X-Men Marvel Cinematic Universe Theories

MCU X-Men Theories

Published on October 5, 2024October 2, 2024 by Kyra27 Comments

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. I have some thoughts and theories on what the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) should do with the X-Men. I already shared a few thoughts in a previous post for Deadpool & Wolverine, but let’s dive deeper into what the MCU’s first X-Men movie should look like. There may be some spoilers. Consider yourself warned.

I’ll break this down into two parts: heroes and villains. The stories the first movie could pursue will depend on the characters. I’ll mention some of these potential stories. Hopefully, I don’t ramble too much.

Heroes

The easiest road the MCU could take is using the original X-Men: Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, and Angel. Some comic book fans will rejoice. But I don’t know if casual X-Men fans or fans of the 90s cartoon will get as much out of the original X-Men. And Disney/Marvel promised that the MCU’s X-Men will resemble the X-Men 97 cartoon.

Just because the MCU uses the original X-Men doesn’t mean that they must tell a team origin story. They could, but the story structure that helps most non-comic book X-Men projects revolves around an established X-Men team with a new member joining the group. And that’s what I propose.

And that premise leads me to lump certain members into specific groups: senior members, established members, and the potential conduit character. Senior members are the leaders. Established members have seniority but don’t lead the team. And the conduit character is the new member (not necessarily young) who also functions as the audience’s point of view. The X-Men have a huge roster to pull from. I kept the movie’s cast to nine with one possible inclusion/honorable mention.

So, there are a lot of big names that didn’t make the cut, let’s look at some notable exclusions.

Notable Excluded X-Men

Wolverine

Rip off the Band-Aid. Wolverine sucks the oxygen from every room. The Fox movies depended on Wolverine’s box office draw. Wolverine’s importance to the Fox X-Men movie franchise was even the inciting incident for Deadpool & Wolverine. Wolverine can’t show up in the first X-Men; no one will care about any of the other characters. Wolverine should get a brief, and I mean super brief, cameo or even a teaser. Perhaps in the mid or post credits scene.

Beast

This one hurts. I like Beast a lot, but in the context of the team I’d like to see first, he’s best suited with staying in the lab and getting a cameo.

Colossus

Another fave. Colossus, like Beast and Wolverine, could receive a cameo, but shouldn’t appear in the film for very long.

Senior Members

Professor X

Charles Xavier began the X-Men. The only way he doesn’t make the MCU film is if the writers explain his absence. Too much work. Just include him.

Cyclops

Scott Summers got a raw deal in Fox’s X-Men film franchise. He unceremoniously died at the beginning of X-Men: The Last Stand and had a limited role in the previous two films. James Marsden could’ve made a great Cyclops; he looked the part. He just didn’t have enough to do. Omitting Wolverine and some other fan favorites could give Cyclops some much needed attention. And the new X-Men film should have plenty of romance.

Jean Grey

Speaking of romance, Jean and Scott’s relationship can have the space to take off with a reduced cast (or at least a focused cast). Complications to this relationship can and should occur, but the 90s cartoon leaned too heavily on the Scott-Jean-Wolverine love triangle. Jean!!! Let’s see some different bumps in the road.

Storm

Ororo Monroe is badass. She also has a link to Marvel’s Black Panther. Canonically, she’s married to T’Challa. Shuri taking her brother’s place could put a wrinkle in that, but Storm has had lesbian lovers in the past (specifically Yukio—yes, the same Yukio Deadpool says hi to in the movies). But the romantic options don’t stop there. Storm has been linked with Doctor Doom, Cyclops, Wolverine, and Forge. There are plenty of options for Storm’s love life to reach soap opera levels.

Established Members

Gambit

I liked Channing Tatum as Gambit; he gave a fun, memetastic performance. But if Gambit intends to romance Rogue, Rogue shouldn’t be in her early to mid-twenties. And if you don’t have Gambit putting the moves on Rogue, why include him? Fans have waited for a proper Gambit to make the big screen, and Tatum didn’t disappoint. If he’s our Gambit, who’s our Rogue.

