What’s taking so long? Disney completed its acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox in 2019, yet more than four years later, it appears like fans are no closer to seeing the X-Men in the MCU.
The best the public has seen so far is Namor outright referring to himself as a mutant in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and a surprising revelation that the titular hero possesses a mutation in Ms. Marvel’s conclusion.
Of course, there’s the impending Deadpool 3, which stars both Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’ merc with a mouth. Yet, it appears like the focus of that adventure was more on those old Fox characters than it was on introducing the X-Men to the larger MCU.
Also, Read Ant-Man 3: Marvel Cut Gay Content to Prevent Ban
X-Men Delay by Marvel in a Strategic Manner
Vice’s Docuseries Icons producer Brian Volk-Weiss Marvel spoke exclusively with Russ Milheim of The Direct about why he believes the MCU is delaying the introduction of mutants to its universe.
When asked if he thought Marvel Studios’ decision to take its time with the X-Men was a wise one, Volk-Weiss responded that he thought “it’s incredibly clever” and that this is because everyone there “thinks [s] in five-year blocks:”
“I believe it’s very clever, and I know the rationale; perhaps that’s why I think it’s clever. They cannot wake up one morning and say, “Hey, [Disney CEO] Bob Iger just contacted me,” because they think in five-year increments. X-Men are now ours. Let’s start production of it.”
He went on to say that they “had to sow the seeds of creativity in the movies that are coming:”
“They must follow a method. In the upcoming movies, they need to sow the seeds of creativity, which they are already doing, and then execute it well. They require the appropriate cast, the appropriate director, and the appropriate script. Nothing about that occurs rapidly.
Disney CEO Bob Iger expressly mentioned these five-year blocks when he previously spoke at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference:
“There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the Marvel brand… I believe the only thing we need to do is consider the storylines and characters we are using. There will be a lot of newnesses if you look at Marvel’s trajectory over the next five years. For instance, we’re going to revisit the Avengers series with a brand-new team of Avengers.
Icons Vice broadcasts Unearthed: Marvel every Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. EST.
Is It a Good Idea How the MCU Handles the X-Men?
Holding off on the X-Men is almost likely a wise decision in the long term. There is hardly enough room on the future schedule to accommodate all the characters and plots that the MCU is now working with.
It’s obvious that even Marvel Studios is having difficulties keeping up with themselves with all the recent delays. It’s difficult to envision how the X-Men might possibly fit in.
Avengers: Secret Wars may serve as something of a reset for Marvel Studios, similar to how the 2015 event did so for the comics. It would be the simplest approach to include mutants in the larger MCU and provide the chance to recast or reposition other significant characters, such as Steve Rogers or Iron Man.
The next time spectators will see mutants in full force will be in Deadpool 3 till then. It’s possible that there will be more than what viewers anticipate given the speculations that the movie is a Multiversal adventure.
While Secret Wars is officially scheduled for May 1, 2026, Deadpool 3 will hit theaters on November 8, 2024.
Also, Read Actor from Tobey Maguire’s Sandman confirms talks to return in a future Marvel film