Following the departures of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has entered a new phase known as the Multiverse Saga.
Related: Disney Wants ‘Deadpool’ Avengers Team: Report
Despite worries about “superhero fatigue” and the exit of Jonathan Majors, who formerly played Kang the Conqueror, Marvel Studios is poised to once again transform the Marvel movie landscape.
With Majors no longer with the studio and Marvel President Kevin Feige considering a shift from the Multiverse Saga to a new (likely) Mutant Saga featuring X-Men characters, Avengers 5, now Avengers: Doomsday (previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) is currently under development, but on a more modest scale compared to earlier installments.
Related: Disney Releases Touching Eulogy for Late Marvel Legend
It seems Disney is gradually distancing itself from the homegrown Avengers franchise of the MCU, increasingly relying on Sony’s Spider-Man and 20th Century Fox’s (now 20th Century Studios) X-Men properties, which were established before the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fans Speak out on Channing Tatum’s Character Joining the MCU
Hollywood and Marvel insider Daniel Richtman has recently revealed that the X-Men Marvel Comics characters Gambit and Kitty Pryde will join the MCU in the new X-Men film reboot.
Considering the role of Gambit was filled in the MCU by Magic Mike franchise star Channing Tatum, who would have originated the role in the Fox X-Men live-action Marvel universe (and finally played the character in Disney’s recent Deadpool & Wolverine), it seems that the next iteration of the X-Men will finally tell his story.
Now, whether Disney decides to recast Gambit with a newer, younger star or give Tatum’s character another chance to shine will depend in several factors, namely whether Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars end up deleting the current host of Marvel characters for a rebooted universe, Anti-Woke Mob Lashes Out as Channing Tatum Reportedly Joining Disney’s ‘X-Men’ Reboot.
Naturally, fans are skeptical about this new mutant-heavy future of the MCU, with fans of a certain “anti-woke” set calling Feige out directly for a decision he hasn’t yet made.
Cosmic Marvel shared the new report from Richtman’s subscriber-only post on X/Twitter, which inspired users who insist that Marvel’s recent critical and box office downturn is due to Marvel “going woke” and giving more minority and female superheroes’ stories room to shine outside of the Marvel comic book realm — such as user @Thor_Odinson.
A debate began following @Thor_Odinson’s response, which implied that Deadpool 3‘s Gambit/Remy LeBeau (Channing Tatum), a white male character, would be “replaced” by someone who looked like “Children of the Atom”‘s Carmen Cruz, a Puerto Rican female mutant who fashions an identity after Gambit’s to become Gimmick in the comics:
Cosmic Marvel: Marvel Studios’ ‘X-MEN’ reboot film will reportedly feature Gambit and Kitty Pryde.
(via @DanielRPK)
@Thor_Odison: If @Kevfeige had any sense, @channingtatum would be Gambit.
But given how things have been going with the MCU lately, instead of looking like this ↙️, Gambit will end up looking like this. 😑↘️
If @Kevfeige had any sense, @channingtatum would be Gambit.
But given how things have been going with the MCU lately, instead of looking like this ↙️, Gambit will end up looking like this. 😑↘️ pic.twitter.com/qRZGvD1zyx
— Thor Odinson (@Thor_Odinson) August 5, 2024
This sparked a wave of responses to this insinuation, with some users in support of the original poster and others calling them out for racist intentions:
@themattmerc_: You just went outta your way to be racist in a made up situation…
You just went outta your way to be racist in a made up situation…
— Merc (@themattmerc_) August 6, 2024
Meanwhile, others called fans like the original poster out for being the reason Marvel now goes out of their way to no longer cast new, diverse heroes, for example, how the new The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast are all visibly white or white-passing.
Yet, members of the “anti-woke” crew continue to call Marvel “racist and sexist” for “blackwashing” characters and “gender swapping” — even though the Marvel Comics themselves have always been about creating new versions of characters set in different universes:
@RHLegend32: You know it was Kevin Feige who cast Channing Tatum as Gambit in the first place, right?
Did you watch Deadpool & Wolverine? Did you see the cast for Fantastic Four? All white (passing). Marvel actually go out of their way not to cast diversity to please racist fans like you.
@Viva_Caligula: Racist fans? Nothing racist about wanting to see a character you’ve read for years being played by someone of their race. Blackwashing, gender swapping…that’s racist and sexist.
Racist fans? Nothing racist about wanting to see a character you've read for years being played by someone of their race. Blackwashing, gender swapping…that's racist and sexist.
— ¡Viva Caligula! (@Viva_Caligula) August 8, 2024
Others simply want to see Tatum’s Gambit return and are ready to “strong arm” Marvel and Feige into making this happen:
The fandom strong arming @MarvelStudios
to force them to cast @channingtatum
again as Gambit is awesome.LET HIM PLAY GAMBIT!
The fandom strong arming @MarvelStudios to force them to cast @channingtatum again as Gambit is awesome.
LET HIM PLAY GAMBIT!
— Oroku Saki (@Tony_Omega) August 6, 2024
Where do you fall on the spectrum? Should Disney and Marvel recast Channing Tatum with a younger actor, or give him another chance? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
More on X-Men
Key figures in the X-Men series include Patrick Stewart as Professor X/Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr, 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 Marie D’Ancanto/Rogue, among others.
Later films such as X-Men: First Class (2011), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) explored prequel storylines, featuring younger versions of characters like Professor Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique, portrayed by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence, respectively.
The X-Men universe also includes notable characters like Deadpool/Wade Wilson, known as “Marvel Jesus” and played by Ryan Reynolds, and Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett, famously portrayed by Hugh Jackman. Jackman’s highly anticipated film, Deadpool & Wolverine (aka Deadpool 3), is set to be Marvel Studios’ only theatrical release in 2024.