The X-Men should take some time off for a bit before joining the MCU say Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. After wrapping up The Infinity Saga with directors Joe and Anthony Russo, Markus and McFeely are set to tackle other projects outside of the successful franchise. But with the impending introduction of the mutants and the Fantastic Four in the interconnected film series, the writing duo offer their sentiments about how to tackle their arrival, and if it was up to them, the X-Men should rest for a while before getting rebooted and eventually debuted in the MCU.
Disney's acquisition of Fox's TV and movie assets early this year included the return of certain rights of Marvel characters to Marvel Studios. That means that the long-separated X-Men and Avengers will finally rub elbows sometime in the future. MCU architect Kevin Feige has yet to divulge specific plans for the mutants, and how they will be incorporated in the established franchise lore. The confirmed Phase 4 doesn't have any trace of the upcoming mutants, and it may be that case for a while.
Speaking with Collider during San Diego Comic-Con, Markus and McFeely pick Silver Surfer as the character they're most excited to see on the big screen following the Disney/Fox acquisition, especially if they "take it full-on cosmic." McFeely justified this pick by adding that Marvel Studios should hold off introducing the mutants in the MCU. "I think X-Men should rest a second. I could be wrong, but I think they should rest. But Surfer could use a really good standalone," he said.
Since news broke out that the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and their tie-in characters are coming home to Marvel Studios as part of the bigger Disney/Fox deal, fans have come up with their own theories on how Feige and his team can introduce them into he franchise. There was never any question about Marvel's first family getting rebooted considering Fox's repeated failed attempts to launch their own franchise, but things are a bit tricker with the mutants given their long-running film series, albeit a truly convoluted timeline. Granted that it went out on a low note with Dark Phoenix, but it had some pretty great entries such as X-Men Days of Future Past, X2: X-Men United and Logan, as well as the cult favorite Deadpool (although it's confirmed to continue). But arguably the most difficult part of rebooting the saga is the idea of recasting the actors, particularly James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as Professor X and Magneto, and even Hugh Jackman's Wolverine despite already hanging his claws back in 2017.
Given the attachment fans still have for the X-Men saga, Markus and McFeely's suggestion to put them in the backseat for quite a while makes sense. Instead, Marvel Studios should focus their efforts in crafting a (finally) good Fantastic Four film, and maybe even a Silver Surfer standalone. Feige did hint about the mutants in the MCU during his Hall H presentation, but refused to give any specific detail about their eventual arrival. That doesn't mean, however, that they haven't figured out how to debut them in the franchise. Looking at their confirmed slate, they'll survive for a handful more years without the urgency to use the characters they now manage after Disney's Fox buyout.
Source: Collider
