Ever since the inception of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans have been asking for the Mutants to make their grand entrance and share the screen with the likes of Iron Man and Captain America. Unfortunately, Disney and Marvel Studios didn't have the rights to the live-action adaptation of the beloved group of characters, and it seemed like they were never getting it back. Instead, Fox was in charge of bringing the X-Men to life on the big screen, and it was that way for many years... until 2017 came and superhero fans were treated to a rather unexpected surprise.
Disney announced its plans to acquire Twenty-First Century Fox, and in 2019, it finally became a reality. As simple as that, the Mutants weren't isolated from other superheroes anymore, and we've been slowly watching them appear in more and more MCU projects ever since. Storn stole the spotlight in What If...? Season 3, Beast shocked audiences in the post-credits scene of The Marvels, and Charles Xavier himself made a return during the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, it wasn't until the release of Deadpool & Wolverine that we saw many mutants steal the spotlights all to themselves, and the results were nothing short of exciting. The dreams of fans worldwide finally became a reality, and the best part is that the party was just getting started.
The X-Men are bound to appear in Avengers: Doomsday in 2026. But if that wasn't enough, then Disney made an exciting announcement that lets us all know the future of these beloved characters is in safe hands.
Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier will direct the MCU's X-Men movie
According to a report by Variety, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier will helm an X-Men standalone movie set in the MCU after the Multiverse Saga comes to an end. This comes just a month after the studio was reportedly eyeing him direct and to say he is the perfect man for the job would be an understatement. His latest superhero adventure proved that he's able to balance multiple characters appearing at once on the big screen, while still having a clear lead. Besides, some of Thunderbolts* greatest strengths were its amazing action sequences and how good it looked, which is the direct result of filming practical stunts in real sets and not being over-reliant on CGI.
Marvel has a tendency to "test out" directors and see their results before assigning them bigger and greater projects. The Russo brothers started their MCU career by helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which premiered to incredible critical success. After that, they were given the much more complicated task of adapting a Civil War storyline in live-action, which they swiftly handled. That's why they were eventually the masterminds behind Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, as well as the directors behind the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
A similar scenario happened with Jon Watts, whose work on the Spider-Man Homecoming trilogy initially secured him the role of director in Fantastic Four: First Steps, before he eventually backed out, and Matt Shakman took his place (who also happened to helm WandaVision beforehand). As such, it isn't surprising to learn that Jake Schreier, who happened to work on an incredibly beloved project featuring an ensemble of characters, will now be behind the next X-Men project.
Marvel currently has four 2028 dates secured for upcoming unannounced releases. With rumors that the MCU's next phase after the Multiverse Saga will focus on the Mutants, it wouldn't be surprising to learn that one of those dates is being held for an X-Men movie. Now, the only question remaining is which version of the team we're about to see. While variants of many Mutants seen in the 2000s movies are about to make a comeback in Avengers: Doomsday, that doesn't mean they will be the mainline versions of the characters going forward.
In comic book pages, the 2015 Secret Wars event heavily altered the course of Marvel history. Characters who were a part of parallel realities, such as Miles Morales, permanently moved to Earth-616, while other previously deceased heroes came back to life. As such, it wouldn't be surprising to learn that a similar scenario will happen in the live-action Avengers: Secret Wars, and that a new iteration of the X-Men will eventually take over the spotlight.
With Marvel skipping its iconic Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, we'll have to wait a bit more until official announcements come our way. However, with a bit of luck, the X-Men will be there whenever we learn what's coming next in the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on December 18, 2026.