This is a topic that's near and dear to my heart. I have always wanted to see my favorite mutants on the big screen with my favorite Avengers and Spider-Man and everyone else. The childlike collector in me is excited for Wolverine's claws to meet Cap's shield like on that famous Mike Zeck cover. I want to see Storm and T'Challa meet for the first time. Or even catch the meeting of the mightiest minds in Marvel: Xavier, Beast, Reed Richards, Peter Parker, and Tony Stark. Sadly, it won't ever live up to my imagination (RIP Tony), but I have a lot of high hopes for the eventual inclusion of the Marvel mutants into the MCU. So, for today's Blog of X I am diving into a few possibilities that might allow the filmmakers to bridge the comic and the film worlds. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Also let me know how you would do it!
For me, I feel like there are three main ways in which the MCU could introduce mutants: They can CHANGE HISTORY in the MCU, they can BRING THEM FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE, or they can make it so mutants WERE ALWAYS HERE, we just didn't know it. Let's discuss them each of these options in greater detail.
CHANGE HISTORY:
I personally think this is the worst way they could bring mutants aboard these films because time travel is always more trouble than it's worth. But that doesn't mean the writers won't try it. This can certainly happen in a number of ways. We have time travel as a significant part of the MCU after Endgame so they could 'retcon' themselves a new timeline if they wanted to make a change back in the past. In fact, I'm even hearing rumors that the Loki TV series will use time travel in significant ways. All of which could alter the MCU timeline in a number of ways, opening the door for a population of mutants living among us.
Either they travel back and make that change to history (Kang and Ant-Man can both accomplish this) OR someone makes a change to history with their powers (Dr. Strange or Wanda seem the best options). In both cases, we end up with an alternate present, and mutants are now a part of it. People who were once without powers now have them, and people like Wanda Maximoff, who supposedly got her abilities from Loki's staff, can be retconned to a place where the staff merely amplified her abilities. Personally I feel like it's lazy writing to go this way because it makes a mess of all the previous films and builds a new MCU on shifting sands. I really hope they don't go for this but who knows?
BRING THEM FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE:
This seems like a likely option to me and one I would be interested to see. With the idea of multiple dimensions on the horizon in the MCU, it's totally possible that mutants are in a separate dimension. If the writers fold a few of these worlds together (2015's Secret Wars and X of Swords do this to some extent) we would get mutants in the MCU. I like the possibilities this opens.
A Secret Wars story, that has heroes from a variety of worlds/dimensions coming together on Battleworld, would set this up. At the end of the event the universe could be 'realigned' and, PRESTO, we now have mutants and Avengers in one universe. Whether they use the Hickman event or the Jim Shooter one (please oh please), this could work really well. They can introduce the mutants in the event and then afterwards give them each their own films to shine.
There's another way in which this strategy could work. Wanda could also be a part of this story concept. Think of it like a reverse House of M. What if an unstable Scarlet Witch (is there another kind?) decides the world is better off without Avengers? She whispers the words "no more Avengers" and changes the universe, possibly putting mutants to the forefront. The MCU is full of times when the writers flipped a concept on its head but still used the core idea. For me, the House of M storyline is ripe with options. Imagine an event movie that ends with her saying these words and then the next film starts with Magneto in charge. You could introduce this entire new world and all these characters while we wonder what happened to our favorite Avenger characters. In the end, the universe would be fixed, but perhaps with mutants now as part of the MCU moving forward.
MUTANTS WERE ALWAYS HERE:
This also feels like a solid option, in my opinion. I see several ways in which this could work. One, is that mutants have been keeping their existence secret to avoid attention. It makes them more covert AND allows for some fun moments from the past to be reframed. They could have several films that take place in the past and give us a glimpse at mutants in different time periods, like the Fox films did. Think, New Team vs Old Team. Also this would allow for team members from different eras, meaning more mutant characters.
The other way this works is if they want to start mutants off at ground zero. What if we get to see Charles Xavier and Magneto starting their journey? Mutants have always existed but their population has begun to explode and now they are more out in the open. Xavier decides to start a school to help these children, since nobody was really there to help him. Magneto, instead, decides to create an army. We could get to see the birth of mutant-dom right in the middle of the MCU.
So there you have it. A few possible theories on how the MCU might incorporate the mutant universe into their films. Let me know what you think and how you want them to pull of this feat because it will be a tricky prospect.
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