Now that Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox is official, it’s only a matter of time until the X-Men make their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, fans shouldn’t expect a proper MCU X-Men movie for several years. A large part of the
Phase 4 lineup has already been revealed, with nary an X-Man in sight. And with
the entire MCU release schedule being pushed back because of COVID-19, that wait has just become even longer.
But even if we’re likely not going to see a new X-Men movie before 2023 at the earliest, that doesn’t necessarily mean Marvel won’t begin laying the groundwork for the X-Men sooner. There are a number of ways Phase 4 could set the stage for mutants in the MCU. Heck, that process may have already begun in Phase 3. Read on to see the many ways in which Phase 4 could quietly begin introducing mutants.
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Avengers: Endgame and the Gamma Effect
It’s entirely possible Avengers: Endgame already started the process of introducing mutants into the MCU. Consider this – mutants are created when the parent’s DNA is mutated through exposure to radiation, cosmic rays or some other unstable substance. Those genetic changes cause the child to manifest the mutant gene, transforming them from Homo sapiens to Homo superior. Historically in the Marvel Universe, mutants were an extremely rare offshoot of humans. But thanks to the rise of nuclear technology in the 20th century, the mutant race began to explode in numbers.
Bearing that in mind, Endgame may have just given the fledgling mutant race the catalyst it needed to grow. Early in the film, we learn that the Infinity Gauntlet unleashed a massive burst of gamma energy when Thanos used it to wipe out half of all life. The Avengers were able to track down Thanos by pinpointing a similar gamma burst in another part of the universe. With Earth being exposed to that much gamma radiation (the same substance that transformed Bruce Banner into Hulk, mind you), is it possible Thanos inadvertently spawned a whole new generation of mutants?
It’s also worth remembering that the “present-day” MCU is currently set in 2023 – five years after Thanos’ snap. This five-year gap may have been created specifically so that the long-term effects of that gamma burst could play out and mutants could start spontaneously appearing across the globe. In his quest to tamp down the spread of life, Thanos may have instead created something new and wonderful.
The Eternals and Mutants
There’s a persistent (albeit dubiously sourced) rumor online that Marvel’s The Eternals will wind up serving as a backdoor introduction for the X-Men in the MCU. While that may seem strange given the lack of deep ties between the two franchises, it’s also perfectly plausible.
In the mythology of the Marvel Universe, the godlike cosmic beings known as the Celestials came to Earth and meddled with the DNA of mankind’s prehistoric ancestors. As they’re wont to do, the Celestials hoped to introduce newer, more powerful and more genetically diverse forms of life to the universe. The result of that experimentation was three species of life – the genetically superior Eternals, the powerful but monstrous Deviants and boring old humans. But while humanity wasn’t blessed with the long life and incredible powers of the Eternals, their DNA carries the potential for incredible acts of mutation. Basically, every superhuman Earthling in the Marvel Universe – be they mutant, Inhuman, super-soldier or Hulk – can trace their powers back to the original genetic tampering performed by the Celestials.
Whether or not mutants are directly referenced in The Eternals, it’s likely the movie will delve into this backstory and the notion that the Celestials are the cosmic force guiding humanity’s evolution. The Eternals may at least serve as an indirect stepping stone to the rebooted X-Men franchise.
We could also see more direct ties to the X-Men in The Eternals. While again, the two franchises don’t have a deep history of overlapping with each other, mutant villain Apocalypse has had his run-ins with Ikaris and the gang. Apocalypse is among the first mutants in history and has even repurposed Celestial technology to augment his powers. If any mutant character stands a chance of having a cameo in The Eternals, it’s Apocalypse.
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The Multiverse of Madness
We don’t know if the existence of mutants will be directly acknowledged in Phase 4. But if any movie has the potential to include the X-Men, it’s definitely Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
At this point, we can only speculate about what the Multiverse of Madness actually is. That said, the name strongly suggests this Doctor Strange sequel will be showing us alternate realities and other versions of the MCU. Who’s to say one or more of these alternate realities couldn’t have versions of Earth where mutants are a public phenomenon? We could even see the X-Men themselves. Leaning on the multiverse angle would be a way of giving hungry X-Men fans something to tide them over until the mutants make their full and proper debut.
It’s also entirely possible the movie could introduce mutants in a more permanent way. What if the cosmic shenanigans in Doctor Strange 2 result in the MCU merging with some of these alternate realities? Could the fabric of the MCU be rewritten so that mutants suddenly exist where they didn’t before? That would be one way of quickly solving the mutant problem and setting up an X-Men movie for Phase 5.
