Credit: Marvel StudiosWill the end of the Multiverse bring in the age of mutants?
Related: Marvel Scraps Old ‘X-Men’ Look, Will Replace Beloved Team: Report
With Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, making a sacrificial move to defeat Thanos (played by Josh Brolin), and Chris Evans bidding farewell to his role as Steve Rogers/Captain America, handing over the mantle of Captain America, a significant door has opened for superhero teams such as the Fantastic Four and X-Men to take on crucial roles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
As the Multiverse broadens the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) into uncharted territories, characters from alternate dimensions such as the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU) and the Fox X-Men Universe, formerly under 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios under The Walt Disney Company), are set to enter the fold. This includes personalities like Deadpool/Wade Wilson (dubbed “Marvel Jesus” by himself), portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, and Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett, famously embodied by Hugh Jackman. They are expected to appear in the highly awaited film Deadpool & Wolverine, also referred to as Deadpool 3.
Related: New ‘X-Men’ Movie Reportedly Replacing Magneto as Main Villain
Now, it seems as if Marvel fans are finally going to get another glimpse of the beloved Avengers team — as The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios sets out to wrap up the Multiverse Saga following its mega-popular Infinity Saga, and usher in a new age — likely to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) Mutant Saga.
Release Window for Avengers 5, Avengers 6, and All-New X-Men
According to known Marvel insider Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK), the new rebooted X-Men movie will begin production after Q4 2025 while the Avengers titles Avengers 5 (formerly Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars will reportedly film before Q4 2025. Commenting on a post by X-Men Updates on X (formerly Twitter), Richtman stated:
Richtman: Just to be clear the plan is still to release this movie after Secret Wars and the two Avengers movies are expected to start filming before Q4 2025
(quoted) X-Men Updates: Marvel Studios live-action ‘X-MEN’ film will reportedly begin production in Q4 2025 according to a new Production Weekly Report.
Just to be clear the plan is still to release this movie after Secret Wars and the two Avengers movies are expected to start filming before Q4 2025 https://t.co/l5Taj5JUMh
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) April 4, 2024
Marvel fans such as @SparkingClouds have been quick to make the connections, adding that this “makes too much sense”:
I’d assume the next Saga will be The Mutant Saga. So many characters and stories to introduce. It’s going to be a focus on them getting integrated. The big film of that phase will likely be Avengers vs X-Men. It makes too much sense.
I'd assume the next Saga will be The Mutant Saga. So many characters and stories to introduce. It's going to be a focus on them getting integrated. The big film of that phase will likely be Avengers vs X-Men. It makes too much sense.
— Whimsy (@SparkingClouds) April 4, 2024
@Diego01852452 adds that this is likely being done to “finish the story” of the original Fox X-Men Universe before the MCU casts its own replacements and begins a new chapter — likely the Mutant Saga:
It is the correct choice, they have to finish the story for OG X-Men in Avengers Secret Wars and then introduce the new actors after. I can understand about new Fantastic Four, but introducing new mutants when Jackman and Reynolds are returning, seems to me too much.
It is the correct choice, they have to finish the story for OG X-Men in Avengers Secret Wars and then introduce the new actors after. I can understand about new Fantastic Four, but introducing new mutants when Jackman and Reynolds are returning, seems to me too much.
— donaldstrange #DunePartTwo #XMen97 #DUNE (@Diego01852452) April 4, 2024
Seeing as characters like Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) from the Disney+ (Disney Plus) show Ms. Marvel (2022) have been revealed to be a mutant of some kind, as has King of Talokan Namor from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).
The future of the MCU is certainly going to be interesting, as they face competition in DC Studios’ new CEO James Gunn (former Marvel director of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise) and his rebooted DC Universe (DCU) at Warner Bros.
Are you excited for Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars, or the X-Men reboot? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
More on the X-Men
As the MCU welcomes the beloved X-Men into its fold, Disney has prioritized reinvigorating the mutant-centered narrative in audiences’ minds. One significant approach has been the revival of iconic and nostalgic X-Men franchises, such as the 1990s classic X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997), which continues directly on Disney+ as X-Men ’97.
The Fox X-Men series of movies, inspired by Marvel Comics, portrayed mutants with extraordinary abilities navigating modern society. At its core, the series explored the contrasting perspectives of Professor X and Magneto regarding the interaction between mutants and humans, leading to divergent beliefs and loyalties among mutant-kind.
Key figures in the series included Patrick Stewart as Professor X/Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr, and other notable actors like Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe/Storm, Famke Janssen as Dr. Jean Grey, James Marsden as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique/Raven Darkholme, Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, and Anna Paquin as Anna Marie LeBeau/Rogue, among others.
Subsequent entries such as X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and X-Men: Apocalypse explored prequel narratives, introducing younger versions of characters such as Professor Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique, portrayed respectively by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence.