Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
15 X-Men stories that we need to see in the MCU after Avengers: Endgame!
For years, Marvel Comics fans have wanted the X-Men in the MCU! Unfortunately, with Disney and 20th Century Fox owning them separately, it seemed like that dream would never come true.
Well, good news comic book and movie fans! The 20th Century Fox and Disney deal has officially been completed. That means characters like Deadpool, the Fantastic Four, and (of course) the X-Men will all be in MCU movies in the future.
This leads to questions about what’s next. Will we finally get the fight between the Hulk and Wolverine that we’ve been waiting for? Kitty Pryde was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the comics, will this happen again? Will Captain America yell at Deadpool for using bad language? These are the exciting questions that may finally get answered.
There are some classic X-Men story arcs that need to be told. Will House of M be a crossover? Will we get X-Cutioner’s Song and introduce Stryfe? Will we get Mojo World be adapted into a weird reality TV show movie project? There are dozens of X-Men stories that need to be told.
Here are 15 X-Men stories that should definitely be adapted into movies in the MCU.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
15. God Loves, Man Kills
While this is one of the older X-Men stories, it’s one of the deepest. Unfortunately, we live in a world full of hate. Skin color, creed, place of birth, and other differences are used on a regular basis as poor excuses to fight and wage wars. This story sheds a light on these issues.
Mutants are looked at as something other than human. Reverend William Stryker added fuel to the fire of this hatred by making it a religious thing as well by saying things like mutants are spawns of Satan that should be killed. This movie could be both a statement to the world and a good story. X2: X-Men United took a shot at this and did an amazing job. This series is so good it deserves a reboot in the MCU.
The title God Loves, Man Kills is enough to draw attention. This may seem to heavy for a movie, but the X-Men comic books have never shied away from touchy subjects. The movies should follow suit and this is the perfect movie to get it all started. A man of god who kills his child because he’s a mutant and his wife for giving birth to him may be too intense for a Disney movie, but it could be implied and not shown. Stryker also gives the audience a real villain to hate.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
14. Messiah Complex/Second Coming
After Wanda Maximoff said “No more mutants” during House of M, 90 percent of mutants around the world lost their powers.
Many of them died because they depended on their abilities to live. For years, there were no new mutant births. Then, one day, a mutant was born and gave hope to mutants.
After defeating the Purifiers, Marauders, and a mutant eating monster (Predator X), the X-Men let Cable take the baby (named Hope Summers) into the future to let her become whatever she wanted to be.
Hope came back from the future after years of training in harsh conditions. She and Cable were immediately attacked by Bastion’s goons. He devised a plan to destroy all of the remaining mutants, but Hope had to be taken care of first. Thankfully, the X-Men were there to stop him and Hope finished Bastion off for good and revealed her unknown mutant powers.
Messiah Complex and Second Coming are two of the best X-men stories in recent years. They have all of the action you’d want from an X-book on top of an emotional story. The audience would get to see Cyclops at his best as he creates undefeatable plans, something that the world has yet to see on the big screen.
Also, this gives exposure to a plethora of X-Men people may not know about. This could be split into multiple movies among the X-Men, their young team, and X-Factor. The X-Men could and should have a phase separate from the Avengers.
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13. E is for Extinction
The mutant community was flourishing. While they were still hated and feared, they finally had a home of their own where they wouldn’t be judged. The island of Genosha used to be a place that enslaved mutants until they were freed by Magneto. Just when it looked like things were going right, disaster struck.
The twin sister of Charles Xavier named Cassandra Nova took control of giant Sentinels that destroyed almost every life in Genosha. The X-Men were powerless to stop the attack and all Xavier could do was watch through Cerebra (Beast renamed it in this series) as the population went from millions to less than a thousand.
This was a story of tragedy, but this was also the start of something new. The X-Men had a new powerful villain (Cassandra Nova) who is responsible for the X-Men being enemies of the Shi’ar on top of the attempted genocide in Genosha. Emma Frost became an X-Man and teacher at Xavier’s school and was key in the breakup of Scott Summers and Jean Grey. This was also the time where the X-Men started wearing the leather costumes.
One of the most important things in this project would be getting Emma Frost right. X-Men: First Class was great, but she was not. Emma wasn’t given enough screen time to give her the respect she deserves. She’s one of the most powerful telepaths in the world and an underrated character.
DF-10571 – Sophie Turner stars as Jean Grey in Twentieth Century Fox’s X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX. Photo Credit: Doane Gregory.
