X-Men on Hulu and TV isn’t the end and might be a better move

Why do the X-Men make more sense on TV than in theaters?

The X-Men franchises have been in limbo since Disney bought the rights to Marvel’s mutants. Will the X-Men make it to Phase Four or five in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? What’s going on with Deadpool? Will the Gambit movie ever get made (probably not)? Recently, there have been rumors that the New Mutants movie may end up on Hulu instead of in theaters. This is disappointing, but there could be a good way to look at this seemingly bad news.

Recently, X-Men franchise producer Lauren Shuler Donner said she’d be disappointed in if New Mutants went straight to Hulu instead of theaters. She said,

“They worked hard on it. I want to see it released (theatrically), I’d hate to see it thrown at Hulu.”

It would be disappointing if New Mutants debuted on Hulu. After so much went into this being a theatrical release the cast and crew deserve to have their hard work come into fruition on the big screen. However, let’s look on the bright side of this. If New Mutants went to Hulu more people may get to see it than if it hit theaters. Thus launching the show into more projects. Maybe another movie that will actually go to theaters or maybe its own TV show.

The X-Men have recently been a success on TV. The Gifted is on its second season and going strong while Legion will be entering its third and final season (as FX CEO John Landgraf intended it to). The main thing that has made these shows successful is being able to tell a proper story. The X-Men are a giant family with a plethora of intense and deep tales to be told. In order to tell them properly, they need time.

Let’s use Hugh Jackman’sThe Wolverine as an example. Japan shaped Logan’s life. Almost everything that’s good can be traced back to his time in Japan. Making this a TV series instead of a movie could have explored those crucial moments. We could have seen Logan explore Japan without his powers and learn martial arts to better protect him. Gone deeper into his relationship with The Hand, Clan Yashida, Yukio, and Mariko Yashida. And this is just Japan.

There’s also his time in Canada (before and after Weapon X) and all of his solo missions away from the X-Men. And not just Logan. Imagine what could be done with a deeper dive into the lives of Mystique as she became a villain, Domino’s life as a mercenary, and X-23 when she was one of the X-Men. The possibilities are endless.

The X-Men movies haven’t been well received since X-Men: Days of the Future Past in 2014. X-Men: Apocalypse was looked as one of the worst comic book movies and people don’t have high hopes for X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Counting X-Men: The Last Stand. That’s three movies that have turned fans off from the franchise. If people don’t like the direction of the franchise, this is going to turn people off from spending money theaters. However, they will watch it if it’s on a streaming service they pay for.

Maybe it’s time to try something new. Since TV is working for some of the other X-Men franchises, maybe it’s a sign that this is the right way to go.