Credit: Marvel Studios / Sony PicturesAs Tony Stark, widely recognized as Iron Man, makes a heroic sacrifice to defeat Thanos (played by Josh Brolin), and Chris Evans bids farewell to his role as Steve Rogers/Captain America, passing on the mantle of Captain America, a significant opportunity arises for superhero teams like the Fantastic Four and X-Men to take on pivotal roles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
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As the Multiverse expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) into uncharted territories, characters from alternate dimensions, including those from 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 poised to join the narrative.
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, whose highly anticipated film Deadpool & Wolverine, also referred to as Deadpool 3, is the sole 2024 Marvel Studios theatrical offering.
With Marvel Studios and Marvel President Kevin Feige hoping to pull the Multverse Saga away from large-scale, cosmic-level threats, there has been an ever-increasing push for a more “street-level” storyline. Leading this charge will be Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland), last spotted in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) which brought in Multiversal heroes like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s alternate unverse versions of Peter Parker (and Spidey).
Related: Disney Abandons ‘Avengers’ Franchise as MCU Reboot Underway
With Holland’s Spider-Man and Charlie Cox’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock slated to meet up in the upcoming Spider-Man 4, and likely team up with Anthony Mackie’s new Captain America/Sam Wilson, the MCU’s future is looking significantly more grounded. The introduction of the X-Men come Deadpool & Wolverine will likely introduce fans to what might be the next Saga in the MCU — the Mutant Saga.
Why Are Fans Not Listening To This X-Men Star?
The Fox X-Men have been confirmed to join the primary MCU storyline, so it’s understandable that Marvel Studios is currently eager to reintegrate the X-Men franchise into their Disney-affiliated brand. This encompasses a more robust Marvel television presence, with plans to continue the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997) story in X-Men ’97, as well as bringing the formerly 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios under Disney) X-Men franchise into the MCU fold.
Now, X-Men franchise star Famke Janssen, who played the powerful mutant Jean Grey, is responding to rumors about her appearance in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine.
Janssen spoke to ScreenGeek recently about her appearance (or lack thereof) in the new Deadpool film — and fans are not having any 0f it. The Direct shared the news to X (formerly Twitter), to a surprising reaction from fans:
#XMen star Famke Janssen says she’s NOT returning as Jean Grey in #DeadpoolAndWolverine:
“Everybody keeps asking. So, at some point, I was like, ‘Wait, am I in Deadpool, and I just don’t know it yet?’ But, no. I’m not.”
(via @RealScreenGeek)
#XMen star Famke Janssen says she's NOT returning as Jean Grey in #DeadpoolAndWolverine:
"Everybody keeps asking. So, at some point, I was like, 'Wait, am I in Deadpool, and I just don't know it yet?' But, no. I’m not."
(via @RealScreenGeek) pic.twitter.com/EoGqkOk0Dx
— MCU – The Direct (@MCU_Direct) April 11, 2024
Fans are, rather overwhelmingly, expressing extreme suspicion of Janssen’s insistence that she “does not know” about being in the movie.
They are expressing said suspicion by posting reaction images of Andrew Garfield — most often of a clip from No Way Home with Garfield looking particularly sheepish — in reference to the nearly identical way that Garfield denied his involvement in the third MCU Spider-Man movie. Below is one example by @CAPONECLB:
— CAPONECLB (@CAPONECLB) April 11, 2024
And another by user Ben Edwards of Garfield exasperatedly shouting “I’m not the werewolf!” on an interview about his rumored MCU debut:
— Ben Edwards (@bedwards87) April 11, 2024
And yet another by @alw4ysmendes, featuring a four compiled images of Garfield denying the very same thing on various interviews and podcasts:
(translated) ahem, okay, let’s talk
aham tá bom vai falando pic.twitter.com/osZ84smvbA
— brubs⁷ 🐝 FRI(END)S • HOTS (@alw4ysmendes) April 11, 2024
Do you believe Famke Janssen will join the MCU and cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
More on the X-Men
The Fox X-Men film series, based on Marvel Comics, depicted mutants with extraordinary powers navigating contemporary society. Central to the series was the exploration of conflicting viewpoints between Professor X and Magneto on the relationship between mutants and humans, which led to differing beliefs and allegiances within the mutant community.
Prominent figures in the series included Patrick Stewart as Professor X/Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr, and other notable actors such as 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 installments like X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and X-Men: Apocalypse delved into prequel storylines, introducing younger versions of characters such as Professor Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique, portrayed respectively by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence.