MCU Officially Uses "X-Men" In Canon: What It Means

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 9.

While the finale for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law managed to subvert expectations with a gauntlet of surprising twists, one of the most exciting (and bizarre) was the first official use of the term X-Men. In the final episode, Jennifer Walters is the most meta she's ever been when the last act of her show starts becoming way too formulaic. As such, She-Hulk goes straight to the top brass to demand changes (while also having significant questions about the MCU in general).

In She-Hulk episode 9, She-Hulk exits her own show the second she realizes her finale was turning into yet another CGI brawl, a trend the majority of Marvel Studios' series often fall into. As such, She-Hulk heads straight to the offices of Marvel Studios to speak with Marvel President Kevin Feige. However, Feige is revealed to be an AI robot known as the Knowledge Enhanced Visual Interconnectivity Nexus, making decisions via an algorithm that creates "near-perfect products". While K.E.V.I.N allows Jen to make changes to the She-Hulk finale, he's less willing to answer her other questions like when the long-awaited X-Men are going to show up. Remarkably, this marks the first time the X-Men name has officially been said in the MCU - and while it doesn't make them concretely canon yet, the fact an in-universe character knows of their existence bodes well for their impending future not being too far away.

Do The X-Men Already Exist In The MCU?

An alternate universe Professor X was introduced in Doctor Strange 2, and Kamala Khan was revealed to be a mutant in Ms. Marvel, but neither project verbally said the "X-Men" name, though both featured the theme song from the 90s animated series. As such, it's pretty significant that She-Hulk openly uses the name while grilling K.E.V.I.N, especially given the widespread assumptions prior to this episode that Deadpool would have been the logical fourth-wall-breaking hero to start setting up the X-Men.

Given the meta nature of the official name-drop, it's hard to say if the X-Men already exist in the universe or not. Likewise, the rest of the series hasn't made the distinction any easier, thanks to She-Hulks's multiple yet vague teases of Wolverine and even one for Cyclops. They were either ambiguous enough to not provide any concrete evidence or were featured in the episode's drawn credits sequences (such as the X-Men-styled sneakers). That being said, it's worth noting that there is now a character in the MCU who knows the X-Men exist, even if they haven't officially arrived just yet.

When Will The MCU's X-Men Movie Happen?

Jen Walters asks about X-Men in She-Hulk Finale

Hilariously, Jen Walters' thumbs up to the screen is the perfect confirmation that Marvel Studios is well aware how much audiences are eagerly awaiting the MCU X-Men. While the teases have been fun, their official debut can't come sooner for many, though they'll probably have to wait until MCU Phase 6 or even Phase 7. The MCU release calendar is already quite packed from now till 2026, though X-fans should certainly be looking forward to 2024's Deadpool 3 starring Ryan Reynolds and the return of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Beyond the fact that their partnership will finally be happening on screen, the film currently has the best odds of informing audiences about where and when they'll see Marvel's mutants make their official debut in the MCU. Now that the X-Men have officially been named thanks to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, it truly is only a matter of time.

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