Gabriel Larkins, here with another look into an alternate reality where Marvel brought home all the rights right now. I've already looked at what I would do with the webslinger if I could integrate him into the MCU here, but now I'm going to turn towards a Fox property, and probably my favorite superhero property out there, the X-Men.
I would say out of all of the properties Marvel doesn't currently own, X-Men is doing the best where it is. I'm personally not a big fan of the Fox movies, but that doesn't change the fact that a lot of people are and so taking away the rights from Fox and doing their own thing with them would likely make a lot of people upset. It could also throw a wrench in things where it seems like Marvel is revving up to let the Inhumans be their own version of mutants. Because of these limiting factors, I found formulating this article to be very difficult. What can I do that hasn't been done/won't be done soon? How do I make up for derailing a presumably working franchise (stupid costumes and Wolverine-obsession aside) that seems to be heading on the right track?
So, I think for the X-Men section of my write-up, I need to alter the terms of my alternate universe for right now. Instead of completely and unequivocally taking the rights back from Fox, Marvel instead cut a deal to have the rights expire and slide back at a set date, giving Fox plenty enough time to put out two or three more X-Men movies and wrap up the arc of what they were trying to do is a satisfying way. I don't know or care what that way is, just let's just move forward pretending that Singer and Fox were able to bring their universe to a close in a well-made way. Then, the rights revert after Infinity War: Part 2.
Again, going that far into the future requires knowledge of the future of the MCU that I just don't have, so we're going to assume a few things for the sake of simplicity.
1. All or most of the major players in the MCU are still alive at the end of Infinity War (I have my doubts about Captain America, but that's beside the point).
2. Whatever Marvel does with Inhumans, it does it in a way that wouldn't make adding mutants to the universe totally redundant.
3. Whatever Strucker did to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, it doesn't make it totally out of the question that he was just awakening their dormant mutant powers.
Now, after Infinity War, a lot of contracts are going to be up. We don't know who is going to be coming back, or who they might want to put on the shelf for a little while. They need something new to keep the MCU fresh and propel it forward. Thankfully, now we have access to a huge universe that can be integrated into the existing, Avengers-centric universe. While this has a lot of potential, it could also run the risk of ballooning the universe out of proportion and ending in horrible disaster. This is a process that has to be done delicately, so as to utilize the full potential of the world without becoming bloated. I'd like to think the plan I'm about to lay forward does a good job of that, but I'm also just one man.
Phase 4 will begin with a look at exactly what is going to be spearheading the universe moving forward: Uncanny X-Men.
This is going to be a movie about the First Class. The ACTUAL First Class. Cast young up-and-comers (20-ish range) as Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Iceman, and Beast. I imagine it being paced somewhat similar to Guardian of the Galaxy in that the first act is Professor X assembling the team, with Magneto and his Brotherhood (Toad, Blob, Mastermind?) remaining largely in the shadows and out of combat. Cyclops is our protagonist in this film, learning how to be a true leader while also navigating the awkwardness of being incredibly attracted to the redhead on his team. We need to pick two actors that have GOOD CHEMISTRY for the roles of Scott and Jean: this isn't a rom-com, but we need to believe that these are two people who haven't known each other for long, but will eventually fall madly in love with each other. Iceman and Angel can be the comic relief, with Iceman's party-boy nature bothering Angel's more blue-blooded upbringing, but eventually helping him come out of his shell and learn how to enjoy the fact that he's a mutant. Beast, of course, writes himself with his mix of wit and savagery that makes him such a compelling character.
With the X-Men assembled, the rest of the movie is a race around the country as Magneto breaks into a military base and commandeers weapons that he will use to threaten a UN Conference in Washington D.C. The climax of the film involves Cyclops formulating the last minute plan that gets Magneto's helmet off, allowing Jean and Xavier to finally get inside his head and put an end to his plan. He is then arrested by the military. Mutants have officially entered the world stage, and in attendance is U.S. Senator Kelly (played by Stephen Colbert, because come on guys, think about it). The film ends with the X-Men building the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, with Warren ponying up the cash from his trust fund behind his father's back.
This film kicks off Phase 4. Now, obviously we're only starting with a very small part of the incredibly expansive X-Men universe. There are a lot more interesting characters that could fit among the rest of the MCU. Trying to fit all of these characters in even a trilogy of X-Men movies will result in bloated films where nobody gets the right time to shine (trust me, I've tried). So what do we do? Go back to our good old friend Netflix.
A new series starts on Netflix. I don't know what it would be called, because it would go so far outside the scope of the X-Men and really be a show about mutants. Every episode would be a standalone story about a different member of the mutant community. Gambit pulling a heist. Nightcrawler trying to learn more about his parentage during his time at the Munich Circus. Nitro seeking help for his mutant condition that seems to take so many lives. Some of these episodes would simply be their own stories, but some of them would end with either the Brotherhood or the X-Men attempting to recruit the mutant in question. Scant details are revealed, but one thing is evident: a war is coming.
