The X-Men are inching closer and closer to finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The mutant superhero team is destined to change the nature of the franchise forever, building an entirely new dimension to the already sprawling world of Marvel.
As the mutants begin to trickle into the franchise, Marvel Studios has a series of major choices to make regarding which characters to introduce. With thousands of mutants to choose from, Redditors speak out about which X-Men they believe should be the first to join the MCU.
Rogue
Redditor Uncanny_Doom writes "I would also include Rogue in some notable way. I know everyone wants to see her take Captain Marvel's powers, I'm neutral on that being the source of her powers or not but eventually, we need a sassy, strong, flying Rogue."
Rogue is a popular character among fans planning the next adaptation of the X-Men, with plenty of suggestions for actresses who could play the MCU's version of Rogue. As the above Redditor points out, fans have yet to see a comics-accurate portrayal of the character in live-action, who gets an extreme powerup after absorbing the powers of Carol Danvers. Seeing such a reality play out onscreen would no doubt appease many comics fans, who still feel unsatisfied with previous versions of the character.
Cyclops
TheUltimatenerd05 pitches their idea for the X-Men reboot in the MCU, suggesting it include "the original lineup from the comics with Cyclops as the main character." While their suggestion alludes to the presence of Professor X, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Angel, their idea puts Cyclops front and center in the MCU's X-Men lineup.
This suggestion brings out a major issue with Fox's X-Men films in that they generally ignored Cyclops, pushing him to the side in favor of more popular mutants like Wolverine and Professor X. Introducing Scott Summers as the protagonist of a new X-Men franchise would do wonders in revitalizing the character, as well as differentiate the MCU's reboot from Fox's franchise.
Legion
Redditor allofusarelost believes that the MCU should delve into lesser-known mutants for their first round of X-Men projects, writing "I'd love them to start at the deep end, bring Legion in first and have the X-Men follow." Legion, a mutant who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, appeared in his television series, which ran for three seasons.
Legion is a character that few members of general audiences would be familiar with, making him an interesting choice to include as an early addition to the franchise. Leading with an obscure character such as he, however, would indicate to fans that the MCU plans on bringing lesser-known mutants to the forefront, a promise that the franchise would then be required to fulfill.
Kitty Pryde
Upon listing several of their favorite mutants, whom they wish to see rebooted as soon as possible in the MCU, Redditor JustDandyMayo makes special mention of a specific member of the X-Men, writing "I'd also like to see Kitty Pryde."
Kitty Pryde may have appeared in several of Fox's X-Men films, but very rarely was given many moments to shine therein. As a fan favorite character from the comics who rises in the ranks of the X-Men to become a leader, she certainly deserves to be done justice in the next live-action iteration of her character.
Gambit
A Reddit user by the name of Mountain-Movie5131 has a strong request for Marvel Studios, asking "Can we just get Gambit his due already? Among other characters that are always in the background." Their impassioned plea alludes to the common criticism that X-Men films tend to focus on the same mutants while pushing popular characters like Gambit to the background.
With discussions already brewing concerning actors who could play Gambit in the MCU, fans are eager to see one of their favorite mutants make a splash in his second live-action appearance after Taylor Kitsch's portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. After years of Gambit being sidelined, including a canceled Channing Tatum-led solo film, the time has come for the MCU to finally do one of the most popular mutants justice.
Storm
ProjectDarkInfinity makes an argument for their favorite mutant: "Storm is one of the most interesting... of the OG X-Men, with a lot of connections to Wakanda and the rest of the Marvel universe, a great journey from her childhood to being one of the fiercest warriors in Marvel, and let's be real, she's just cool."
Despite appearing in most of the X-Men films from 20th Century Fox, Storm rarely received any kind of character development during her tenure in the franchise. Many fans have lobbied for the MCU's version of the character to be tied to Wakanda, alluding to her stint as T'Challa's queen in the comics. With Wakanda playing such a major role in the MCU just in time for the mutants' arrival therein, such a storyline involving Storm's rulership over the country could very well play out in live-action.
Emma Frost
In a well-thought-out post about the MCU's reboot of the mutants, Redditor FictionFantom suggests that "The school staff [of X-Mansion] [should be] led by Principal Emma Frost," alluding to an adaptation of Emma Frost more closely aligned with the character's recent history as a hero rather than a villain.
Emma Frost is one of several mutants that was consistently let down by Fox's X-Men films, whose sole appearance in the franchise was largely met with fan scrutiny. As one of the most interesting characters from the comics, fans want the MCU to waste no time in introducing her, bidding that the character embarks on her arc to become a leader among the X-Men.
Charles Xavier
Redditor superhated pitches that Marvel adapt a slow burn in building up the X-Men, introducing one mutant at a time. "Maybe Xavier is like Fury," they write, "slowly recruiting kid students and adult teachers to his new institution that’s a sanctuary for mutants." Their pitch ultimately ends with the formation of the X-Men in classic Avengers style.
It is almost impossible to imagine the MCU sidestepping Charles Xavier in their adaptation of the X-Men. However, given that the character has appeared so frequently in previous X-Men films, Marvel Studios may indeed elect to go in a different direction, making someone other than Xavier the leader of the X-Men in the MCU. Nevertheless, should Professor X indeed lead the mutant superteam, Marvel would do well to repeat its winning formula that set up Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Namor
"Namor should be first," writers Marvel fan Fifediggity, going on to point out that "[the] Wakanda connection would be an easy fit," alluding to the popular rumor that the Sub-Mariner will be the primary antagonist of the soon-coming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Namor is one of Marvel's earliest characters, who is later retconned to have been the very first mutant. The likelihood of this storyline's adaptation in the MCU seems to only grow as it seems more and more possible that the complex character will debut in Wakanda Forever. However, given the character's allegiance to Atlantis, it is unlikely that he will ever join the X-Men team itself, but rather usher in the age of the mutants on Earth-616.
Wolverine
FictionFantom denies those who hope Marvel stays away from Wolverine for the first few X-Men films. "They can introduce Wolverine ASAP as long as it’s different enough from [Hugh] Jackman’s take." They go on to point out that, by the time Wolverine can realistically be added to the MCU, audiences will already be at least five years removed from Hugh Jackman's last appearances as the character in Logan.
Wolverine is by far the most popular mutant in the Marvel Universe, making his arrival in the MCU an inevitability. While the character has certainly had an overabundance of screentime in Fox's franchise, fans can't help but want to see the mutant's next rendition as soon as possible. Regardless of whether he is among the "first class" of the MCU's X-Men, fans can rest assured that they won't have to wait too much longer for the Wolverine's arrival.