X-Men In The MCU Could Take Longer Than Expected (& That's Okay)

Screen Rant

By Severina Chu

Published May 29, 2023

Though many are anticipating the debut of the X-Men in the MCU, the delay in their introduction is what's best for Marvel's Multiverse Saga.

It may be a while until the X-Men are introduced into the MCU, but it’s what’s best for Phases 5 and 6. When Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2017, it meant it was now possible for the Fox-owned Marvel properties to be incorporated into the MCU. With the Fantastic Four and Blade already having confirmed release dates, the X-Men are the next highly-anticipated Fox property to make their MCU debut.

Unfortunately for X-Men fans, the mutant group’s arrival likely won’t be for a while. With most movies and shows in Phases 5 and 6 having confirmed release dates, the MCU’s current slate looks pretty full. According to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania screenwriter Jeff Loveness, the X-Men won’t appear in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. With this in mind, it seems unlikely that the X-Men will appear in the MCU until after the Multiverse Saga.

The MCU's X-Men Can Wait... For Now

Holding off on the X-Men’s MCU debut is likely a strategic move on Marvel’s part, as there is already much to cover in the upcoming Multiverse Saga. The Multiverse is a complicated topic to keep up with all the alternate timelines, variants, the TVA, and more. Mutants have been teased in Kamala Khan and Namor, but having to flesh out the concept of mutants would be too much among the chaos of the multiverse. It may be good for the Avengers to have more reinforcements in the inevitable battle against Kang, but they aren’t entirely necessary right now.

Phases 5 and 6 are already saturated with newer characters in the MCU. Waiting on introducing the X-Men will give time for characters from the Fantastic Four and Blade to resonate. Marvel has teased the X-Men before in Evan Peters’ Quicksilver cameo in WandaVision and Sir Patrick Stewart’s Professor Charles Xavier cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so there’s no doubt as to whether the studio will include them eventually.

What Marvel's X-Men Delay Means For Wolverine In Deadpool 3

When Hugh Jackman was confirmed to return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3, many saw it as a sign that the X-Men’s MCU introduction was near. This will be the Deadpool franchise’s first MCU entry, and the mutants involved in Deadpool 3 may be the real starting point for the MCU’s mutant discussion. However, the film will have to address Wolverine’s return despite his Logan death, meaning that Deadpool 3’s version of Wolverine will likely be a variant of some sort from another timeline. This means that Jackman probably won’t be the main MCU’s Wolverine, and his Deadpool 3 appearance could have nothing to do with the MCU’s X-Men.

There is a busy future ahead for new Marvel properties with the releases of Deadpool 3, Blade, and the Fantastic Four all in Phase 6. While how long the X-Men are taking to make their MCU debut may seem disappointing, this delay is what’s best for the team. There’s no need for the mutants to get mixed up in the chaos of the multiverse just yet, and waiting on their introduction will give time for the MCU to fully flesh out the X-Men in the way they deserve.