants roaming free in the MCU, it’s only a matter of time before we get the dreamlike Avengers vs X-Men movie we all hoped for since Disney bought Fox. You know what? I agree with Feige: Let’s rush to the end of the “Multiversal Saga.”