The Power of Scarlet Witch
However Marvel Studios chooses to introduce the X-Men in the MCU, there’s a good chance Scarlet Witch will be involved. Traditionally, Wanda and her brother Pietro are depicted as the mutant children of Magneto. And while the duo’s mutant status and family connection to Magneto was recently retconned away in the comics, that change was made seemingly for no other reason than to bring the comics closer in line with the mutant-less MCU. Ironically, we may soon reach the point where the comics have to re-retcon Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch’s origin.
Currently, we know Wanda and her brother gained their superhuman powers when they volunteered for Hydra’s genetic experimentation. Exposure to Loki’s scepter unlocked their latent genetic potential. Could it be that both siblings always carried the mutant gene and simply needed an outside catalyst to awaken their innate powers? Could there be other carriers of dormant mutant genes in the MCU? If so, this could tie back into the theory about the Infinity Gauntlet’s gamma wave sparking a new generation of mutants.
If this is the case, that raises the question of why the mutant gene is dormant. One intriguing possibility is that it’s Wanda’s fault the mutant race has gone silent. The 2005 comic House of M featured a conflict where a mentally unstable Wanda rewrote reality to make mutants the dominant race on Earth, only for her to restore reality and wipe out the powers of all but a handful of mutants. It’s entirely possible that mutants once existed in the MCU, only for Wanda to rewrite reality and bury their powers. Even she may not remember the world as it once was.
Both the upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seem to be dealing heavily with Wanda’s struggle to control her incredible powers and the psychological toll that takes on her. We could easily see one of these projects either revealing Wanda previously wiped out the X-Men or showing her willing the mutant race into existence. Where magic is concerned, anything is possible.
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The Super-Soldier Arms Race
The MCU draws inspiration not just from Marvel’s classic comic book universe, but also from the now-defunct Ultimate Universe line. The Ultimate Universe was built around an effort to streamline Marvel’s vast history for a 21st century audience. One of the ways that effort manifested itself was an emphasis on unifying most Marvel heroes around the concept of a super-soldier arms race. In the Ultimate Universe, the creation of Captain America sparked a decades-long competition between rival nations to build newer and better super-soldiers. Readers eventually learned even mutants themselves were an offshoot of this arms race. Wolverine was patient zero in the creation of an artificial mutant gene.
Given how much the MCU has already drawn from the Ultimate comics, this revamped mutant origin story could certainly be applied to the movies. The disappearance of Captain America after Endgame will almost surely fuel a new superhuman arms race. The creation of an artificial mutant gene could be one unexpected consequence of that process.
Assuming this is the direction in which Marvel Studios chooses to go in Phase 4, we could see early seeds for the X-Men planted in something like Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a series we already know is introducing would-be Cap replacement U.S. Agent. Even Marvel’s Black Widow, the first Phase 4 movie, could use the Red Room and its deadly assassins as a prelude to bigger developments on the super-soldier arms race front. An early glimpse of Wolverine as a Weapon X test subject could lead to much bigger things for the character in the MCU.
Namor: The First Mutant
Namor is one of many comic book heroes whose movie adaptation seems perpetually stuck in development hell. Even Kevin Feige confirmed Namor’s complicated movie rights create difficulties as far as introducing him into the MCU.
That said, one loose end from Endgame leads us to believe there are plans in place for Namor. Early in the film, Okoye mentions a strange shifting of tectonic plates off the coast of Africa, a plot point that’s never again addressed. This has led many fans to assume Marvel is teasing Namor’s debut, either in his own movie or as an antagonist in Black Panther 2.
Whatever form it might take, Namor’s MCU debut could have major ramifications for the X-Men. That’s because Namor is commonly referred to as “Marvel’s first mutant.” Namor was among the very first Marvel heroes introduced back in 1939, and eventually his origin story was retconned so that this human/Atlantean hybrid is also a mutant. Namor has even served on several modern incarnations of the X-Men. As egotistical as he is, Namor has a certain soft spot for anyone who’s treated as an outsider by the surface world.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Black Panther 2, of all things, could be the movie that begins introducing mutants to the MCU. Namor would make a fitting villain, given the setup in Endgame and the rivalry that exists between Namor and T’Challa in the comics. Black Panther 2 could even introduce Storm as a new love interest for T’Challa. If the goal is to introduce specific X-Men characters before diving into the full roster, that’s one way to get the ball rolling. Black Panther 2 could even reveal that the X-Men have been hiding in Atlantis, taking refuge from a world that hates and fears them.
Which Phase 4 project do you think will set the stage for the X-Men? Let us know by voting in the poll below:
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
