Marvel confirmed at Comic-Con 2019 the mutants are coming to the MCU, but it never revealed any X-Men movie titles. We do have at least a new mutant in the MCU, and two others are coming in Deadpool 3. But if rumors are accurate, more of Fox’s beloved X-Men will appear in multiple MCU projects, including Deadpool 3 and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Before examining these claims, you should know that MCU spoilers will follow below.
The mutants in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga so far
The reason Marvel struggles with introducing the X-Men has to do with the MCU history. Kevin Feige & Co. could not use any mutants in the Infinity Saga, as Fox controlled the rights for those characters. Fox also had the Deadpool and Fantastic Four rights. Once Disney purchased Fox, all those beloved characters returned home.
But Marvel has to align the overall MCU story in such a way that the X-Men’s arrival makes sense. Thankfully, the multiverse provides an easy way to bring mutants to the MCU. That’s why the Deadpool 3 and Secret Wars rumors detailing Fox X-Men cameos make sense.
Deadpool 3 will bring two Fox mutants to the MCU. One is Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), of course. The other is Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). The former will stay in the MCU, and we expect the Merc with a Mouth to fight Kang in Secret Wars. So, technically, the rumor is already true. Even if it’s just Deadpool, it’s a Fox X-Men member who will surely appear in Deadpool 3 and Secret Wars.
Wolverine might also show up in Secret Wars, and that’s where things get interesting. Multiple other mutants might show up to join the Avengers and face Kang (Jonathan Majors).
Also, remember that Marvel is also growing its own mutants. The first such reveal dropped at the end of Ms. Marvel. Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) is a mutant, although the MCU doesn’t have the X-Men designator for these superpowered beings.
Finally, we also had Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in the MCU via Multiverse of Madness. But the character hailed from a different reality and died in Doctor Strange 2.
What X-Men will appear in Deadpool 3 and Secret Wars?
Deadpool 3 premieres on November 8th, 2024, with Secret Wars hitting theaters some 18 months later, on May 1st, 2026. That gives us plenty of time to see which X-Men will appear in these movies.
We saw rumors that some of Fox’s X-Men and Fantastic Four will appear in Deadpool 3. Separately, reports said that Marvel wants to give the Fox X-Men a proper send-off before introducing new variants. Secret Wars might be that send-off.
But don’t expect any of the Fox actors to confirm any rumors. James McAvoy is one such Secret Wars cameo example. The young Professor X said recently he wouldn’t reveal his involvement in the MCU.
This brings us to Grace Randolph’s latest YouTube clip, where she answered questions from viewers, including the MCU’s X-Men. She said she doesn’t know whether Ana Paquin will return to the movie as Rogue. But she added that “a lot of Fox X-Men will be coming back not only in Deadpool 3, but in Secret Wars.”
Randolph didn’t drop any character names, and we can only speculate. But with Kang being such a massive threat to the multiverse, the Avengers will likely need all the help they can get. Even villains like Thanos and Magneto.
