There are a lot of aspects within the Marvel Cinematic Universe to excited about. The never-ending franchise has all kinds of amazing and epic adventures to keep its fans entertained - whether that's on the small screen or the big screen. However, its focus has been currently on bringing a close to the ongoing Multiverse Saga, using the next two Avengers movies to do that.
With the return of Robert Downey Jr. as new villain Doctor Doom, the promise of many more exciting comebacks on the horizon too, and a multitude of endless possibilities when it comes to storylines, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are destined to be larger-than-life hits that will change the course of the MCU forever. However, they will also pave the way for the next phase of the MCU.
That includes the long-awaited X-Men movie. And, as it turns out, that movie will reportedly feature a name that's very familiar with the MCU.
Veteran Marvel producer Stephen Broussard to return for X-Men
According to reliable industry insider Daniel Richtman, Stephen Broussard will serve as a producer on Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men reboot. Broussard is currently serving as the studio's Vice President of Production and Development but he has had more of a hands-on role in specific projects. And that's what's potentially very exciting about his involvement in the X-Men movie.
Originally an assistant to Kevin Feige back before the MCU commenced its reign of dominance on Hollywood, he has gone on to become one of the most revered names within the studio. But it all started with 2008's The Incredible Hulk, on which he served as an associate producer. He then served as a co-producer on 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, and an executive producer on 2013's Iron Man 3, and 2016's Doctor Strange, as well the Disney Plus shows Loki and Echo, and both the Disney Plus Special Presentation Werewolf by Night and Marvel One-Shot All Hail The King.
As pointed out by The Direct, he also gets a "produced by" credit on both 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp and 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, highlighting his growing involvement in those particular projects. While it's not yet clear how involved he - or anyone outside of director Jake Schreier -is at this point in time, it goes without saying that it's good to have one of Marvel's most tenured creatives involved in this one in some capacity.
The X-Men is set to be one of the franchise's big focuses after the Multiverse Saga concludes with both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, with the belief being that the next Saga's main focus in particular will be the mutants. With that in mind, it's clear that X-Men needs to be successful.
A long-awaited moment in the MCU for the X-Men
The Multiverse Saga has been pivotal in opening the door for the arrival of the X-Men in the MCU. Although the franchise has not yet pinned down a version of the Mighty Mutants that will stick around, we have had cameos from the original live-action iterations. Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Kelsey Grammer returned as Beast in The Marvels, and Hugh Jackman came out of Wolverine retirement in 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine. The former two will return again in Avengers: Doomsday (alongside a host of their X-Men co-stars) while Jackman's Wolverine is expected to play a major role in the franchise going forward (perhaps alongside Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool).
None of them are expected to feature in the long-awaited X-Men movie as Marvel Studios is reportedly going to introduce us to a new host of actors in the roles of the mutants. The one thing that does appear clear according to the reports is that Wolverine won't be involved just yet, as Jackman is expected to continue in the role. Perhaps that means that he will serve as a mentor to the new heroes going forward. After all, this particular Wolverine's backstory would allow this to be something of a redemption arc for the character.
Nevertheless, the fact that the X-Men are coming to the MCU after all these years is a huge deal, and it's one that fans are celebrating. The slow build towards their arrival might have had some ups and downs along the way (primarily because the Multiverse Saga was full of ups and downs) but it will all have been worth it for MCU fans if the studio delivers on an X-Men movie that was worth waiting for.
The mutants are coming to the MCU, and we can't wait to see it come to fruition!