Rogue

Fans have also wanted a more comically accurate Rogue. Anna Paquin gave a good performance in the Fox films, but Rogue as the conduit character was both good and bad. It was good because Rogue’s power can seem like a curse. But Fox aged her down to the point where she could only have high school love interests.

Oddly enough, Anna Paquin could reprise her role as Rogue. Paquin is more appropriate age for the character now than when she was originally cast. While Tatum’s age could be an issue (for a younger Rogue), Magneto would be an even greater one. A Gambit-Rogue-Magneto love triangle often occurs. We gotta see an ill-fated Rogue-Magneto romance on the big screen at least once.

Possible Conduit Characters

Kitty Pryde

Kitty is the classic X-Men conduit character. Readers saw the futuristic world through her eyes in “Days of Future Past.” She was also the point-of-view character during the 80s cartoon pilot, Pryde of the X-Men. Even if Kitty isn’t the conduit character, she should be included. The same will be true of the other characters in this group.

Elliot Page, like James Marsden, gave a good performance in the Fox movies but had little to do. This version of Kitty should explore her infatuation with Colossus, and Kitty should show her disgust when first meeting Nightcrawler. It takes time, but Kitty discovers that she has more in common with Nightcrawler than Colossus, and the two of them form a deep connection.

Nightcrawler

Kurt Wagner makes this list, too. Nightcrawler is one of the few mainstream X-Men who can’t hide his mutation. As such, humans’ hatred of mutants could play a huge role in any story where Nightcrawler is the conduit character. Non-comic book X-Men project have never done this before (to the best of my knowledge). Nightcrawler also tends to skew toward the religious and that opens the door for so many interesting storylines.

Iceman

If the MCU wanted to make the original X-Men their first X-Men team, Bobby Drake would serve as the conduit character. Iceman represents something else that no other non-comic book X-Men project has done to date: make a member of the LGBT community the conduit character. Iceman is bisexual.

Bobby has had plenty of love interests. Emma Frost could be interesting, likewise with Mystique but in a very different way. But the two that make the most sense are Romeo and Pyro. Romeo is an inhuman. The Inhumans had a short-lived TV series and if the MCU wanted to reintroduce the Inhumans, Romeo could be a good choice. Pyro’s fire abilities could pair well visually and narratively with Bobby’s ice, and it’d be a great way to introduce the Brotherhood.

Honorable Mention

Changeling/Morph

Morph could replace one of the other X-Men or perhaps squeeze in as a tenth member. Professor X may need to be in the movie, but he can have a smaller presence. Morph is another potential conduit character and another member of the LGBT community (nonbinary). Morph can shapeshift, so they give X-Men plenty of chances for cameos.

Villains

Just like the heroes, I have a few notable X-Villains who should probably not show up in the first MCU X-Men Film.

Notable Excluded X-Villains

Magneto

Magneto may be best served as a mention or cameo. Like Wolverine, Magneto can steal focus.

Apocalypse

It’s too soon to include him. Apocalypse makes for a poor first X-villain; he’s someone the MCU should build toward.

Mister Sinister

Likewise for Mister Sinister. Fox teased Mr. Sinister for years. The group running the facility in the New Mutants was named Essex, as in Nathan Essex (Mr. Sinister’s given name). But I’d like Mr. Sinister to get a real build before we see him on the big screen. I do like the idea of Mr. Sinister working behind the scenes. We could, and probably should, catch glimpses of him. Better yet, an Easter egg like the New Mutants.

X-Villains

Humans/Sentinels

So many of these stories and the villains within these stories hinge on who is the movie’s conduit character, but humans can be present with any conduit character. Nightcrawler has the strongest case for humans, but bigotry is something that always plays a role in X-Men stories. But which specific humans should make the list? Let’s talk about a few.

Boliver Trask invented the sentinels. If you include the sentinels, include Trask. Friends of Humanity founder Graydon Creed makes another good starting point. Creed also has a connection with Sabretooth and Wolverine. Religious zealot William Stryker works as a good sounding board for Nightcrawler’s beliefs; it could lead to some great philosophical discourse. And Henry Peter Gyrich has served several government agencies. Gyrich has had connections with SHIELD and could introduce something like a Mutant Registry.

Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

If Bobby Drake dates Pyro, include the Brotherhood. But any other conduit character could work with the Brotherhood as the main villain. The Brotherhood serves as an ethical alternative to the X-Men. Don’t agree with Professor X’s mission statement? Join the Brotherhood. Many characters have been a part of the Brotherhood. Even Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver got their start here.

I’d keep the group small with characters who haven’t been used much in recent years: Pyro, Blob, Avalanche, and Toad. The team must have a leader. Mystique could work; she has connections with Nightcrawler and Rogue, but Mystique has also shown up a ton. If Morph does make the X-Men’s first movie, don’t include Mystique at first. Emma Frost hasn’t seen the screen as much and would be my preference. As a telepath, she can give Professor X and Jean a run for their money. And Frost also has ties with the Hellfire Club.

The Hellfire Club

Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost made a great one-two punch in X-Men: First Class. That’s a positive and a negative. The MCU could recapture the magic with the next X-Men film. Or it might be too soon, and they should wait to introduce the Hellfire Club. That said, the MCU can’t introduce the full group. We’re talking an entire chess set of characters. White and black kings and queens and bishops and the like.

Still, the MCU could introduce one or two key members of the Hellfire Club in the first movie and wait to introduce the full roster in a future movie. If the MCU does that and waits to introduce Wolverine, Wolverine could be available in that future movie, and fans could see a big screen adaptation of one of the X-Men’s greatest fight sequences.

This early battle cemented Wolverine’s reputation as “The Best There Is At What I Do.”

Full disclosure: Jean Grey premieres as Dark Phoenix in the story arc that includes this combat sequence, and I don’t think the MCU should touch the Dark Phoenix Saga yet. But the MCU also doesn’t follow the comics beat for beat, so we could see the fight sequence accompany a different story.

If Kitty Pryde is the first movie’s conduit character, the Hellfire Club could make a lot of sense, too. An alternate Kitty (from Astonishing X-Men) strikes Wolverine’s pose before she takes on Emma Frost.

Juggernaut

Keep it simple. If the goal of the first movie is to introduce the X-Men, Juggernaut ties into Professor X’s past and he’s a classic villain. He also has more going on than most casual viewers know. But the reason why I say to keep it simple is that casual viewers know Juggernaut and the story doesn’t have to venture too far beyond the X-Mansion. Juggernaut has a knack of seeking out the X-Men.

Closing Thoughts

The next leg of the MCU is titled The Mutant Saga. A lot rides on the MCU’s first X-Men movie succeeding. And Marvel could do with a little going back to basics. That could mean the Original X-Men team or using the formula that’s worked in several previous X-Men projects. But those are my thoughts on the X-Men. Feel free to share yours in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Deadpool and the Future of the MCU

Published on August 31, 2024September 8, 2024 by Kyra2 Comments

Hey, hey! Kyra here. I’m still figuring out what kind of content a rebooted JK Geekly should include. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments. I’m also working my through older content, but we’ll run out of that soon enough. Lastly, I’m late with a reaction to Deadpool and Wolverine. Instead of writing a review (I’d rather not get back into traditional reviews), I’m doing more of a reaction and what I think of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future.

Deadpool 3 and Its Place in the MCU

I enjoyed Deadpool and Wolverine. Was it perfect? No. It dragged in parts and that’s something with which the MCU during the Multiverse Saga has struggled, but Deadpool and Wolverine did what a Deadpool movie was meant to do. It made fun of the MCU, particularly the maligned Multiverse Saga. Deadpool and Wolverine served as a good penultimate film for the Multiverse. The Multiverse isn’t yet finished but there aren’t that many movies/TV shows remaining before it wraps. So, I’m calling it a penultimate movie. Deadpool 3 also acted like a Monty Python’s “this is getting too silly” and signaled an abrupt turn that the MCU intends to make: the Mutant Saga.

Right. Before we get too much further, I’m going to try and avoid spoilers. But the nature of posts like this makes that impossible. Consider this a spoiler warning.

Wow! I took this long to say spoiler alert. I am rusty.

