The X-Men are going to be very important to the MCU, but it’s going to be awhile before we actually get them on screen. Speaking with Omelete, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige offered some updates on the MCU and its upcoming projects for Disney D23 Brazil this weekend, including a pretty major update regarding the X-Men, specifically about the timing of their arrival in the MCU. According to Feige, the iconic team and characters have a big role in the franchise’s future, but it sounds like we might not be seeing them until after Avengers: Secret Wars.
“When we were preparing for Avengers: Endgame years ago, it was a matter of getting to the grand finale of our narrative, and then we had to start all over again after that,” Feige said. “This time, heading into Secret Wars, we already know very well what the story is going to be up until then and after that. The X-Men are an important part of that future.”
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With Avengers: Secret Wars not set to hit theaters until 2027, it’s likely to be a few years before the X-Men get their time to shine — and that’s assuming the current MCU release schedule holds (and historically, we know there are often changes and shifts). However, Feige’s update may not push the MCU X-Men too far further than fans already have suspected. In October, it was announced that there were three new movie projects on the release schedule for 2028 — one in February, one in May, and one in November. Since that number of movies in a year largely matches what fans have come to expect for MCU releases, many fans speculated that one of those dates could be reserved for the X-Men. Given that Feige also put the arrival of the X-Men into the context of whatever goes down with Secret Wars, one of those 2028 dates seem even more likely for the team. With that in mind, sure, it will be a wait for the X-Men but it’s not something that fans weren’t already expecting.
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As for what specific characters might appear in the lead up for the X-Men’s big arrival, since Deadpool & Wolverine’s massive success earlier this year, fans have been hopeful that we could see the two characters in the larger MCU, maybe even in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. However, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds recently addressed those hopes and the character’s overall future in the MCU but didn’t reveal anything — including solid plans.
“I’m not even being cagey,” he said. “We’ll see what happens there.”
Waiting For the X-Men Might Not Be a Bad Thing
While fans are certainly eager to see the iconic team arrive in the MCU, it might. not be a bad thing for Marvel to take their time. The current Multiverse Saga hasn’t been Marvel’s best as compared to the highs of the Infinity Saga and at this point, trying to stuff the X-Men in before things have been sorted out and set back on a more solid path would probably make fans happy just for the whole instant gratification of it all, but wouldn’t necessarily result in the kind of debut the heroes (and honestly, the fans) deserve. By waiting to bring the team in until Avengers: Secret Wars presumably results in a whole new MCU (that’s sort of what the Secret Wars events do in comics, after all), the long-awaited X-Men will not only get their due but could be a guiding force of the next chapter of Marvel’s storytelling on screen — and that feels like a win for everyone involved.