Ever since the Disney-Fox deal was finalized, and Marvel gained control over several popular superhero franchises, including the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool, fans have been wondering how long it would take for these characters to make their way over to the MCU.
Marvel’s Kevin Feige has confirmed that the studio is already working on projects involving these characters, but he hasn’t gone as far as to commit to a release schedule. But a brand new report says that Marvel is considering a radical change for the X-Men that will populate the MCU going forward.
An exciting rumor not too long ago said that Marvel has an exciting Avengers 4 sequel in mind involving the X-Men, an Avengers vs. X-Men crossover that would drop after the X-Men are introduced. Here’s a quote from the We Got This Covered report from mid-August that explains how it might all go down:
From what we understand, the X-Men need to be introduced into the MCU first and the studio also wants to form the New Avengers team (Black Panther, Spider-Man, Blade, Shang-Chi, Jane Foster’s Thor, Scarlet Witch, etc.) before they arrive at a full-blown crossover movie like Avengers vs. X-Men. We’ve been told that there’ll be some minor crossovers ahead of the film though and that various post-credits scenes will plant the seeds for when the two teams finally meet.
That means this new Avengers sequel would not arrive anytime soon. The MCU Phase 4 projects have already been announced, and they include no X-Men or Avengers titles. The X-Men could be introduced in Phase 5 or 6, which means we won’t see them in new movies until 2022 at the earliest.
This brings us to Full Circle Cinema’s scoop that says Marvel is considering having people of color portraying both Magneto and Professor X in the MCU.
That would certainly be a great move from a studio that’s looking to expand its character diversity and inclusivity. Marvel could also employ this strategy to differentiate its X-Men productions from all the X-Men movies that Fox made before being purchased by Disney.
Not to mention that Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr do not have to be white men (or men) for that matter, in the MCU. Yes, it would be harder to adapt Magneto’s origin story than Xavier’s, as the former was born to a Jewish family in the 1920s. The events in his early life are what turned Erik into Magneto, and that can’t and shouldn’t change. But it won’t be impossible for Marvel to make adjustments.
The report also notes that by the time the X-Men are introduced in the MCU, Magneto would be a 100-year-old man, so it’ll definitely be interesting to see how Marvel deals with that problem as well.
The next Marvel movie to hit theaters is Black Widow, which premieres on May 1st, 2020.