Now in all of this you may be wondering: where is Logan? For better or worse, Wolverine is one of the (if not THE) most popular X-Men. I like Wolverine as much as the next guy, but I also agree that he currently is standing a little too front and center. So we can't just NOT use Wolverine, but I think it's important that the other X-Men remain more important than him. That's why the first X-Men movie will be so focused on the core team, specifically Cyclops. I also don't think Wolverine should be getting his own movie, since there have already been two of those and it's generally something we don't need more of. However, I think it's fair to say that we're probably going to be getting something else completely unrelated in Phase 4: a new solo Hulk film.
Now, obviously this is assuming that some kind of Planet Hulk shenanigans won't be underway while all of this is happening, but I would reintroduce Wolverine as a mercenary that General Ross hires to hep bring down the Hulk. He would only be a small facet of the film, akin to Crossbones in Winter Soldier, and not the central antagonist. However, I feel this would be a fresh new way to introduce the character while also bringing him back to the roots of his first appearance in the comics. The post-credits scene would involve Wolverine meeting with someone to help him regain his memories, with the final shot revealing that he is speaking with Professor X.
Uncanny X-Men: Phoenix War brings the X-Men someplace that we haven't really seen before in the movies: to space. I'm going off-book here, so brace yourself. Not completely sure how I feel about this, but I think it works in the grand scheme. Magneto arranges for his Brotherhood to break him out of prison, and he seeks to head into the stars to take control of the Shi'ar Empire. They have in their possession the M'Kraan Crystal, a relic that holds a power called the Phoenix Force. When empowered by the Phoenix Force, a metahuman's power is amplified significantly by cosmic energy. Magneto seeks to gain this power and use it to control Earth to his whims and establish mutant dominance for good. Thankfully, the X-Men have been raising an army of their own, training students at their school and picking the best of the best to join the ranks of the X-Men. The X-Men travel to the stars, and we are introduced to the Shi'ar Civil War taking place between Lilandra and her sister Deathbird. Deathbird, meanwhile, promises to let Magneto use the M'Kraan Crystal if he helps her overthrow her sister, while Professor X and Lilandra team up to protect their respective worlds(and possibly have time to touch on their romance?).
At the climax of the film, the X-Men are given no choice: in order to prevent Magneto from claiming control of the Phoenix Force, Jean Grey has to claim the power for herself. She becomes Phoenix, and her enhanced cosmic powers are enough to completely destroy Deathbird's forces. However, releasing that power becomes too much for her, and the Phoenix Force itself takes control of her. In a rage, the Phoenix Force destroys an entire solar system, including a populated world. The sorrow at seeing herself do something so horrible pushes Jean to regain control, but she is only completely in control of her actions after the Phoenix battle the X-Men for a short time. They are no match for the overwhelming cosmic power, and Angel's wings are broken during the fight, but when the Phoenix is about to kill Cyclops, Jean finally grapples with the cosmic entity enough to take complete control over her body. She uses her brief moment of control to hurl herself into the core of a star, destroying herself and the Phoenix Force together. Cyclops isn't sure if the weight of leadership is for him after seeing the girl he loved die under his watch, and Angel is hurled into depression when he discovers that his wings cannot be surgically restored. The film ends with the X-Men victorious, but permanently scarred.
After this, we can do another season of Netflix episodes showcasing more members of the X-Men universe (since the major players have been off-planet, this can showcase the effects of Senator Kelly's march against the mutants), and possibly a Wolverine solo series of him exploring his lost memories and uncovering more about the Weapon X project (allowing fans to have some fun with Sabretooth, Deathstrike, X-23, and Deadpool).
Uncanny X-Men: Apocalypse Rising comes next. With the X-Men broken, Magneto has taken over the small island nation of Genosha and established it as a mutant haven. Suddenly, from the tombs of Egypt comes En Sabah Nur. He claims his Four Horsemen: Archangel (with new metal wings), Wolverine, Scarlet Witch, and Storm. The battle is on as the X-Men, Brotherhood, and all mutants in between have to join forces against Apocalypse's army. Whatever Avengers team still exists at this point in the MCU timeline will feature in a cameo showing that they are also attempting to fight off Apocalypse's army, but aren't in a place to fight Apocalypse. Depending on how contracts work out, maybe they could have a fight scene against Dark Scarlet Witch. If it hasn't come out already, this is when we find out for sure that Magneto is the twins' father, and he teams up with Quicksilver to find a way to free Scarlet Witch from Apocalypse's control.