Not only was Deadpool and Wolverine the penultimate Multiverse Saga film, it also said farewell to the 20th Century Fox Era X-Men and the Fantastic Four (to a lesser extent). I’ll echo other critics and express concern about Disney/Marvel relying on nostalgia to make a quick buck. I dislike the idea of the MCU using nostalgia as much as it has lately. Disney has worn out their nostalgia button. Did anyone ask for live-action versions of every Disney animated classic?

It’s true that Spider-Man: No Way Home tapped into nostalgia big time, but not necessarily in a bad way. With its proximity to the latest Spider-Man film, one could view Deadpool and Wolverine as nostalgia porn. But Deadpool and Wolverine hits different.

Legally, Disney/Marvel cannot cast their own X-Men actors until 2025. Most of the X-Men, including Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) are under contract to play these characters until the end of 2024. It makes sense for Disney/Marvel to say “Bye, Bye, Bye” to these actors before the end of their contracts.

That said, I hope Disney/Marvel does something new with these characters. They had best cast their own actors for these roles after these contracts expire. I’d also like to see the MCU cover different X-Men stories. The world doesn’t need three Dark Phoenix Sagas in two decades. I’d love it if Disney/Marvel puts that storyline to rest for a good decade or more and concentrate on other great X-Men stories. It’s not like the X-Men have decades of great stories.

We’ll get into some of these potential storylines with the Wolverine montage. Oops! We’re heading into definite spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine. Anyone who hasn’t yet watched the movie should turn away for the next section. You can pick back up in the MCU’s future section.

Wolverine Montage

The Wolverine montage at the beginning of Deadpool and Wolverine was not only fun but showcased the various worlds in which Wolverine/Logan existed. Most of the scenes depicted during this montage could make for a good movie or movie series. Let’s cover each one as quickly as possible and in the order in which they first appeared.

Short Wolvie
This is the 5′ 3″ Hugh Jackman Wolverine. There isn’t much to say except this Wolverine is the most accurate to the comics, and he was the most eager of the bunch to join Deadpool. Too bad Deadpool went in a different direction.

Brown And Tan Wolvie
Deadpool references John Byrne (X-Men artist during the late 70s and early 80s) and Wolverine’s classic brown and tan outfit that Byrne designed. The scene they chose for this one comes from Incredible Hulk #340 (drawn by Seth MacFarlane) where Wolverine and the Hulk throw down. There have been plenty of instances of this happening. In fact, Wolverine was first introduced in an Incredible Hulk comic (#180 in a cameo and #181 in full), where the two fought each other. This may not be the only time the MCU will depict this fight.

One-Handed Wolvie
The one-handed Wolverine in the dilapidated city comes from Age of Apocalypse. I don’t think the MCU will dive headfirst into this storyline but if they did choose to cover it, I’d like to see Marvel characters not mentioned in this world. The original Age of Apocalypse run mostly affected the X-Men. Other characters were mentioned and a few made appearances, but it could be fun watching alternate versions of The Avengers. But we’ve had enough of the Multiverse and this could be more of the same.

In case you’re wondering, this reality’s Cyclops severed Wolverine’s missing hand.

Old Man Logan
The Wolverine who looks like he’s cosplaying as Joe from the Dollars Trilogy comes from the Old Man Logan storyline. This is another post-apocalyptic story, and I doubt the MCU will go in this direction.

Oddly enough, Deadpool and Wolverine borrows a major set piece from Old Man Logan. Giant Man’s skeletal remains–the ones in which Cassandra Nova has established a lair–makes an appearance in this comic book story. And technically, we’ve already seen a variation of the Old Man Logan story in the movie Logan.

Crucified Wolvie
The Uncanny X-Men #251’s famous comic book cover features Wolverine on an X-shaped crucifix. I don’t think the MCU will go in this direction, because the Siege Perilous (a crystal that opens doors to other dimensions) features heavily. The MCU won’t want to go back into the Multiverse too soon. However, this Siege Perilous could be one of the many ways the MCU could “fix” the Multiverse and catapult the MCU into the Mutant Saga.

