- Marvel boss Kevin Feige has outlined the future for the X-Men in the MCU
- Wolverine was the first member of the X-Men to appear in the MCU
- Feige has a long-term plan for the X-Men
The X-Men are some of the most iconic Marvel heroes, but have been conspicuous by their absence in the MCU so far – but Marvel boss Kevin Feige has plans to change this.
Why no X-Men in the MCU?
While there have been multiple X-Men films released over the past couple of decades, they were made by 20th Century Fox, rather than Marvel Studios and so are not part of the MCU. This also explains their absence from the MCU as Marvel didn’t have the rights to use them. This only changed in 2019 when Disney bought 20th Century Fox.
First appearances
But thus far, the X-Men have remained largely absent. The first to appear was Charles Xavier – played by Patrick Stewart – who appeared briefly in Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness in an alternate universe.
But the first X-Man to star in a film came earlier this year with Deadpool and Wolverine – which also brought the Merc with the Mouth into the MCU. Hugh Jackman reprised his role as Wolverine, and this has established the presence of the X-Men.
Upcoming films
But those wanting an X-Men film any time soon are going to be disappointed. Marvel is reigning back on how many films it is releasing every year, and the next three years are pretty much mapped out, with new Captain America, Avengers and Spider-Man films in production or on the slate, as well as the debut of The Fantastic Four.
Long-term plan
However, fans should not lose faith as Feige has a plan for the X-Men. In an appearance at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Feige opened up on some of the plans for the MCU, as reported by Deadline.
The X-Men will be gradually be brought into the MCU, he said. “I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players you might recognize.
“Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, [it’s] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.”
