Marvel confirms the MCU's next era after the Multiverse Saga - and it's a big one

Few franchises are capable of the long-term storytelling that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is. The Marvel Studios juggernaut told one long story across 23 movies that united some of the biggest heroes on the silver screen to take down one of cinema's greatest ever threats. Yes, the Infinity Saga was a box office smash and it lives on as one of Hollywood's greatest accomplishments, showcasing what was possible from the world of film, superheroes, and the Avengers.

The story didn't stop there, though, as the franchise started a new story with Phase Four, introducing television into the mix as well via the Disney Plus streaming service. This is the Multiverse Saga, and it's undoubtedly the most ambitious test for the MCU yet, as its story expands across more titles than ever and countless different worlds. It's been a thrill getting to see it unfold, as it pushed boundaries that the franchise hadn't toyed with before, including bringing in actors from other classic Marvel movies that aren't canon to the MCU timeline.

Now that we're over halfway through the saga - and with the two major Avengers movies it's all been building to in sight - fans are curious about what comes after Phase Six and the Multiverse Saga concludes. It appears that Kevin Feige might have just answered that question.

Kevin Feige confirms the Mutants Era is coming to the MCU

In a new interview Kevin Feige has revealed that the Mutants era is set to begin in the MCU, suggesting that it could be the next "Saga" that the franchise tackles. The Marvel Studios president spoke with The Playlist and discussed how they will be placing a focus on the Mutants going forward as it's a world that they haven't had access to before. He said:

"...now that we have characters from the ‘X-Men’ world, the Mutants—we haven’t had access to before... So, this is the beginning of that, and every [movie] post ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ will be the Mutant era coming into the MCU."

This isn't the first time that Feige has spoken about how upcoming movie Deadpool and Wolverine will open the MCU up to the world of Marvel's Mutants, but these comments do suggest that it's going to be so much more of a recurring thing. The idea of "the Mutant era coming into the MCU" definitely suggests that it's going to be a long-term introduction, with each title having some kind of hint or reference to that. And given that we've already seen a number of them over the past few years, it sounds like the studio is about to up the ante.

With the end of the Multiverse Saga on the horizon, Feige's comments do tease The Mutants Saga being the next chapter for the MCU, and honestly that makes a lot of sense. We know that an X-Men movie is officially in development at Marvel Studios, and it's unlikely that it will be coming out before Phase Six ends. With that in mind, it will no doubt play a pivotal role in The Mutants Saga (if that is indeed what it ends up being called) because there are no more important mutants in the universe than Marvel's Mightiest Mutants.

Throughout the Multiverse Saga, there have been references to the existence of mutants. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's villain Namor is regarded as the world's first mutant, while Ms. Marvel's Kamala Khan was the first present-day character (and the franchise's first character in general) to exhibit signs of being a mutant. The multiversal aspect of the current story has further led to development of the mutants' ongoing arc, with Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Professor Charles Xavier from the X-Men franchise in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Kelsey Grammer returning as Beast in The Marvels (alongside Lashana Lynch as a version of Binary) and now Hugh Jackman's return as a new version of Wolverine in Deadpool and Wolverine.

If the Mutants Saga truly is the next chapter for the MCU, it's a very wise choice. The X-Men are among the most popular Marvel characters of all time and fans have been longing for their arrival in the MCU. With the studio receiving some criticism for some of its choices in the Multiverse Saga (and the decision to prioritize the Fantastic Four's arrival over the X-Men), bringing in the mutants in a long-term story would definitely go a long way in uniting their core audience once again, bringing back old fans and earning them a whole legion of new ones too.

If the Mutants Era is coming soon, the only appropriate question is: "How soon?"