I won’t go into too much detail because there’s a lot going on, but the people who placed Wolverine on the crucifix were the Reavers. The Reavers were the main antagonists in the movie Logan. Reavers have cybernetic implants but in this universe, most Reavers have them because Wolverine cut off their biological limbs. The Reavers hate all mutants, but especially Wolverine, which is why they placed Wolvie on a crucifix.

Patch
This one could easily happen, and there are two prominent storylines with Patch Wolverine. The above with Hulk’s alternate identity Joe Fixit pits Patch Wolverine as a casino bouncer. This could happen, but it might be a bit silly and would most likely be a cameo like we saw during Deadpool and Wolverine. If Patch Wolverine made an extended appearance in the MCU, the story they’d most likely use would come from the 2022 Patch Wolverine mini series.

This Patch is an alternate Wolverine who hides his mutant identity. He has a knack for gambling and espionage. He even teams up with Nick Fury; two patches for the price of one. This could be another way the MCU could bridge the current timeline with a mutant heavy one. They’d have to change a lot of the story, but that wouldn’t be the first time the MCU did so. Age of Ultron didn’t resemble its comic book counterpart.

The Cavillrine
One might think, this is just Henry Cavill as Wolverine, and one would be correct. It is just Henry Cavill as Wolverine, but let’s add a little context. Cavill portrayed Superman in the DC Extended Universe and Geralt in the Witcher Netflix series. Many comic fans love him. Cavill is the leading fan-casting for the next Wolverine, and many ardent fans of this casting insist that Cavill IS the Wolverine of Earth-199999, also known as Earth-616, which is the world in which the MCU takes place. Who knows? These fans could be right. Deadpool and Wolverine could’ve introduced the next actor to portray Wolverine.

The MCU’s Future

We’ve discussed some of the directions in which the X-Men could go or more specifically Wolverine. The above Wolverine Montage by no means covers all stories for Marvel’s mutants, but it’s a good start.

I’ll reiterate, wherever Disney/Marvel goes with these characters, I hope they go in a direction not yet explored. And they should cast their own actors in these roles. Channing Tatum as Gambit is fine; he never had the chance to portray Gambit in a full-length feature before his cameo, and he’s meme gold. Wesley Snipes as Blade might be fun, but he can’t play the character until he’s 90. Can he?

The next thing the MCU should do is contract the number of shows and movies they release; they’re already doing this to some extent, so that’s good. Additionally, they should reduce the number of characters in their active slate of characters. What do I mean? The Infinity Saga focused on the core six Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. It added a few here and there over time like Falcon, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, and Vision, but the core six were in most–if not all– the team-up films, and prominent members Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor received a trilogy of films in a short timeframe. Go back to that.

It’s difficult to grow attached to a character when you haven’t seen said character in half a decade. I’m looking at you, Shang-Chi (his first movie released in 2021 and 2026 may be the soonest he’ll get a follow-up–the soonest is 2026, yikes!). There have been issues outside the MCU’s control. The pandemic didn’t help. I still get choked up over Chadwick Bosman’s passing. Jonathan (Kang) Majors’ domestic assault and harassment case derailed the Multiverse’s story. And navigating the Spider-Man license and other licenses haven’t been easy.

A lot has happened outside Disney/Marvel’s control, but the MCU hasn’t helped itself by making some questionable choices. It concerns me that the two highest grossing films during the Multiverse Saga are the two (Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool and Wolverine) that lean heavily on nostalgia. It’s too easy to learn the wrong lesson.

Those two movies succeeded because one didn’t need to do as much homework (watching a gagillion hours of content before watching the movies) and both films were the third part of movie trilogies that took five years (for Spider-Man) and eight years (for Deadpool) to complete. These two factors may have done more for these movies’ success than nostalgia alone. But hey, hit the nostalgia button.

Okay. I’m done ranting about Disney’s overuse of nostalgia. For now. Let’s discuss some other developments, beginning with everyone’s favorite Marvel character trapped in license hell.

Spider-Man and His Villains

There’s a tentative agreement between Sony and Disney/Marvel for Peter Parker Spider-Man . The Spider-Verse films may prevent Disney/Marvel from using Miles Morales. I haven’t read the terms of the contract as it pertains to Sony animation, but another series of talks may need to be had for Miles entering the MCU. I’d imagine that will come to fruition. Eventually. It’s going to take a fleet of Brink’s truck cash.

