Where are the X-Men in Marvel's Phases 4, 5, and 6, and why aren't they confirmed as part of the Multiverse Saga? Marvel regained the rights to the X-Men back in 2019 after Disney purchased Fox; that same year, Kevin Feige teased "mutants" coming to the MCU, but Marvel is clearly playing the very, very long game with them. It took three years for Marvel to officially introduce mutants to the MCU, with Ms. Marvel confirming that Kamala Khan was one. That timing of that reveal itself suggested bigger things were coming - it was just weeks before San Diego Comic-Con, with Marvel unveiling a new slate of movies that stretches into 2025.
Confirming that Phases 4-6 make up the Multiverse Saga, it will all conclude with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Most interestingly as far as the X-Men are concerned, however, is Marvel's prominent placement of the other major characters it got in the Fox deal. The Fantastic Four movie will begin Phase 6, opening in November 2024 and likely setting up the two Avengers movies in a considerable way. With their links to Kang the Conqueror, the Multiverse, and Secret Wars, it makes sense they're being considered so important, but what about the X-Men?
Despite Ms. Marvel's tease, there wasn't even a mention of mutants in the MCU at Comic-Con 2022, with no time devoted to talking about The Marvels. That perhaps makes it less surprising there was no big X-Men reveal either, although it should be noted D23 takes place in September 2022, and will presumably have further announcements. Nonetheless, not having the X-Men in Phases 4-6, while jarring when considering the expected timeline and 2019 tease, does make at least some sense. The mutants don't necessarily need to play a major role in the Multiverse Saga, but can do so anyway via Kamala Khan and other characters who could be retconned; it can use these to introduce more mutants and build to the X-Men within the saga.
Could MCU Phase 7 Be The Mutants Saga & Introduce The X-Men?
Marvel's announcements means there is a clear roadmap not only for Phase 4, but right through Phase 5 and to the ending of Phase 6, with Secret Wars bringing the Multiverse Saga to a close. It's a long way off, but since they know that's the end, there is also a question of what comes next. Introducing the X-Men to the MCU should be a major event in its own right; trying to fit it in alongside Kang the Conqueror and two Avengers movies would be a lot, but devoting a Phase - or Phases - to the mutants and fully building up to the X-Men? That could be a much better way of doing it, making Phase 7 (and beyond) the Mutants Saga.
The X-Men are certainly big enough to warrant it, and could be an Avengers level event movie. One of the smartest ways the MCU could use the X-Men - and differentiate them from Fox - is to have an array of solo movies, and not just Wolverine either. Characters such as Cyclops or Storm could be given individual films, alongside established MCU heroes revealed as having the latent X-gene awakened in some way. The MCU's Earth having to come to terms with the presence of mutants would allow from some classic X-Men stories around the mistreatment and mistrust of them by society and politicians; there's a wealth of material and myriad ways that could inform multiple movies and TV shows. Marvel is clearly in no rush with the X-Men, but with so much potential and no harm in taking its time - the further away from Fox's movies, the better, arguably - then Phase 7 being for mutants could be stronger all round.
