Over the past several years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced a number of new characters and has hinted at the return of familiar properties. Such heroes who fall into the latter category are the X-Men, who fans have seemed eager to see back on the big screen again. Marvel Studios has been cagey when it comes to exact plans for the famous team. Now, studio head Kevin Feige is dropping hints as to when the characters might truly receive the spotlight in upcoming Marvel films.
Since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, there have been numerous references and cameos to the X-Men that have been sprinkled across major MCU entries. Deadpool & Wolverine is the most recent instance of such a production with connections to the mutants. Amid Disney’s D23 Brazil Expo, Kevin Feige spoke with Omelete (via ComicBook.com) during which shared some insight into some future productions. Of which, he talked briefly about the X-Men, and their future within the MCU. Feige was quoted saying:
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, heading into Secret Wars, we already know very well what the story is going to be up until then and after that. The X-Men are an important part of that future.
Since the MCU’s newest entries have been focusing more and more about the multiverse, fans have been theorizing that it could lead to some kind of reboot for the X-Men franchise. That would make a lot of sense, especially since the X-related characters we’ve seen thus far have hailed from alternate universes. It’d be great if Kevin Feige had dropped a few more specifics but, at the very least, it sounds like we could see more mutants appear in the lead-up to 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.
The inclusion of the X characters so far has been interesting, to say the least. For instance, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a Professor X variant appeared as a member of the Illuminati. The mid-credits scene of The Marvels also revealed the Beast and Binary, as Monica Rambeau found herself in an alternate dimension. And, as previously alluded to, the cameo-filled Deadpool & Wolverine featured the titular clawed mutant as well as X-23, Gambit and more.
Even though the beloved mutants have yet to play a massive role in the live-action realm, Marvel Studios has been giving them their time to shine in the realm of animation. The key way in which that’s happened has been through X-Men ’97 (which is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription). On top of that, Storm was just revealed to be appearing on the upcoming third season of What If…?
As Kevin Feige and co. continue to balance all the MCU releases coming down the pike, I’m confident that Charles Xavier and his band of heroes will take center stage sooner rather than later. Being patient is hard but, hopefully, it’ll all be well worth the wait.
What you can look forward to film-wise in the immediate future is the release of Captain America: Brave New World, which opens in theaters on February 14 as part of the 2025 movie schedule.