Spider-Man Noir will not appear in the MCU because Nicholas Cage will portray him in a live-action TV series. I’m okay with that. I’ll be watching the show after it drops on Amazon Prime. Any Spider-Man character who receives a Sony-led live-action movie or TV series is ineligible to be included in the MCU. That’s why we’ve seen a Venom trilogy (that includes characters like Carnage and Rhino), Morbius, Madame Web (with at least a half dozen other Spider-Man characters), and the upcoming Kraven films. Sony is playing keep away from Disney/Marvel.

I don’t blame Sony too much. Disney/Marvel has countless intellectual properties and makes several movies annually. Sony produces far fewer movies and their largest IP is Spider-Man. Spidey and Spidey related films account for over half of Sony’s major film releases each year. They’re forced to make Spider-Man content, even if that content isn’t the best. And with the exception of the Spider-Verse franchise, Sony Spidey content hasn’t been good.

The Incredible Hulk

But Spidey isn’t the only character who’s had licensing issues. Universal’s deal with the Hulk concluded this year (2024 if you happen to be reading this after the new year; happy new year btw). According to the previous deal, the Hulk could be in MCU films but only as a supporting character. Thor: Ragnarok touched on Planet Hulk themes (namely Gladiator Hulk), and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law laid the ground work for a potential full-fledged Planet Hulk movie (Hulk traveled the cosmos and found his son Skaar). I don’t know if we’ll ever see another movie with Hulk as the title character, but it’s a possibility. I wouldn’t mind at least one with Mark Ruffalo.

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom

Is this casting odd? Yes. But Downey Jr. as Doom could’ve been the plan from the beginning, but only as a cameo. The MCU could easily combine Earth-11029’s Doom (who mind swapped with Tony Stark) and the Doctor Doom from Secret Wars. The MCU was always headed toward Secret Wars, and toward the end of that story, Doom assumed the Beyonder’s powers and ruled Battleworld. The MCU probably intended an homage to the source material with a quick look at an alternate Doom (perhaps Downey), much like the alternate Reed Richards (John Krasinski) in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Kang was the original big bad for the MCU’s Secret Wars, but Majors’ legal troubles thrusted Doom to the forefront. Will it work? I’m unsure. We’ll have to wait and see. A Downey Doom would’ve worked better as a cameo or teaser for the next leg of the Fantastic Four’s story. But the MCU is trying to salvage what’s left of the Multiverse Saga. I guess it’s worth a shot, but this reeks of desperation and hitting the nostalgia button. Remember when RDJ was in Avengers movies? Here he is again. Wait. We haven’t had an Avengers movie without RDJ yet. He’s got to maintain his Avengers streak.

Fantastic Four and X-Men

The MCU is barreling toward the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. These two teams will feature heavily in the upcoming MCU. That’s a great thing and a bad thing. The MCU already has a bloated roster and now it’s adding two massive teams. These two teams could delay the third film of major MCU characters.

Going back to my point that the MCU should return to a tighter character roster, the three main Avengers during the Infinity Saga had a small window for their film trilogies. Cap’s original trilogy took five years in total. Iron Man’s also took five years. And Thor’s original trilogy took six years. Six years passed between Doctor Strange and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Strange continues to wait for the third movie in his trilogy. That’s way too long. There’s also the aforementioned Shang-Chi and his five year wait for a second film. And is Captain Marvel getting a third movie? Rewatching older films in a film series becomes part of an MCU movie’s homework.

What were talking about? Deadpool. Right.

Deadpool needed eight years to conclude its trilogy. That’s impressive considering that Fox was bought out between the second and third films. A tighter release window for movies in a series and a smaller cast of recurring characters are the lessons Disney/Marvel should take from Deadpool and Wolverine’s success. That and R rated films can rake in money. We’ll have to see which lessons the MCU takes to heart.

That’s all I have for now. Let me know your thoughts on what the MCU should do going forward. See you soon. Bye, bye, bye.

~ Kyra