Marvel is working on bringing mutants into the MCU, but when will their X-Men movie release? Marvel Studios unveiled their entire MCU Phase 4 slate at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, and among those announcements were teases at the future of the franchise, specifically regarding the introducing of mutants and the Fantastic Four.
There is surely a temptation within Disney in order to make the X-Men a part of the MCU as quickly as possible, but plans are already underway for the next two years worth of MCU movies and TV shows. It also seems more likely that Blade and Fantastic Four would debut before a new X-Men movie, as the former already has a lead actor and the latter was specifically name-dropped. Plus, giving the Fantastic Four - who are also known as Marvel's First Family - a proper treatment on the big screen is very much needed. The previous Fantastic Four movies have squandered Doctor Doom's potential as a supervillain and the MCU is looking to add new enemies, especially now that Thanos is gone.
Phase 4 of the MCU is booked up with movies and TV shows until the end of 2021. It's unlikely that an X-Men movie will be out before then, even if it was fast-tracked into development today. Marvel will also want to avoid outshining Blade and Fantastic Four, which an X-Men movie could do. If Blade is the closest to enter production, then that will likely be released in 2022, with Fantastic Four possibly being released in 2023. If Marvel is spacing out its new projects, then the first X-Men movie in the MCU would likely be released in 2024.
There is also the issue of X-Men: Dark Phoenix to consider, as it was negatively received and bombed at the box office. The story of the original X-Men movies ended with a whimper instead of a bang, and the numerous delays with New Mutants have not inspired confidence as to its ability to bring a satisfying conclusion to the original X-Men movie saga. It would make sense for Disney to see the X-Men movie brand as damaged in the short term and in need of a rest, as the MCU has more than enough content to keep it going for years to come without ever needing an appearance from the mutants.
And so, Marvel might wait a few more years to release an X-Men movie, but that doesn't mean there won't be any build-up to their arrival. Phase 4 of the MCU will likely start to include hints about the team's existence, or offer an explanation as to why mutants have started to appear. The fact that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige mentioned the mutants means that the process of their inclusion in the MCU has begun, and any of the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows could offer the world its first glimpse at the new X-Men.
