Black Panther Proves The X-Men MCU Introduction Is Actually Easy

Black Panther may reveal a surprisingly easy way for the X-Men to finally join the ranks of the MCU. For a long while, Professor X and his band of superpowered mentees were a collection of characters that seemed impossible to introduce into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for a collection of reasons. Firstly - and perhaps most importantly - there was the matter of copyrights, as Marvel Studios only regained the rights to the X-Men in March 2019. That said, it wasn't the only crucial reason, as even when these rights were regained, there was a vital issue: how to introduce the X-Men into a world that had been established without them.

In the comics world, mutants like the X-Men are an integral part of the universe. The unfair treatment of mutated people was not only a powerful allegory for many real-world prejudices, but an immutable component of Marvel's Earth, meaning that it became complicated to introduce them into the MCU after this big-screen world had been built sans X-Men and mutants - with the exception of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, who were both retconned to have their powers be a result of experimentation instead of their natural genetics. Despite the fan hype for all of the X-Men, explaining how exactly how both this team and countless other mutants have gone completely under the radar seems borderline impossible.

Or rather, it would seem that way, if not for the groundwork put in motion by Black Panther. In it, Wakanda is revealed to have existed without detection from the rest of the world for a huge amount of time, and would have continued to do so is not for T'Challa's decision to reveal the nation for the betterment of mankind. The X-Men actually have a similar location in their own lore - that of Krakoa, a (sentient) island that was recently changed in the Marvel comic timeline to be a safe home for mutants, and which is almost entirely inaccessible to those who are not, as using the portals to the island requires mutant DNA. As such, it would be well within the established parameters of MCU movies to reveal this island is where the mutant populous has been the whole time, taking away much of the complication regarding their introduction into the franchise.

There is one very good question that does arise from this, though: how would it explain all the individuals who have left various countries to relocate to Krakoa? The answer is again surprisingly simple - people go missing all the time. Having a portion of the reported disappearances or suspected kidnappings turn out to be instead a case of mutants leaving their birthplaces to move to Krakoa is a reasonable explanation, and one that allows for each individual to have their own unique backstory that came before their time in the mutant nation. This is the same universe that revealed Nick Fury had been replaced by a Skrull, after all - comparatively, missing people turning out to not be dead but rather on a secret island training to be X-Men seems pretty reasonable.

It's not a perfect explanation - as there are plot holes that would need to be explained, like why borderline omnipotent figures like Doctor Strange weren't somehow aware of this portion of the population. But it's an effective way to introduce the X-Men that doesn't involve retroactively retconning existing MCU history clumsily - as it's been made clear such an island can exist undetected through Black Panther - and thus potentially the best way to bring them into their deserved limelight on the big screen.

Next: Marvel Theory: Black Panther 2 Sets Up Both X-Men & Fantastic 4 In The MCU