12. Dark Phoenix Saga
When the trial of the Phoenix started, the X-Men ended up fighting the Shi’ar Imperial Guard for the life of their friend (a battle between the X-Men and the Shi’ar could be breathtakingly good on-screen). It ends tragically when Jean Grey sacrifices herself before the Phoenix could take control of her, destroy more planets, and kill millions of innocent people. This was one of the saddest moments in the history of the X-Men, even after she died and came back.
The Dark Phoenix Saga has a lot of ties to space beyond Jean getting her powers there. Like it was mentioned above, this could be the beginning of the Shi’ar. An alien race and people love intergalactic movies. It could also be how we get a movie about the Starjammers and a crossover with the Guardians of the Galaxy. It may be a while before this happens, but it absolutely should.
It’s unfortunate that people aren’t more excited for the X-Men: Dark Phoenix project. Sure, the last X-Men movie (X-Men: Apocalypse) wasn’t that good, but that shouldn’t deter people from the upcoming project. Unfortunately, it will.
Even if the movie does fantastic, The Dark Phoenix Saga should be told in the future. This story has potential for more than one film. The Shi’ar, Starjammers, and the Hellfire Club. The Hellfire Club was in the beginning of this story, and this could be the way to reintroduce them.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
11. Proteus
The X-Men’s villains are some of the fiercest in comics. Magneto, Mr. Sinister, and Apocalypse are among the strongest and the X-Men have continuously defeated them. There’s one bad guy that people forget about when the subject of power comes up, an antagonist so powerful he scared Wolverine frozen the first time they fought, the son of Dr. Moira MacTaggert, also known as Proteus.
Proteus has the ability to possess bodies and use them up into a husk. While this is a scary thing to deal with, it isn’t what makes him so dangerous. Among his abilities is the power to warp reality around him. His only weakness is metal. It was Colossus who eventually got the final blow when they fought. In the Exiles, Proteus developed the ability to teleport to different realities. This gave him an endless supply of beings to torment until he settled on Morph whose body wouldn’t wear out.
This series shows a different side of the X-Men. One where they were scared after being defeated. It took Cyclops putting himself in danger to get them back on track. He attacked them as a training exercise. He even admitted that he was also testing himself as well. Cyclops needs a win. This could be the movie where he’s finally not looked at as a weak character. Plus, Proteus’ powers are going to look phenomenal in HD and in 3D.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
10. Astonishing X-Men
Cyclops was tired of the X-Men not being recognized as one of the best superhero teams in the world. They’ve saved the universe more time than their world knows. As Cyclops put it, they’re looked at as Magnetos waiting to happen. Cyclops put an A-Team together. Emma Frost, Beast, Wolverine, and Kitty Pryde (Colossus came later) were his choices. They once again saved Earth from destruction (literally) and continued to protect a world that hated and feared them.
Joss Whedon’s run of Astonishing X-Men was near flawless. It wasn’t just an action-packed book full of terrific humor. It broke down each member of the X-Men to their core. For example, Cyclops’ fear of not being a good enough leader, Emma Frost dealing with her past as a villain, and Beast’s story of how he felt with his appearance were all used to make this a profound series. This was the comic that started Kitty Pryde on her journey to be a leader. We saw that she came a long way from being the little teenage girl who joined the X-Men. She was sure of herself and prided herself on being an X-Man. The way her and Emma Frost interacted was brilliant and would be perfect for a movie series.
Also, this book introduced. S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department) and their director Abigail Brand. Both S.W.O.R.D. and Brand work in other MCU projects as well.
Credit: 20th Century Fox/Marvel Entertainment; from Deadpool 2 (2018)
9. X-Force
During Deadpool 2, the popular X-family team X-Force! was introduced. X-Force didn’t get a big chance to shine since all of them except Domino died before they could start fighting.
Initially, X-Force was going to be one of the next movies in the Deadpool franchise. With Disney now having the rights to 20th Century Fox Marvel characters, that project may be on hold. Not making this a movie would be a colossal mistake.
While it would help to have Deadpool, you don’t need him to be part of the X-Force movie, especially since he wasn’t with them in the comics originally. The team would be fine without him. Josh Brolin (Cable) and Zazie Beetz (Domino) were already perfect in their roles in Deadpool 2. They can more than carry the franchise. Their chemistry on-screen was flawless. Because they were together in the comics, there could be a love angle that wouldn’t seem forced. Or should I say, X-Forced (rim shot)!
Beyond the idea that Deadpool, Domino, and Cable were amazing together in Deadpool 2, the other members of the team in the comics would help carry the movie. Shatterstar could even still be involved since he could be a creation rather than be the son of Longshot and also his dad (long and confusing story). There’s also characters like Boom Boom, Canonball, Warpath, and few others that have come and gone. X-Force is a must have in the MCU.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
8. Exiles
The Exiles are a group of reality-traveling heroes charged with repairing the multiverse. That’s a hard enough task on its own. It was even more complicated since the team consisted of mutants from different Earths across different realities.
