Disney’s mega acquisition of 20th Century Fox has led to various new opportunities for the comic book based movies, primarily being the opportunity to incorporate the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although the deal will still take at least a year or more to materialize, there is this towering question of how the arrival of X-Men and other mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be narrated.
We believe that time will only find the best possible design as the complete X-Men franchise is now available to facilitate an easily understandable and seamless merger into the MCU. Read further to find out how it can be accomplished.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
The best thing for Marvel Studios and X-Men was that X-Men: Dark Phoenix was under production when the deal took place. Dark Phoenix’s story is literally related to the potential end or resurgence of entire universes, and it showcases an item (the M’Kraan Crystal) which is the meeting point between various realities. If the X-Men movie makers stick to the Dark Phoenix Saga comic narrative, the way they have claimed to do, then the answer to the question above will be ready in a well-packaged gift box with all the necessary DIY instructions. All you need is the right epilogue and post-credits scene, and Dark Phoenix would turn out to be the most epic as well as the climactic X-Men movie from Fox period and link the X-Men to MCU.
The other good thing is that the aliens called Skrulls are going to feature in Dark Phoenix and the upcoming MCU film Captain Marvel, and then both the movies are also based in the 90s timeline. That provides scope for Dark Phoenix to establish a link in such a way that one could show the X-Men being present in MCU in the past, and also position the “Secret Invasion” of the MCU by the Skrull, to be a mightier narrative for their Phase 4, depicting the X-Men.
Deadpool 2
Deadpool 2 will be the next chapter of Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of the Merc With A Mouth. It seems an unlikely candidate to create the bridge to MCU, but, then again the X-Men franchise is in good luck.
Deadpool 2 will be the cinematic debut of Cable (Josh Brolin), a key X-Men character which has kept the fans waiting for a long time. The X-Men films are going to show Cable’s comic book origins as the mighty mutant child who was dispatched to the future to get cured of a powerful techno-organic virus, and who ultimately comes back to the present as an aging soldier. Cable has tech linked with his cybernetic abilities to “body slide” through locations across space and time, at times to spaceships and even to locations outside the river of time.
Since Cable has such powers, Deadpool 2 will find it easier to create the Marvel Comics pattern of teaming Cable and Deadpool and let Cable’s time travel mechanics enable him and Deadpool to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s timeline, hopefully with the “mutant messiah” Hope Summers accompanying them. That is a good idea because it would create a chance for some favorite actors (Deadpool/Ryan Reynolds and Cable/Josh Brolin) to stay around if the other X-Men are recast.
New Mutants
The recent revelation about New Mutants being postponed by a year until 2019 has terribly affected fans who were keen to watch the superhero horror film, which was a proof of the daring risks that the X-Men franchise has taken of late. Then again, New Mutants might also be favored by fate, because the delay will allow that franchise to merge with the MCU seamlessly.
As far as the story is concerned, New Mutants was based on the “Demon Bear Saga” from the comics, a story featuring an evil Native American being which uses magic to alter reality, and pushing people into dark alternate dimensions. The source material already provides ready to use magic and alternate dimensions which might be entrances to MCU, but, why to even make so much effort?
The NeXt Generation
The New Mutants is all set to be the first X-Men film to be produced after the Fox/Disney deal; it has the potential of unveiling the first phase of mutants debuting in the MCU.
As mentioned above, X-Men: Dark Phoenix provides the chance to the 90s era of the X-Men to merge with Captain Marvel’s 90s era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If the remaining X-Men members were relocated to the MCU in the 90s, then it would be logical for them to remain under cover (due to the fears of a mutant X-tinction) and set up a secret safehouse like Utopia while they go on re-populating from the 90s to the present day.
New Mutants can then be the saga of the next generation of mutants who are discovered by the world, compelling the grown-up X-Men team and/or Cable, who will have to take over the responsibility of leading the next generation of mutants.
The Nexus of Realities
It’s not that The M’Kraan Crystal is the sole object in Marvel Comics Universe which can reshape reality and has the power to create or destroy the universe. As destined, the MCU is coming up with its own cosmic weapon which could allow the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises to enter the MCU, and it is none other than the Infinity Gauntlet.
The mega weapon of Avengers: Infinity War is basically a glove which gives its wearer god-like powers when running at full capacity. It can control the whole timelines, space, power, mind, reality, and even the soul. Now that such a mighty weapon and the various components which piece it together, going to feature in MCU, there is a very real chance to see its usage creating a new reality, one where the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Avengers are all standing on the same platform.
