Ever since rumors started to spread about the acquisition of FOX by Disney, one major question has been in the minds of comic fans. How will Marvel Studios introduce the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the MCU? The Fantastic Four are easier. Their origin is easy to adapt to the MCU. The X-Men are more difficult. Introducing the X-Men also means introducing mutants, an entire population of super-powered people, into the an already established universe. Marvel Studios has to figure out a way to explain how these other super-powered people have been around without anyone noticing. These are my ideas regarding how this should be done.
With recent events in the MCU, it is possible that they are going to merge the existing cinematic universes. While this may seem like the easiest path to take, I do not want to see that happen. While I love a few of the FOX movies, the rest have been uneven at best and have little sense of the word continuity. When Marvel Studios brings these characters into the MCU, it will be for the best to start fresh. Throw out the previous movies and ignore the stories that were told. The characters should be recast as well. Let me be clear, I liked the casting for the movies. But in order to start fresh, the best thing to do is start from scratch. With a full reboot, Marvel Studio’s can build the stories properly so when we get to Jean falling to the power of the Phoenix or Angel joining Apocalypse, the stories can have an actual emotional punch. The sole exception to the reboot should be Deadpool, which I will get into later.
I would introduce the X-Men to the MCU similar to how they were introduced in the comics. This will also help explain why people were unaware of the mutants. The mutant population is low, allowing Professor Xavier to work without much notice. His school is known to the public as a private educational institution aimed at teaching gifted individuals. In order to keep their existence a secret, he established a working relationship with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.. Fury saw Mutants as a possible piece of his Avengers Initiative. He also knew that people would have a hard time accepting mutants. It is easier for people to understand and accept individuals whose powers and abilities come from a specific source like armor or scientific experiments. People gaining powers due to some random fluke would be less accepted. The randomness would lead to mistrust and fear. Fury would help by burying reports. Xavier would then follow up by mind wiping anyone that was starting to put the pieces together.
That would be the background for mutants in the MCU. As far as introducing the team and other mutants, I would introduce the X-Men in a movie and some future team members in Disney+ shows.
Due to the events in the MCU, super humans have become common knowledge. They could no longer explain away super humans as the ramblings of a nut job. Mutants are appearing more frequently and reports are starting to be posted online. They also no longer have the protection of S.H.I.E.L.D.. While S.H.I.E.L.D. is back in the MCU, it is clear they do not have the same resources. The real Fury is in space and Talos is focused on other concerns. Without the organizations backing, Xavier becomes more proactive and starts searching for more mutants. I want this movie to focus on mutants as being new. I also want the villain to be something besides another super powered threat. No Magneto, Brotherhood, Hellfire Club or Apocalypse. The villain for this first movie will exemplify the fear and hatred that the X-Men have dealt with.
X-Men 1
At the start of the movie, I the team consists of the classic five. Cyclops, Angel, Ice Man, Marvel Girl and Beast.
A beach party in Australia is consumed by a fireball consuming dozens of teens. When emergency services show up, there is one survivor left. He is unscathed, but frantic. Seeing the police he panics and the remaining embers erupt into giant gouts of flame, hitting the police. In the chaos he runs. By now, news of this incident has hit the web. The survivor is identified as St. John Allerdyce. Video that was streamed of the party just before disaster struck showed John involved in an argument with some of the other party goers. Suddenly the bonfire that was at the party expands, engulfing everyone present. News outlets speculate that John is a mutant. A group, calling themselves the Purifiers, uses the incident to spread hate and fear and vows to exterminate the genetrash.
Xavier sends the X-Men to track down John and bring him in peacefully. They arrive at the site of a motel where John was staying. The place is a smoking ruin and surrounded by police. Marvel Girl uses her powers to trick the police into letting them investigate. There is no sign of John, but there are plenty of other remains. Including several corpses in what looks like burnt military gear. As they are leaving, Cyclops notices hunks of crushed metal that used to be guns. When he comments on the heat that would be required to deform metal that completely, Beast tells him that based on the shapes, it looks likes someone crushed the guns into little balls and then lit them on fire to try and hide what happened.