Blink was from the Age of Apocalypse universe. Mimic was a joke in the 616 Universe, but was his world’s greatest hero. Morph was an Avenger and an X-Man. Sasquatch was a woman who helped lead her world’s Alpha Flight. Nocturne (an X-Man) is the daughter of Scarlet Witch and Nightcrawler. Mariko Yashida was Sunfire and an X-Man. Each of them came together and ended up becoming a team and like family.
This may seem like a tricky project, but Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse made this easier. First off, movie fans who don’t know comics now understand that there are other versions of characters. This makes the multiverse concept easier to explain. Second, this would be perfect to make into a cartoon project, especially considering how colorful the characters are physically and within their personalities and powers.
The Exiles fought all sorts of beings during their time together. They’ve also had roster changes and deaths along the way. This could keep the franchise going on however long it remained profitable and popular. The concept would never get stale since you can change the roster and villains to keep things fresh.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
7. Enemy Of The State
Wolverine is one of the most dangerous beings in comic books and feared by almost everyone. In Enemy of the State, Wolverine was killed, resurrected, and brainwashed into being a killing machine for the Hand and Hydra. The world was so afraid that they ordered heroes to lockdown in their bases and told them to never go on patrol alone. They feared that Wolverine would kill and turn them into agents of Hydra. During this time, Wolverine infiltrated the Baxter Building which is the most fortified building in the world. In the end, it took the combined efforts of the X-Men and Avengers to take him down. Once he was back, Nick Fury was happy since he, as he put it, got his little killing machine back.
This could be an action-packed series with a bit of fear. Wolverine being a villain creeping up and killing people could be the MCU’s first horror-like project. This isn’t a story full of wise words and such. It was bloody and brutal. This also brings in everyone in Marvel like The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Elektra, and S.H.I.E.L.D. There was even a side story where Wolverine fought Namor.
The big villain in this arc was Gorgon. He’s super fast, strong, a telepath, and could turn you to stone by making eye contact. He was actually the one who took Logan down in the beginning of the series. His defeat by Wolverine was incredibly satisfying.
Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL..Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) ..Photo: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2019
6. Rogue and Captain Marvel
Rogue was just a young girl when she came across Mystique and became her adopted daughter. Rogue eventually came up against Carol Danvers. After holding onto Danvers too long, Rogue’s mutant powers absorbed all of Carol Danvers’ powers and memories. While this is a pretty straight forward story, it leads to a project that fans would love to see. Shortly after Captain Marvel debuted in theaters, the ink dried on the 20th Century Fox and Disney deal. Memes of Rogue versus Captain Marvel flooded the internet. While it was a joke, it’s something fans have been waiting to see for years.
Their rivalry has been around for decades and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon. Even though Rogue was young and being manipulated by Mystique, Carol Danvers still holds a grudge. Who could blame her? Rogue violated Carol by taking her away her memories and powers. Rogue could be an antagonist in a Captain Marvel movie or the reason behind Carol Danvers being away for a bit if Brie Larson needs a break.
Rogue without super-strength and the ability to fly disappointed the fans in the first X-Men movies. There’s no reason why this mistake won’t be rectified in the future. Especially now that how she gains the extra powers can be explained in a movie.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
5. New X-Men
The X-Men are one of the few teams that have young members that consistently works with the adult roster. The Young Avengers are around, but they don’t run around with Cap, Thor, and Iron Man all that much. The younger X-Men do because they didn’t have a choice. After M-Day, the X-Men watched as some of their friends died when they lost their powers. Even worse was when they were helpless as the Purifiers killed their depowered comrades in a cowardly attack. This caused the younger mutants to mature quickly. They even saved the adult X-Men on more than a few occasions.
The younger X-Men roster isn’t full of characters that you may know other than X-23. That doesn’t mean they aren’t great. For example, Rockslide adds a ton of humor with layers to his personality. Hellion has to deal with his issues with his arrogance since he’s full of power. Mercury’s parents were ashamed of her when her powers manifested and this made her develop insecurities about her looks and abilities.
The New X-Men series writes itself. Even if they don’t involve the varsity roster, the team is full of stories that will more than hold their own. If that isn’t enough, they could also be a big market for teenagers and kids. Most of their powers aren’t extremely violent. Even if X-23 is involved Wolverine was in a cartoon and remained a great character. They would be a great addition to the MCU.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
4. Deadpool: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Deadpool has been experimented on more times than even he knows. In this series, we find out that one of the groups were knocking him out and taking his organs. Deadpool goes to Captain America and Wolverine for help since they’re both products of Weapon Plus (Cap is Weapon 1 and Logan is Weapon X/10) and he thought that program was assaulting him.
