Spoilers for Marvel content, in general.
The X-Men
In 2019, Disney purchased Fox media for a whopping $71.3 billion. While this acquisition of 20th Century Fox brought with it a host of goodies, comic book fans worldwide were quick to point out that the purchase meant the reacquiring of the film rights to a couple of Marvel franchises that had previously been sold to Fox in 1993. One of these said franchises is none other than The X-Men.
The X-Men and the MCU
Highly regarded as one of Marvel’s biggest IPs between the 1980s and 1990s, it would appear that having the franchise return home to where it truly belongs at Marvel Studios would be a good thing considering the monumental success the studio has enjoyed over the last decade. Moreover, this would mean that it would simply be a matter of time until we, the fans, will have the privilege of seeing our beloved mutant heroes standing shoulder to shoulder among other superheroes as they battle the forces of evil in the MCU. However, as appealing as the idea would be to see a slow-motion tableau vivant of the X-Men and current MCU heroes united on the silver screen, there is still a worry that the addition of the uncanny mutants might serve to complicate the storytelling aspect of the current MCU.
ALSO READ: Ghost Rider: Why We Need A Reboot ASAP
Why the MCU should not include The X-Men
The reason for this hesitancy boils down to the logistics of scale. Unlike the probable and somewhat straightforward inclusion of The Fantastic Four into the MCU later down the line, the assimilation of The X-Men into the current cinematic universe would create a messy amalgamation for the characters as the mutant world is simply much too big. The members of the core X-Men team itself consist of 250 individuals, and when you factor in the other offshoot teams and villains in the mutant world, it could very well number into the 1000s. This would be grounds for severe bloat in terms of content should the mutant universe merge with that of the current MCU one, and this could result in terrible ramifications down the line should the studio decide to fully integrate the X-Men into its pre-established universe.
That being said, as of the time of writing, the only character from the X-Men universe confirmed to be in the current MCU is Deadpool. While we are hopeful that the Merc With A Mouth’s inclusion into the universe should be a smooth transition, it could possibly serve as a canary in a coal mine sort of situation for the studio, allowing them to properly assess the best possible method of recruiting our favorite mutants to the MCU franchise or foregoing the idea altogether.
Only time will tell.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Want more Marvel content? Check out our other related articles, or pick up one of our expertly crafted Marvel Comics pewter figurines now.