The return of X-Men is one of the most exciting aspects of Avengers: Doomsday, but their role might be quite different from what fans are expecting. It was confirmed that the Fox X-Men will be making their way into the MCU, with original actors like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden returning to their iconic roles. However, a new report suggests this multiverse version of the X-Men will not be as heroic as we remember.
Daniel Richtman shared an unconfirmed report suggesting that the X-Men will play a villainous role in Avengers: Doomsday. Not only that, but they will be responsible for destroying the universe of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. Though not yet confirmed, there have been widespread rumors that Maguire will be returning as Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday.
Though this is still just a rumor, it would make sense for Avengers: Doomsday to head in such a direction. The Avengers: Doomsday trailer featuring the X-Men suggested the mutant characters have fallen on hard times and likely lost a lot of friends along the way. They may be desperate in their attempts to save their universe in this multiverse war.
Doctor Doom will, of course, be the story's main villain. However, it makes sense that one of the superhero teams played an antagonistic role. With the likes of The Fantastic Four and the New Avengers already cemented as heroes in the MCU, having the older version of the X-Men play villains might be the best approach. This is likely the last we'll ever see of these characters, so this could be the way to end their story.
Will fans accept the X-Men as villains?
While these X-Men characters might not be the same ones from the Fox X-Men movies, having the beloved actors playing them once again does make the villain storyline more difficult. Seeing Ian McKellen's Magneto take on the Avengers would make sense, but having the likes of Beast and Nightcrawler being bad guys might not sit right with fans.
It is possible that we will meet these characters at a desperate time in their existence, only to see them find redemption by the end. However, fans might feel it is a disservice to these characters to make them into the bad guys after all these years.
It will certainly be a gamble, but it might also set the stage for how the MCU's version of the X-Men happens. One of the biggest themes of the X-Men is that they are outsiders and "freaks" according to many humans. With the MCU already filled with superheroes, aliens, and gods, it is hard to imagine that mutants wouldn't be accepted.
The villainous version of the X-Men in Avengers: Doomsday could be the first introduction of mutants to the human population of the MCU. This could create a feeling of distrust, fear, and hatred for their kind, which will bleed over into the new X-Men characters who are eventually formed in the cinematic universe.