The X-Men leave the scene and contact Xavier. While he tries to hide it, Marvel Girl and Cyclops immediately notice how concerned he looks at the mention of crushed metal. They try to ask him about it, but Xavier quickly cuts them off. He has received reports of a mutant that is exhibiting fire based powers in Hawaii. The X-Men board their plane and head there immediately. They arrive in time to see a young Japanese man shooting blasts of plasma at a group of people in body armor and advanced weapons. The armor has the symbol of the Purifiers. The young man is obviously not John, and has a great deal of control over his abilities. With the arrival of the X-Men, they are able to work together to drive off the Purifiers. The young man, Shiro Yoshida, introduces himself as a college student on vacation in Hawaii. His powers first manifested a few years ago and he was able to train in secret. He is condescending, but agrees to go with the X-Men for the time being.
The team is sent to a few more sites of reported attacks, but each time they are too late. The mutants they were coming to help are dead and the symbol of the Purifiers is left at the scene. Cyclops receives a text from his brother, Alex, saying he’s running late but will be at the bar with Lorna shortly. Cyclops doesn’t know what his brother is talking about and tries to call without any success. Beast is able to track the location of Alex’s phone. They divert there immediately.
Meanwhile, the Purifiers are preparing to attack. They are armed with weapons and armor from the former anti-Inhuman group the Watchdogs as well as equipment they were able to get from the black market. This includes S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra and Chitauri weapons. The leader discuses obtaining information connecting Alex Summers with the group that has been tailing them. They plan to kill Alex in order to send a message. They leave their hide-out in a veritable caravan.
Alex and Lorna arrive at the bar just as a rocket hits. The car is destroyed but Lorna had seen the attack coming and put up a shield. The two of them use their powers to try and fight off the Purifiers but are being worn down by sheer numbers. The X-Men arrive and a massive battle ensues. Eventually, the Purifiers are beaten but not without the X-Men getting bloodied.
The X-Men, with Shiro, Alex and Lorna, return to the school. Xavier congratulates them, but is concerned that having such a major confrontation, will lead to further strife and violence.
The first post credit scene starts with a close up of a news broadcast. Footage of the final battle is shown. The pundits comment on how easily the mutants dispatched a heavily armed militia and what the presence of a group of mutants that have obviously received training means. The camera pans back and we see a well dressed man sitting behind a desk. The nameplate of Senator Robert Kelly is visible. Senator Kelly addresses General Ross, asking what they and their team are planning to do about these “X-Men”.
The second post credit scene shows what happened at the motel in Australia before the X-Men arrived. The Purifiers tracked John to where he was hiding. John retaliates, leading to the massive damage that was seen earlier. The Purifiers get the best of him though, shooting him with concussion blasts. As John lays on the ground, watching the Purifiers close in, we hear a man with an eastern European accent comment about “Lesser being always fearing what is superior”. As the remaining Purifiers turn towards the new threat all of their guns are crushed by an unseen force and they are lifted from the ground and thrown hundreds of feet in the air. Magneto appears and helps John. As they float away the Purifier bodies start hitting the ground. Magneto welcomes John into the Brotherhood. He then makes call. “ We have another one for our cause. Xavier means well but doesn’t have the stomach for what is needed. I knew when I sent you to Alex, he would fall for you and eventually you’d be close to Xavier. Maintain your cover until the time is right.” The scene then cuts to Polaris hanging up and looking ashamed.
That sets the stage for the X-Men to fight Magneto and several other conflicts to come.
Disney+ Series
Disney+ is where I would expand the roster and simply set up the backstory for several other mutants.
Storm has a thoroughly fleshed out backstory. Introducing her in her own show would be a great opportunity to finally show her origins on the screen.
