A new X-Men update makes anAvengers: Secret Warstheory more likely to happen, and it would be great for theMarvel Cinematic Universe. TheFox X-Men moviesmight not have always been the best, but they helped usher in the modern age of superhero films.The MCU did not have access to some of its biggest characterswhen the franchise was just starting, but even without heroes like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, manysuccessful MCU moviescame to be. Now, the franchise is entering a new era, with all of its biggest characters finally available.
2024 was a special year for the MCU. Marvel Studios released a single movie, which happened to beDeadpool & Wolverine, the MCU’s first movie starring characters who came fromDisney’s deal to acquire 20th Century Fox.Deadpool & Wolverinehas become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, with over $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office. The film’s success shows howfuture MCU moviesstarring X-Men characters are brimming with potential. TheMCU’s X-Men movieis already in development, but before the project comes to life, the mutant team will likely play a role in the Multiverse Saga.
Kevin Feige Revealed New MCU X-Men Details
Avengers: Secret Wars Marks A Turning Point For The Franchise
The X-Men’s possible role in the final movies of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga has always been a topic of interest, and it recently got a new chapter. Marvel Studios PresidentKevin Feige shared an update on the X-Men’s MCU arrival. According to Feige, someX-Men players that fans might recognize will show up in the next few moviesof the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, with 2027’sAvengers: Secret Warsserving as a major shift for the franchise. The film is meant to put an end to the Multiverse Saga, and it seems like the mutants will come from that.
20 Best Characters In Every X-Men Movie Franchise Ranked
The X-Men movies have had their ups and downs, but the live-action Marvel franchise delivered many exciting versions of beloved mutants from the comic
While Feige did say that X-Men characters are to be expected in the next few MCU movies, which could mean players like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, a reboot of the mutants will seemingly be set up by the sixth Avengers film.According to Feige, “The whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men.“Feige also said that it is a dream come true for Marvel Studios to finally have the X-Men back home and be able to develop MCU stories with the team, which have started already.
Multiple X-Men Characters Have Already Appeared In The MCU
Marvel Studios Is Slowly Introducing X-Men Characters
The X-Men reboot might only happen afterAvengers: Secret Wars, but Marvel Studios has been using the concept ofthe multiverse as the perfect way to bring back fan-favorite stars from Fox’s X-Men moviesas their characters in the MCU. Marvel has even used a fakeout when it comes to Fox’s X-Men, as Evan Peters' version of Quicksilver was thought to be the first major multiverse character to pop up in the MCU. However,WandaVisionrevealed it was all a ruse conjured by Agatha Harkness, and Peters played Ralph Bohner, who has no relation to Quicksilver.
Aside from that instance, some fan-favorite Fox X-Men actors came back as either multiverse variants of their Marvel heroes or as the same versions that they previously played. After being one of the main faces of the X-Men franchise in live-action,Patrick Stewart played a variant of Charles Xavier inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That was followed by Kelsey Grammer appearing as a Beast variant inThe Marvelsand all ofDeadpool & Wolverine’s X-Men appearances. The movie had the core cast of mutants from the Deadpool films return, though most played a minimal role.
Channing Tatum also finally got to debut as Gambit after having been cast by Fox back in 2014 but never seeing his movie get made.
Characters like Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, Hugh Jackman’s new Wolverine variant, and Dafne Keen’s returning X-23 were the Fox X-Men players that really got a chance to shine in their MCU debuts, as they played major roles inDeadpool & Wolverine. Channing Tatum also finally got to debut as Gambit after having been cast by Fox back in 2014 but never seeing his movie get made.The MCU multiverse will also get its own version of Storm in 2025, as the character will wield Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, inWhat If…?season 3. Many X-Men characters play varied roles in the MCU.
MCU Theory: The Fox X-Men Return In Avengers: Secret Wars
The MCU’s X-Men Update Makes The Theory More Likely
Based on how Feige teased that more familiar X-Men players will pop up in the MCU beforeAvengers: Secret Wars' storyleads to the X-Men reboot, the theory that the mutant team will show up in a huge way to end the Multiverse Saga has now become stronger.Avengers: Secret Warsshould be all about incursions — universes colliding — just like the comic book event the movie is based on was. As such,The Marvelsseems to have set up the perfect way for Fox’s X-Men to get a send-offbefore the MCU reboots the mutants and recasts the characters.
The New Mutants (2020)
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
One ofThe Marvels' post-credits scenes featured Kelsey Grammer as a variant of Hank McCoy, aka Beast. More than that, the scene revealed that Monica Rambeau finds herself trapped in a universe where the X-Men are active. Based on Feige’s X-Men update andThe Marvels' post-credits scene, the MCU theory thatAvengers: Secret Warswill feature variants of Fox’s X-Men through the universe Beast is frommakes a lot of sense. The theory also suggests that this new X-Men universe will collide with the MCU’s Earth-616, leading to a live-action version of Avengers vs. X-Men, which also connects to rumors.
How The MCU’s Next Saga Can Be All About The X-Men
The Mutant Saga Has A Nice Ring To It
Kevin Feige said that,afterAvengers: Secret Wars, “a new age of mutants and of the X-Men” will come to the MCU. Based on the characters' popularity and how fans want to see their favorite mutants join the action and interact with characters like Spider-Man and Captain America, it makes sense that Marvel Studios is ready to fully jump into the mutant side of the franchise after the Multiverse Saga is done. The first two X-Men-related projects created by Marvel Studios, the animated seriesX-Men ‘97and the R-ratedDeadpool & Wolverine, show that the mutants are in good hands.
X-Men ‘97allowed Marvel to use many of the most popular X-Men characters and make them as compelling as the comics, spreading the focus around instead of only Wolverine shining. WithDeadpool & Wolverineshowing the live-action potential of the mutants in the MCUand so many X-Men heroes and villains now being available to Marvel, it makes sense that the characters need a whole saga dedicated to their arrival in the MCU. The Krakoan Age of X-Men comics could also inspire the MCU, adding expansive lore to the MCU’s X-Men afterAvengers: Secret Warspossibly sends off Fox’s X-Men.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Cast
Avengers: Secret Wars is an anticipated installment in Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, serving as the finale of The Multiverse Saga. Scheduled for release in December 2027, the film’s plot remains under wraps, fueling curiosity about its role in the expansive Marvel narrative.
