MARVEL STUDIOS X-MEN REBOOT IS BETTER OFF WITHOUT ONE OF THE FRANCHISE'S MOST ICONIC CHARACTERS
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The X-Men characters belonged to 20th Century Fox for over 20 years, and at that time, the studio produced several X-Men films, some of which were among the genre's best and others damaging to it. Due to the rights being with Fox, Marvel Studios couldn't use the mutants in its widely successful shared universe. However, following a merger between Disney and Fox in 2019, Marvel Studios was finally awarded X-Men film rights, paving the way for exciting possibilities in its long-running franchise. X-Men '97 was the first proper mutant project from Marvel Studios out of the gate and Deadpool & Wolverine marked the first big screen entry. After years of plotting, Marvel Studios is finally set to explore the mutant in a brand-new light that fans have wanted for years.
X-Men '97 and Deadpool & Wolverine provided a taste of what Marvel Studios is capable of with the mutants, but the planned reboot from the studio will be its true vision. The X-Men reboot is in early development with Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes writer Michael Lesslie at work on the script. Marvel Studios has plenty of important projects in the pipeline, but its X-Men film might be its biggest since it can pave the way for the future of the MCU. There have been minimal details surrounding the reboot since its early days on the project, yet it's long been rumored that Wolverine won't be part of the film. While Wolverine might be one of the most famous members of the X-Men, Marvel Studios' reboot would be wise to leave him out of it at the start.
Wolverine Wasnt Part of the Original X-Men Team
- The first issue of The X-Men arrived in September 1963 from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
- Lein Wein and John Romita created Wolverine, first appearing in The Incredible Hulk #180, published in October 1974.
The MCU has introduced plenty of new characters to audiences but the studio has also successfully rebooted them after past attempts. Marvel Studios' approach to rebooting characters has worked well when the studio has gone back to its comic book roots. For Spider-Man, that meant taking Peter Parker back to high school and exploring the concept of a teenager with superpowers to its fullest. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel Studios is honoring the characters' comic book origins by wrapping the film with a '60s aesthetic. Going back to basics seems like a probable direction Marvel Studios will head in with the X-Men.
The MCU X-Men Already Have the Perfect Model for Starting the Mutant Era
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to soon bring the X-Men into play, but the best version of the team to adapt may not be the Earth-616 versions.
The line-up for the X-Men has constantly changed over the years and Marvel Studios has the opportunity to mix and match the characters it wants to use. Since Marvel Studios has looked at the early days of these heroes before, this could easily lead to the rebooted team incorporating the roster that appeared in the first issue of X-Men, which didn't involve Wolverine. Instead, the upcoming Marvel Studios film could feature the original five members, which included Cyclops, Angel, Best, Iceman, and Jean Grey.
Other X-Men Characters Deserve the Spotlight
From the beginning, Wolverine has been the focal point of Fox's X-Men franchise, and that has extended into the MCU with Hugh Jackman's monumental run as the character continued in Deadpool & Wolverine. Placing Wolverine at the center of the X-Men franchise was an obvious move since he is one of the most popular Marvel characters ever. However, Marvel Studios will need to do something different with the X-Men for the MCU and an easy way to do this is by focusing on other characters who deserve a chance to shine.
Well, its that phrase we often use at Marvel, which is Its an embarrassment of riches. And there are a lot of great X-Men characters in the Deadpool & Wolverine film. There are a lot of great X-Men characters in all of the Fox versions of the X-Men films. And there are a lot of great X-Men characters that have never gone on the big screen. So I think, as we always try to do, as we did when we made the arrangement with Sony for Spider-Man, youll probably see a mix of characters youve seen before and characters youve never seen before. -- Kevin Feige on Marvel Studios' plan for the X-Men in the MCU.
Cyclops is always the first to come to mind since his live-action portrayals have disappointed many familiar with the comic books. Turning the attention away from Wolverine for the X-Men reboot would quickly make it fresh and follow the same path as the MCU Spider-Man trilogy, which focused on new villains early on. Wolverine certainly has more stories to tell now that he's part of the MCU, but he can also support his separate franchise. Not to mention Jackman is still playing the character and Marvel Studios might want to recast the role down the line. Keeping Wolverine out of the X-Men reboot allows Marvel Studios to continue using his beloved version while simultaneously setting up a new Logan by not having him part of the new film right away.
Who's the Real Leader of the X-Men?
The X-Men have enjoyed multiple leaders over the years, but only one of them has consistently proven to be their definitive commander.
Past X-Men Projects Prove You Dont Need To Focus on Wolverine
- X-Men: First Class featured a line-up that included Mystique, Banshee, Beast, Angel Salvadore, Havok, and Darwin.
- Marvel Studios Animation's X-Men '97 was a direct continuation of the '90s animated series and will continue for at least two more seasons.
While Wolverine has been part of the high points throughout Fox's run, some films prove that an X-Men film can be successful without him. Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class instantly comes to mind as a film that focuses more on the relationship between Professor X and Magneto instead of Wolverine. Sure, Wolverine appears in the film for a cameo, but he's not a major driver of the narrative.
X-Men '97 Fixes a Decades-Old Cyclops Problem
The X-Men's team leader has often struggled to stand out amid more prominent characters. X-Men '97 puts him front and center, and reaps big rewards.
Marvel Studios' X-Men '97 also features Wolverine, but the character notably takes a backseat for most of the season to focus on characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Gambit, Rogue, and Jubilee. X-Men '97 is one of Marvel Studios' highest-rated projects to date and the animated series was incredibly refreshing because it explored characters from the comics who haven't received the proper treatment on the big screen. X-Men: First Class and X-Men '97 have the perfect blueprint for what Marvel Studios can do with the property without having its biggest character at the story's center.
Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot is easily one of its most consequential and anticipated projects in store for the future. The X-Men have a rich comic book history that supports an entire universe full of rich characters ready to earn the spotlight on the big screen. Wolverine has been the face of the X-Men franchise for over 20 years and good reason, but a reboot needs to have a fresh approach. Marvel Studios will likely dodge an origin story for the X-Men since First Class handled that story, and that means it should also keep Wolverine away to promise audiences a new take.
This also leaves time for Jackman to play in the MCU a bit longer and gives him another send-off before introducing one of the toughest recastings for a superhero character ever. Wolverine should have a place within Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot down the line, but leaving him out of the first film is an easy way to add something new to a franchise audiences have a relationship with for years. There's a long history of X-Men stories Marvel Studios can pull from to inspire a new approach. The Batman finally explored the character's detective side. Since the X-Men is a team-up, Marvel Studios has the opportunity to introduce new takes on characters not as popular as Wolverine and make them household names as it has done with so many other characters part of the MCU before.
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In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel battle threats to the Earth and to the universe.