Speculation surrounding the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Deadpool has been high with the incredible Disney-Fox merger. If the billion-dollar deal is approved, it would bring the aforementioned properties into the MCU, as Disney CEO Bob Iger promised.
This is definitely a great time to be comic book and superhero fans, as we are about to see our favorite heroes finally come together. But what if some of those X-Men characters already exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
From a narrative perspective, it’ll be difficult to incorporate many of the X-Men characters into the MCU. An easy and efficient way to intertwine all of these characters is to already establish them as MCU characters, thereby omitting the need for a messy introduction. There are many ways Marvel Studios can do this, but some key X-Men characters are perfect inclusions. Based on MCU narrative events such as the Chitauri invasion and the fall of Sokovia, certain X-Men characters can be easily incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as if they were already there. Others, like Legion simply have the ability to make such a thing happen based on their powers.
Without further ado, here are 15 X-Men Characters That Could Already Exist in the MCU.
Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask has appeared several times in the X-Men line of films. His company, Trask Industries, was a key aspect of the film X-Men: Days of Future Past. The company created the Sentinel robots that wiped out most of the mutant population and stopping in the past was Wolverine's mission. On The Gifted, though, Trask Industries works alongside a federal agency called Sentinel Services, but their mission objective is still the same: eliminate all mutants.
Now, though mutants haven’t been introduced in the MCU, Trask Industries could still exist; only they’ll be experimenting on Inhumans rather than mutants. Much like Hammer Tech, Trask Industries could be operating in secret. Perhaps their experiments were also aiding the terrorist organization the Watchdogs on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Legion
Legion is one of the most powerful mutants to exist in the Marvel Universe. He is currently the star of his own TV show, FX’s Legion. On the show, he has a wide variety of powers, but he hasn’t even reached his full potential yet.
In several episodes, Legion was able to travel to different dimensions. It’s possible then, that he could also tap into the multiverse, much like Doctor Strange did in his own film. That means that theoretically, Legion could travel into the MCU. This is one way to connect the X-Men cinematic universe with the MCU.
There have also been theories suggesting that, since Legion is so powerful, all of the X-Men movies are all happening in his mind, which is why the timelines are all over the place. With powers like that, then it’s entirely possible that he could be lurking in the MCU without even knowing it.
Magneto and Polaris
Portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender, Magneto is one of the most prominent X-Men characters appearing in Fox’s line of X-Men films. As for Polaris, she is currently a main character on The Gifted. The comics have always debated whether the two masters of magnetism are related, but more often than not the family connection is clear. It follows then that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch form part of that complicated family tree.
With the Disney-Fox deal bringing the X-Men into the MCU in the near future, the revelation that Magneto is Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s father can finally become a cinematic reality. The MCU has left their backstory in Sokovia a mystery for quite some time now and Magneto and Polaris could well be hiding somewhere in Europe.
Juggernaut
What makes Juggernaut an interesting character is that he is so powerful even though he is not a mutant. Cain Marko is the stepbrother of Professor X. After coming in contact with the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, Cain was granted incredible power and became the Juggernaut. He’s acted as a villain in the comics most of the time, but his fare as an antihero is very popular among fans.
Juggernaut appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand, played by Vinnie Jones, and was supposed to appear in X-Men: Days of Future Past, portrayed by Josh Helman, who instead ended up playing William Stryker. Since Juggernaut isn’t a mutant and Cyttorak in the comics is tied to Doctor Strange and other mystics, it’s possible Cain Marko exists somewhere in the MCU, without his powers.
Deadpool and friends
After the X-Men franchise, Deadpool is perhaps Fox’s biggest superhero film title and for good reasons. Audiences loved Ryan Reynolds’s portrayal of the Merc with a Mouth, so it would be ludicrous to think that Disney would ever change the character. That said, he is also perhaps the hardest Fox character to bring into the Marvel Cinematic Universe - but what if he already exists in the MCU?
There are multiple theories detailing certain Easter Eggs in Deadpool that point to a possible connection to MCU movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers. The final battle scene in Deadpool shows him fighting Ajax on what looks like a trashed helicarrier the likes of the ones S.H.I.E.L.D. used in the aforementioned MCU movies.
If we abide by the helicarrier Easter egg, then that means Deadpool was in the MCU the entire time, along with Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead.
William Stryker
William Stryker is most known for operating the infamous Weapon X program, which gave Wolverine his adamantium skeleton. He’s appeared several times as a prominent character in Fox’s X-Men movies. He served as the main villain in X2 and most recently appeared in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse.
Interestingly, the character of Deadpool got his powers from remnants of the Weapon X program and so putting the movie Deadpool in the MCU would technically place Stryker in the universe as well. Nevertheless, Stryker could well exist in the MCU as a mere military official.
Introduced in Captain America: Civil War, the underwater prison facility called the Raft is operated by Thaddeus Ross. Since Ross is the Secretary of State in the MCU, somebody else is therefore in command when Ross is away. While it could be anyone, it could also be Stryker.
Silver Fox
Silver Fox was a main character in the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where she was played by Lynn Collins. In the comics as well as in the movie she was Wolverine’s love interest. Later down the road, Silver Fox wound up joining the evil organization Hydra. This is one way she could be incorporated into the MCU.
