Among the seemingly endless amount of fan theories that were inspired by WandaVision, one predicted the show would set up the X-Men and the introduction of the mutant race into the MCU. As many fans know, Wanda Maximoff’s comic book origins are as a mutant and, in fact, the daughter of Magneto. This was changed in Avengers: Age of Ultron due to rights issues, but with Marvel now holding the rights to the X-Men once again, there was the possibility of some retconning to bring mutants into the fold. As with most of the fan theories, this didn’t pan out much to the disappointment of many fans. But while the excitement over the X-Men coming into the MCU is understandable, now is not the right time for their debut.
It’s easy to forget that the superhero movie craze was largely started by the Fox X-Men movies with the franchise starting in 2000. Since then, the universe continued to grow with sequels, spin-offs, and prequels before it ends with a whimper with Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants as the lackluster final entries before Disney took over the rights. With the massive popularity of these characters, the X-Men’s eventual debut in the MCU is a forgone conclusion and just a matter of time. Marvel secured the rights to the Fantastic Four in that same Disney-Fox merger deal and they are already at work on bringing that franchise into their shared universe. Fans likely expect the same speedy development, but Marvel would be wise to wait. The endless possibilities of what the X-Men can bring to the MCU is enticing, but it is also daunting. The MCU is already so large and ever-growing. Does it really seem wise to introduce a whole other universe right now?
With WandaVision over and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier beginning, Phase 4 of the MCU is out of the gates. If all goes according to plan, its first movie, Black Widow will be debuting this May after a year-long delay. And that is only scratching the surface of what Phase 4 has to offer. Along with returning heroes like Thor and Doctor Strange continuing their own solo franchises, there are so many new characters and worlds about to be explored.
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, the MCU looks to be setting up a roster of new heroes to replace the old originals in projects like Hawkeye and She-Hulk. Exciting new heroes like Shang-Chi and Moon Knight are ready to make their debuts. Most significantly, Chloé Zhao’s Eternals will introduce a hidden race of ancient beings that could change the whole perspective of the MCU.
In other words, there is simply no room for mutants right now. Introducing the X-Men kick starts a massive storyline with a complex history and endless new characters that will overload the already crowded MCU. As fun as it is to see this world grow, it’s also important to let the characters that already exist within the universe grow before being overshadowed by new characters being introduced. Iron Man and Captain America were able to become icons because Phase 1 of the MCU was a smaller scale story where they could step into the spotlight. There is simply not enough spotlight to go around right now.
It is not just a problem of fitting the X-Men into the crowded field. The MCU as it exists right now is not a place where the X-Men makes sense. Throughout their history in the comics, one of the defining aspects of the X-Men and Marvel’s mutant community is that they are outsiders. When these people with strange abilities and appearances began emerging in the world, they were met with fear, hostility, and hate.
Many connections have been made between the Marvel mutants and the gay community or other oppressed people. It is the central conflict of these characters. It is essential to making the X-Men work and it wouldn’t work in the MCU right now. If mutants suddenly existed in the MCU as it is now, what would be special about that? In a world where aliens invade on a regular basis, half of the universe was wiped out for five years, and literal gods exist, people who can freeze things and walk through walls wouldn’t stand out all that much. It would certainly be noteworthy, but when children are taking selfies with the Hulk, it’s not likely that mutants would be made these outcasts from society.
That’s not to say some mutant characters can’t gradually be weaved into the universe. Deadpool 3 is already confirmed and he remains a character who doesn’t have to play by any of the rules. Given his penchant for breaking the fourth wall and commenting on the superhero genre in general, Deadpool can jump from the Fox universe to the MCU and be a mutant when they don’t yet exist and it doesn’t really matter. Likewise, Wolverine, likely the most popular X-Men of them all, has a long backstory that suggests he is already out there in the MCU and just hasn’t been discovered yet. Bringing these characters in can help plant the seeds without things getting too carried away.
In order for the X-Men to make sense in the MCU, the timing must be right. With the upcoming multiverse storyline and the secrets that Eternals will no doubt reveal, the wait might not be long. But with no need to rush things along, the MCU should wait until the story is right and the playing field is emptied a little before they bring out these big guns.
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