Everything we know about the X-Men's future on screen now Dark Phoenix is done
Talks of the X-Men joining the MCU are heating up in the wake of the Fox-Disney merger. Now that the deal is complete, the recently-released Dark Phoenix marks the last hurrah of the superhero mutants we've grown to know over the past couple of decades. At least in this cinematic universe, anyway.
However, that doesn't mean this is the end for the franchise. In fact, with Phase 4 of the MCU fast approaching following the events of Avengers: Endgame, it looks like the X-Men could have a bright future ahead of them with the House of Mouse pulling the strings.
Not without a number of casualties along the way. A few Fox projects have been scrapped as a result of Disney's purchase, or at least stranded in development hell, including the anticipated Gambit movie. Since 2014, the Cajun character's remained stuck on a roller-coaster ride – not even Channing Tatum can pull this one out of limbo.
That's not to say Disney won’t eventually pick up the film, but in its recent slate of 60 films set for release over the next eight years, Gambit was no where to be seen. Sorry, chère, but this one doesn't look like it'll be happening any time soon.
It’s been a while since we've heard anything particularly encouraging about Drew Goddard's X-Force either, which was another film left with an uncertain future due to the merger. More recently, it was all but confirmed that the Deadpool 2 sequel/spin-off might be one of the biggest victims, when creator Rob Liefeld tweeted the following: "Pour one out for ol' X-Force. Victim of the merger."
Speaking of which, the Marvel insider who kickstarted this rumour, Daniel Richtman, also made claims that Silver Surfer, Kitty Pryde and Multiple Man were headed for the scrap heap too. These are all projects that could be retrieved somewhere down the line, of course – it’s just for now they're on the back burner while Disney figures out where to take its new collection of cape-wearers.
A likely outcome, according to Marvel boss Kevin Feige, is an Avengers/X-Men crossover, something which he describes as "inevitable". But he's warned fans not to hold their breath. "It’ll be a while," Feige told io9 when asked about bringing the X-Men into the MCU.
"It’s all just beginning and the five-year plan that we've been working on, we were working on before any of that was set. So really it's much more, for us, less about specifics of when and where [the X-Men will appear] right now and more just the comfort factor and how nice it is that they're home. That they're all back."
They might not be factored into their five-year plan, but at least we know it'll happen at all. If (or should we say when) it does, which characters will lead the charge in connecting the two worlds? Let’s look to Dark Phoenix for clues (watch out, though – things are about to get spoilery).
Come the end of the film, Magneto (Michael Fassbender) has gone back to Genosha, his mutant safe haven, and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) has retired. Therefore it's unlikely that either of them will pop up in the MCU as it's a fairly definitive end to their story.
Same goes for Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) as they're both killed off in Dark Phoenix. The final scene seems to wrap up the events of the film saga with a satisfying(-ish) conclusion.
If Disney does decide to go against all logic and bring these characters back to the big screen, it's unlikely they'll return in the exact same capacity. Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and Quicksilver (Evan Peters) are more obvious choices. And the cast members seem more than willing to play these characters again, if an MCU crossover should happen.
When asked if she thought this was the last time she'd play Storm, actress Alexandra Shipp told Digital Spy: "I don't think that it is. I think there will be a moment, that we will do a cameo at the least. I mean these characters are so cool, these movies are so poignant especially within the Marvel Comic Universe that I think it would be a shame."
Time will tell if we ever see a timeline where Storm joins the Avengers in the years to come. One thing we can expect with certainty is Chimichangas in the House of Mouse, as chairman Alan Horn has assured us that Deadpool will survive the jump to Disney – apparently with Ryan Reynolds still in his best-loved role.
It would make sense to continue the story of the genre's greatest joker, what with the first standalone film remaining the highest-grossing X-Men entry at the global box office, and 2018's Deadpool 2 coming in third just behind X-Men: Days of Future Past.
There are various ways he could make his Marvel debut, particularly now the Multiverse doors are wide open. It could be that he’s allowed to continue with a standalone threequel and beyond, or we might see Wade Wilson shoulder-to-shoulder with Black Panther, Spider-Man et al for a new set of adventures. Although if that were the case, he'd have to clean up his NSFW act somewhat if he wants to appeal to the younger audience members. (We can't see it, TBH.)
Merc with a Mouth aside, another theory regarding the X-Men/MCU crossover relates to the Scarlet Witch's upcoming Disney+ show WandaVision. This all kickstarted when the show’s star Elizabeth Olsen told Variety: "There’s quite a few other comic books we’re pulling from. It’s gonna be Wanda and Vision. I think at the Disney+ launch chat they showed a photo of us in the '50s, and I think that’s a good teaser. It’s gonna be really fun."
Focusing on the '50s backdrop detail, the idea suggests the show will take inspiration from the House of M comic-book storyline, with Wanda flipping the world on its head, ultimately leading to the X-Men and Avengers teaming up to restore reality back to normality.
Even Olsen herself expressed interest in taking this route, granted for a movie and not a TV show. "I would love to [do a standalone], and I would love it to be House of M, which is a comic book series of The Vision and Scarlet Witch having a make-believe family," Olsen told Metro.
As well as Fox's X-Men characters coming "home", as Feige put it, the Fantastic Four are back in the hands of the franchise too. The mutant quartet's entry into the MCU might happen sooner than we think, as a new rumour claims Feige is planning on refreshing the Invisible Woman, Mister Fantastic, the Thing and the Human Torch for a sequel in 2022, with Ant-Man and the Wasp's Peyton Reed top choice to direct.
The Fantastic Four films were disappointingly floppy, despite coming from solid source material – especially the 2015 reboot, which screenwriter Jeremy Slater even apologised for. Hopefully the Marvel bosses can work some of their magic on the fallen heroes and provide them with the cinematic portrayal they deserve.
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Yes, that includes Doctor Doom, a fan favourite supervillain who's received an underwhelming depiction so far. According to a source who spoke to We Got This Covered, looks like we’ll be getting a more faithful iteration of the sorcerer king of Latveria when he finally makes his MCU debut.
In short, there are a myriad of ways Disney can make use of the characters who were, up until this point, the property of Fox. As for an X-Men intro, although it is on the cards, they're not to be dealt for quite some time.
First Marvel bosses have to figure out how to deal with the messy timeline the franchise left behind – either they decide to untangle it, or they wipe the slate clean and find a new way to introduce the team of mutants without upsetting the existing fandom.
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