In the comics, she and her family lived in Cairo, Egypt. Her home was destroyed when a plane crashed into her apartment building (originally a fighter that was shot down during the Suez War, I think this has been changed to a different conflict in the comics due to the sliding time scale). Her parents were killed and she was trapped in the rubble, leading to her severe claustrophobia. She clawed her way free but was now homeless and an orphan. She learned to live on the streets and joined a gang of children that would steal for Achmed El Gibar. Achmed taught her how to pick locks, pockets and took care of her. She tried to pick the pockets of a young Professor X (when he could still walk, several years before the X-Men) just prior to his first battle with the Shadow King, who was a mover in the Cairo underworld. She stole a rare ruby and killed a man that tried to rape her. She left Cairo, wandering Northern Africa when her powers manifested. She used these to protect several small villages and even met a young T’Challa leading to them falling in love before he had to return to Wakanda. Obviously they can’t have her meeting T’Challa in the MCU, but in her travels she could meet others from Wakanda. The first season ends with Professor Xavier tracking her down and inviting her to join the X-Men.
Gambit, like Storm, first showed up in the X books but went on to have several solo adventures and had his backstory significantly fleshed out. He was a member of the Thieves Guild (in short, a secret society of super powered thieves). the Thieves Guild had been involved in a long and bloody feud with the Assassins Guild. The heads of the guilds set up an arranged marriage between him and Bella Donna, the daughter of the Assassins Guilds leader, to stop the feud. When he killed Bella Donna’s brother in a duel he was exiled and lived on the run for several years. He made his living as a thief and enforcer. He even helped Mr. Sinister gather the Marauders prior to the Mutant Massacre (he didn’t know the scope of the plans). A Gambit show would be a great place for the MCU to have heist stories. Between dealing with the political maneuvering of the Guilds, Gambit would do what he does best, steal, charm, and get into trouble.
Domino would be a great choice to star in an espionage based series. She was subjected to experiments as a child, until she was freed by her biological mother and was left at a church. She eventually ran away and used her powers to become a mercenary. She joined X-Force and later the X-Men. She was well established as a mercenary before joining the X teams and has recently established her own team with Outlaw and Diamondback. Their fights with Topaz, Atlas Bear (before she joined) and Domino’s solo fights against the organization that experimented on her would make for a fantastic series. Especially if they get Gail Simone to work on the script.
Last but not least for the Disney+ shows
Maggot….
OK…no…I’m kidding here. He was one of the worst ideas for a mutant ever. He’s up there with Adam X and Stacy X (no relation).
Wolverine is, besides Storm, the obvious choice. He’s the most recognizable member of the X-Men and has been a main character in almost every X movie, cartoon and comic over the last thirty years. I don’t need to rehash his story as it’s been shown in his and the first two X-Men movies . I think a Disney+ series would help establish who he is in the MCU. Imagine, the first season showing some of his history, at least in flashbacks. I would love to see him fighting in WWII with Cap and the Howling Commandos, even if it’s just for one scene. Show him during his feral, post experimentation days. Show his early Department H missions (maybe even his fight with the Hulk). A show would be the best way to explore Wolverine’s origins.
With the X-Men movie, audiences would learn exactly how mutants fit into the MCU. The shows would help introduce fan favorites, without having them get lost in the shuffle of later X movies. The X-Men are given a clean slate, and Marvel Studios can now work with the characters without worrying about sticking to the FOX continuity.
What about Deadpool? Deadpool is the one exception to the reboot/recast process. The Deadpool movies were tentatively tied to the X-Men movies. Most connections or references were in the form of cameos or jokes. Deadpool breaks the fourth wall regularly and his jokes have referenced the movies budget, cast and even characters that were in the MCU. If they keep that formula, which I think they will, then there is no need to reboot Deadpool.
What does everyone think? Is there anything you would do differently? Let me know if the comments.