Ever since it was revealed that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the evil organization has become a prominent group in both the films and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While they haven’t appeared recently in the films, the remnants of Hydra are still ever-present on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. That’s where Silver Fox could make her presence known.
Bishop
The mighty Bishop is one of the X-Men’s most interesting characters. He is an antihero from a dystopian future who travels back in time and eventually joins the mutant team. Created by John Byrne and Whilce Portacio, Bishop was a prominent character in the ‘90s X-Men animated TV show. He also made a brief appearance in X-Men: Days of Future Past, where he was played by Omar Sy.
With the ability to travel in time, Bishop possesses certain technology that allows him to go anywhere in the universe, much like Cable. It wouldn’t be hard for Marvel to link the X-Men and the MCU through a Days of Future Past scenario and use Bishop as the source, especially since he’s been heavily underused in the X-Men movies.
Fenris Twins
Despite the Fenris twins appearing on The Gifted, their father Baron von Strucker and brother Werner have already appeared in the MCU. Baron made his MCU debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and later appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where he was killed. Later, Werner was a key character in the third season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
We can presume then, that Andrea and Andreas von Strucker are laying low somewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since they are a central part of season one of The Gifted, it’s unlikely they’ll make an appearance anytime soon in the MCU. Nonetheless, the chances are high that they already exist with powers intact - perhaps working for Hydra.
Senator Robert Kelly
Both the MCU and the X-Men film universe don't have a lot of variety when it comes to government officials. The MCU’s main governmental figure is President Matthew Ellis, who we’ve seen a number of times on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the movies. In the X-Men cinematic universe, Senator Robert Kelly is the main congressman of action. He appeared in the first X-Men and later, in X2, was impersonated by the shapeshifter Mystique.
Since the movies and the TV shows tend to focus on their titular superheroes, we can presume that a certain Senator Robert Kelly could exist in congress. As before, instead of arguing against mutants, he could be doing so against Inhumans. Perhaps he was also an advocate of the Sokovia Accords.
Strong Guy
Strong Guy hasn’t appeared in any of the X-Men films, but that doesn’t mean he can’t already be existing someplace else. The MCU might not have mutants, but one MCU event heavily resembles Strong Guy’s own origin story.
In the comics, New York City native Guido Carosella unlocked his mutant ability to absorb kinetic energy after being hit by a bus. He later acquired a large sum of money after his parents were killed by falling debris from space. This sounds a lot like the Chitauri invasion of New York in The Avengers, which left many people dead after debris kept falling from the sky. Strong Guy’s powers, unlike the likes of Beast, aren’t highly noticeable, so he could be lurking somewhere in New York incognito and could fit easily into the Marvel Netflix shows.
Vargas
Vargas hasn’t appeared in any of the X-Men movies or TV shows, which makes him a perfect candidate for already existing in the MCU. He is not a mutant. Rather, like Captain America he is enhanced via some kind of experiment. In the comics he is seen as an example of how the perfect human should physically be. He rarely gets tired, has impeccable strength, speed and agility. Basically, he is like an evil version of Captain America. Unlike Cap, though, Vargas carries a sword instead of a shield.
His inclusion in the MCU then is an easy one. He could’ve been experimented on by Hydra, AIM, or even the US government - like Steve Rogers was. His backstory in the comics hasn’t been heavily explored either, so Marvel has ample space to fit Vargas into the MCU narrative.
Dazzler
A popstar with mutant abilities, Dazzler is set to make her cinematic debut in the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix. She supposedly made a cameo appearance in X-Men: Apocalypse, but her cameo was cut from the final film. It’ll be interesting to see how she is handled in X-Men: Dark Phoenix as she could already exist in the MC. Well, kind of.
The MCU tends to use Inhumans as a replacement for mutants, so it wouldn’t be hard to make an Inhuman character say, for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., who was a mere mirror of Dazzler. That’s what fans have been speculating since Marvel announced the casting of Dove Cameron in this fifth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Seeing how this season of S.H.I.E.L.D. has us in a dystopian future where a depressed humanity is controlled by the Kree, perhaps a famous Inhuman singer is what humanity needs to cheer up a bit.
Lilandra Neramani and the Shi’ar
The internet exploded into speculation after Jessica Chastain was cast in the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Many fans theorized that she would be playing the Shi’ar queen Lilandra Neramani. Lilandra and the Shi'ar are major antagonists from the Dark Phoenix Saga, so their inclusion in X-Men: Dark Phoenix makes sense.
We still don’t know who Chastain is really playing, but perhaps we’ll be seen Lilandra in a different cinematic universe entirely.
Since the Kree and the Skrulls are set to engage in an all-out war in 2019’s Captain Marvel, fans have been speculating that the Shi’ar will also be making an appearance in that film. Maybe they could even appear in Phase 4’s third Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
Professor X
Professor Charles Xavier is arguably the most important X-Men character, and tone of the most well-known. He is also the one Marvel Studios should bring first into the MCU after the Disney-Fox deal goes into motion. Hence, he could already be existing in the MCU.
From a narrative perspective, one way to tie everything together is to make it so Professor X erased everyone’s mind about the existence of mutants. That way when the inevitable Disney X-Men movie arrives, he can be the starting point from which the X-Men can enter the MCU. Even all of the entries on this list can be retconned into the MCU with the powers of Professor X. The only question would be: is it McAvoy or Stewart?
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Which other X-Men characters do you think could already exist in the MCU? Let us know in the comments.
