A recent MCU report suggests an X-Men show could be in development at Marvel Studios, making it possible for Marvel’s mutants to be completely different from Fox’s. Fox’s X-Men movies played a key role in the early days of the superhero movie genre’s golden age, having introduced the first-ever live-action, big-screen superhero team. While some aspects of Fox’s first X-Men movies have become slightly dated and the X-Men movie franchise had some blunders throughout the years, the X-Men films stayed afloat for almost twenty years, and its legacy continues to influence the MCU twenty-five years after it started.
In February 2025, a report claimed Marvel is developing an MCU X-Men series, which could serve as a prelude or a spinoff to the MCU’s first X-Men movie. Fox’s X-Men franchise focused almost exclusively on theatrical movies, with only The Gifted and Legion tangentially connected to mutant characters introduced in the films. While there are several mutant characters already active in the MCU multiverse, Marvel Studios’ next mutant-centered project will likely mark the beginning of a brand-new era for the X-Men.
An MCU Mutant Series Would Be A Perfect Prelude To The X-Men’s Introduction
Marvel Studios’ X-Men Show Could Take Its Time To Set Up An Epic X-Men Movies
There have never been live-action X-Men shows that lead directly to an X-Men movie. Marvel Studios has already tested this level of connectivity successfully with storylines and character arcs shared between installments such as WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World, and Ms. Marvel and The Marvels. An MCU mutant show could lay the foundations for an X-Men movie as it explores key elements of the superhero team’s story, like human-mutant relations, the X-Gene, and Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
Marvel Studios’ first mutant show could be the first of many. But before more spinoffs and sequels arrive, the MCU’s first X-Men series’ set-ups and teases could follow a similar approach to Phase 1’s solo movies prior to The Avengers, focusing on one character per episode before an X-Men movie brings them all together. An MCU mutant series could introduce key members of the X-Men, including young versions of famous mutants such as Rogue, Gambit, and Jubilee, or even the X-Men’s first-ever line-up — Angel, Iceman, Beast, Cyclops, and Jean Grey, who never appeared on a team together in Fox’s X-Men movies.
Marvel Studios’ X-Men Projects Will Probably Stand Out From Fox’s For One Reason
Marvel Studios’ Approach To Overarching Mutant Storylines Will Likely Be Very Different From Fox’s
Each of Fox’s X-Men movies adapted elements from one or more comic book storylines, and each film presented a big conflict with a well-defined beginning, middle, and end. Fox’s X-Men movie timeline ended up being quite confusing as a result, as the studio never planned out a clear roadmap for the franchise. Meanwhile, the MCU owes a big part of its success to Marvel Studios’ careful planning, which has allowed dozens of movies and shows to tell interconnected stories. Using the same approach, Marvel Studios will be able to take more time setting up future stories and explore mutantkind in detail before big X-Men events arrive.
MCU shows, movies, and Special Presentations could offer an unprecedented look at X-Men characters who have yet to receive their own solo project
Marvel Studios’ first X-Men show could follow lesser-known mutants or characters who will become important later down the line, all the while teasing the debut of iconic heroes like Cyclops, Wolverine, and Storm. Likewise, future shows, solo movies, crossovers, and team-ups may be able to explore aspects of the X-Men that Fox’s movies were never able to cover from different angles. Just like Loki seasons 1 and 2 showed the God of Mischief from a new perspective, MCU shows, movies, and Special Presentations could offer an unprecedented look at X-Men characters who have yet to receive their own solo project.
A Young Mutant Series Can Help The MCU’s X-Men Stand Apart From Fox
The MCU’s X-Men Could Start From Scratch Effortlessly By Establishing A Much Younger Cast
There may be no better way to introduce a new generation of live-action X-Men characters than to feature a new generation of actors in Marvel Studios’ first mutant project. Characters such as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, and Channing Tatum’s Gambit have already claimed the тιтle of first official MCU mutants, on the technicality of joining the franchise by multiversal means. In order to establish a clear divide between Fox’s X-Men characters and the MCU’s new mutants, Marvel Studios’ first X-Men project could present a full cast of young actors on the rise with no connection to previous Marvel movies.
The MCU’s first mutant show could also hone in on its protagonists’ young age. Regardless of whether these characters are young versions of the X-Men’s main members or lesser-known students at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, a younger cast could make it evident that the previous generation of X-Men actors have finished their journey. It would also make it possible for each of their characters to start character arcs with the potential to develop across multiple projects without interruption. If Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine for over twenty-five years, the MCU’s new X-Men actors could certainly follow in his footsteps in a much more cohesive franchise.
Upcoming MCU Movies
-
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
-
May 2, 2025
Powered by
-
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
-
July 25, 2025
Powered by
-
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
Powered by
-
Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
-
July 24, 2026
Powered by
-
Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
-
May 7, 2027
Powered by