When Deadpool made it stop, he was taken out of the country and used as their guinea pig for good after they threatened to kill his daughter and the mother. Eventually, Deadpool escaped. On his way to find out what’s going on, he finds Captain America and Wolverine were unconscious in tubes.
There is a misconception that Deadpool only jokes and that his stories don’t have layers. This run proves otherwise. Seeing Wade Wilson serious and calm was probably shocking to some people. Considering the circumstances, this shouldn’t be shocking. He found out that the woman who gave birth to his daughter was killed and that his daughter may be dead as well. It made it worse when he realized they died for knowing him.
Vanessa is Wade’s girlfriend in the movies. Even if this remains the same, the story still works. Wade had a life before Vanessa. Also, having both Captain America (or a different Avenger) and Wolverine in this movie is a money-maker.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
3. X-Factor: Madrox “Multiple Choice”
The series starts after Madrox couldn’t decide if he wanted to stay in or go out. He decides to do both and sends a couple of his duplicates to go out and have fun. One of them comes back with fatal injuries. After he reabsorbs the dying dupe (which is a traumatic experience) he finds out his dupe was murdered. Madrox ventures to Chicago which leads him on a path no one saw coming.
Jamie Madrox has been an obscure character for years. It wasn’t until this series that Madrox came into his own. His power became more than just making duplicates. They manifest as different aspects of his personality. What’s weird is they’re random and don’t always cooperate with him. He was a reluctant leader who took charge of a group of mutants who were dedicated to solving the cases no one else will touch. Most of them were cases involving the remaining mutants post-Day.
This is a perfect story to debut The Multiple Man. It’s full of murder, mystery, and a clue into Jamie Madrox’s powers. Things Jamie didn’t even know about. Not only do we get a full look into the character, everyone loves mystery. While there is a lot of serious moments, Madrox is a goofy character that balances the sometimes dark tone. Madrox tries to live the life of a film noir detective. While he doesn’t always do it well, it’s always entertaining.
Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics
2. Age of Apocalypse
Legion is the son of Charles Xavier and one of the strongest meta-humans in the universe. The bad part is that his powers make him crazy. His mutant abilities create multiple personalities in him that generate new powers. In an attempt to try to fix mutant and human relations, Legion went back in time to try to kill Magneto. This plan ended up backfiring. He accidentally killed Xavier and made the world worse.
Apocalypse rose to power and created a new world. Some of the heroes didn’t exist and some were drastically changed. Cyclops and Havok worked with Mr. Sinister, Hank McCoy became an evil sadistic scientist named Dark Beast, and Magento took on his dead friend Charles Xavier’s dream of mutants coexisting with humans.
This series could be a complete phase in the MCU. There are a lot of stories to get into. The world is broken up and scared of mutants. There’s no way the Avengers wouldn’t be affected by this. It would be interesting to see how Captain Marvel, Thor, or Spider-Man would change with everything going on. Someone like T’Challa might have to do something out of character to keep the people of Wakanda safe and happy.
Age of Apocalypse is a story that shows a world completely different from what movie goers aren’t used to seeing. Considering that a mutant changed the world (and for some reason, people hate House of M) this event could lead to the final slide in this article.
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1. Avengers VS X-Men
The Avengers VS X-Men comic book series revolved around the Avengers trying to protect the world from Hope Summers being possessed by the Phoenix Force while the X-Men trying to protect her from the Avengers. The Avengers have never really helped the X-Men when they were in trouble. When Captain America showed up to take Hope away Cyclops felt that it was selfish. To Cyclops looked like they were just trying to hold the mutant community down. The discussion ends when Cyclops optic blasts Cap and called for the Avengers to assemble.
This is the movie everyone has been waiting for. Even people who aren’t comic book fans want to see this. We’ll get the battles of a lifetime. Cyclops vs Captain America, Iron Man vs Magneto, Storm vs Thor and a ton of other matchups. Hulk vs Wolverine alone would be worth the ticket price and the expensive concession stand treats.
It’s been reported that the X-Men won’t happen in Marvel Studios for years. This means that there’s time to build up the story and do things right. While an idea like Legion being the cause of the two teams fighting could work, it may seem forced. Being patient with this story means the Phoenix Force could be introduced making the movie seem more like the comic book series. If the decade plus build up to Avengers: Endgame taught us anything, it’s that good things are worth waiting for.
What X-Men stories do you want to see in the MCU? Let us know in the comments section!