There was once a time when Marvel fans pleaded for the X-Men franchise to enter the multiverse and join the conquering success of the MCU for Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios, but studio rights, as they often do (hi Spider-Man) tend to spoil the party. But with 20th Century Fox being in the graveyard nowadays, or rather the Void (hi Deadpool), the craving can and will be satisfied when several of the original members of X-Men make their debut in Phase 6 of the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday and likely Avengers: Secret Wars as well.
But with one question answered, there usually comes several more, like trying to figure out who will lead the X-Men this time around.
Those who are known to have signed on already include James Marsden (Cyclops), Kelsey Grammar (Beast), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) and Sir Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier), but the latter will reportedly retire from his long, storied acting career once he ushers his X-Men into their battle against Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, allegedly one final go after Xavier had his neck snapped by the Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — his first appearance in the MCU as head of The Illuminati.
And if the rumors of Stewart’s looming retirement are true (he’s 85 years old, by the way), who takes the helm once he’s gone, particularly in battle? There’s one easy answer, and it’s propped up by Alex Perez of Cosmic Circus, but here’s the thing: there’s not just one answer, and the other would be a real humdinger when considering the canonical cliffhanger left unresolved by 20th Century Fox before that company was buried. Perez held a recent Q&A where he was asked directly who gets the captain patch this generation/iteration of X-Men, when Jake Schreier (director of Thunderbolts*) gets his hands on the franchise for the MCU.
om D: “Hi Alex and Lizzie, hope you both are doing well! Have you heard anything regarding some of the mutant characters who could be a focus on in the next saga? There’s been some rumblings recently that Cyclops could be one of them.”
Alex Perez: “Cyclops and Jean Grey as co-leaders of the team. I’ve heard other names like Angel, Beast, Gambit, Rogue, and Nightcrawler could be a part of it.”
X-Men and their Cable Provider
Cable (Josh Brolin) shushes an unseen individual in Deadpool 2.Image via 20th Century Fox
Yes, it does appear the world will finally be blessed with the return of Jean Grey and that, of course, means Phoenix could and should eventually be in play at some point in the MCU, though it unfortunately may not be Famke Jannsen’s version, for reasons that are still unknown at this time. And the potential return of Grey means a storyline headlined by the Summers’ family and, if so, there are plenty of branches that could spawn from that material, including the return of Cable, son of Cyclops and a clone of Jean Grey named Madelyne Pryor, whom most of the TV world was introduced to through the events of the now-heralded X-Men ’97.
Ratchet1490: “If Cyclops and the Summers family are getting a particular focus in the next X-Men saga, might we see Cable again.”
Alex Perez: “They’re all fair game, but we’re starting out in the very early days with the X-Men roster they’ve got planned.”
With rumors of Thanos returning for Avengers: Doomsday, that could mean Josh Brolin is a busy, busy man in Phase 6, the actor that portrays the Mad Titan doing double duty after having also debuted Cable to audiences in the pre-MCU version of the Deadpool franchise.
Jean, Cyclops and the X-Men’s Grey Area
Image via Fox
That said, let’s not blaze past the fact Perez also threw out names like Angel — whose character deserves a reboot after 20th Century Fox’s forgettable version — as well as Gambit, Rogue (so spectacular in X-Men ’97) and maybe even Cummins’ Nightcrawler as options to lead the charge. It does seem unlikely any of them, save for Gambit, portrayed magnificently by Channing Tatum, would get the nod over Cyclops and Jean Grey, and in an arc that is aimed more at the genesis of the X-Men, but the omission of Storm as a choice is glaring and borderline unsettling.
It isn’t surprising that Wolverine isn’t mentioned though, simply because Hugh Jackman’s version will likely be off somewhere doing Logan things and have no interest in leading, something that would allow the MCU to recast a younger Wolvie into Schreier’s X-Men once Jackman hangs up his claws. The conversation being generated by Perez is a fun one, as is knowing that no matter who leads the new X-Men franchise into the MCU, the fact is it’s finally happening, and much like Cyclops, it should be a blast.
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to hit theaters worldwide on December 18, 2026.
- Release Date
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May 23, 2014
- Runtime
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2h 12m
- Director
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Bryan Singer
- Writers
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Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn, Simon Kinberg