When Magneto does find the solution (some kind of MacGuffin), Cyclops rallies the mutant race behind his banner, bringing all of them together to free the Horsemen from Apocalypse's control. Scarlet Witch is the last to be freed, and she immediately turns the full force of her powers against Apocalypse. As he shouts about her insolence and that he is the First Mutant, Scarlet Witch hits him with everything she has. He is reduced to mere atoms, but the exercise of her power creates ripples in the fabric of the universe, and suddenly, the Decimation occurs. Despite the grievous wounds against the mutant race, the X-Men are victorious, and Cyclops has risen to the status of a true leader. Magneto even concedes to Scott and Xavier that they were right, and especially given the harsh time the mutant race is going through, he offers to bury the hatchet.
Note that I don't want any kind of "No More Mutants" statement to occur. I've always felt that it would be impossible to create a situation where she would realistically say that. I also know that Decimation is not exactly a popular X-Men story, but I feel it works for what I plan to do next.
Now, my guess would be that Uncanny X-Men and Phoenix War would both occur in Phase 4, with the culmination of Phase 4 being something unrelated to this. Apocalypse Rising could then take place in Phase 5. After Apocalypse Rising, yet more of the X-Men Netflix series would showcase previously featured mutants coping with the Decimation. Some have lost their powers and find new ways to feed their heroic urges. Others still have their powers and find themselves having to work that much harder to fight against the government's anti-mutant agenda. Next comes the culmination of Phase 5, and the end of what I've thought out for X-Men plans: Avengers vs. X-Men.
At the far reaches of space, a star dies. Emerging from that star is a bird made of fire. The Phoenix Force is alive, and it is heading for Earth. The Avengers see it on their computer, and Professor X feels the psychic reverberations like a ton of bricks. The X-Men meet and come to a decision: the Phoenix Force carries incredible cosmic power. If properly harnessed, that power could undo the Decimation, and brings mutants back to the world. The Avengers, meanwhile, only know it as a force that was capable of destroying an entire solar system, and it has to be stopped.
This plays out a lot like the comics event of the same name. Soon, Cyclops and Captain America are face to face, arguing over what has to be done. Cyclops argues that this is a mutant affair, and the Avengers have never come to help his people so they have no place doing anything here. Captain America sees the Avengers' duty as keeping the Earth safe, and the Phoenix Force will only bring about death and destruction. The exchange comes to blows, and the Avengers retreat when they realize the X-Men can't be reasoned with.
The Avengers head to space in order to intercept the Phoenix Force before it can reach Earth. Despite all of the most powerful cosmic Avengers hitting it with everything they have, nothing works. Tony Stark brings out his experimental Phoenix Buster cannon, attempting to disrupt the cosmic energy and render it as nothing but a collection of space particles. It doesn't exactly go as planned. The Phoenix Force is broken up into several pieces, just as the X-Men arrive. Suddenly, the Phoenix Five are born: Cyclops, Magneto, Colossus, Iceman, and (Storm? Psylocke? Some former Brotherhood Member?).
Empowered by the Phoenix Force, the X-Men can now stand tall over the Avengers. They immediately turn toward Earth, and surprisingly fix a lot of problems. Global Warming and other energy crises are solved when they use their cosmic energy to create new energy sources. They are able to end all conflict by crushing the military forces of all other countries without loss of human life. Of course, this quickly turns into dystopia when they attempt to impose their own will on the world.
The Avengers rally their forces and devise a plan. They separate and focus on the Phoenix Five, releasing the Phoenix's energy every time they take one out. As one member of the Five is defeated, their energy is split among the remaining members, until only Cyclops and Magneto are left. Cyclops is beginning to be controlled by the Phoenix Force's will, while Magneto still has enough of his mind left (he has more mental fortitude thanks to countless psychic battles with Professor X) to try to show him the error of his ways. It eventually becomes clear that Cyclops is sounding more like Magneto did back in the day, while Magneto is the one spouting Professor X's dogma.
It eventually comes to a duel, and Cyclops and Magneto battle with the power of the Phoenix Force. Magneto is eventually defeated, and all of the Phoenix Force's energy surges into Cyclops. He is no longer Scott Summers: he is Phoenix.
At the end of the second act, the Avengers and X-Men have to set aside their differences and team up. The Dark Phoenix has emerged, and its world-crushing power will take everything both teams can bring together. After being floored by Dark Phoenix when it first emerges, the top brass of the Avengers and X-Men realize two things: first, the Phoenix Force seems to be holding back. If it had used its full power, they would all be dead without a second thought. Second, they'll need to call in some help if they have any hope of destroying the Phoenix Force: they need Scarlet Witch.
The X-Men want nothing to do with Wanda after what she did, and vice versa for fear she'll make it worse, but Magneto is able to coax her into helping. She wants to redeem herself in the eye of the mutant community.
The final battle begins at the climax of the film. The Avengers and X-Men surround Dark Cyclops' compound. Professor X approaches him, attempting to reason with his first student. This doesn't work, and eventually the Phoenix Force decides the old man must die. Cyclops attempts to fight back in that moment, but he fails, and Professor X is killed in front of the X-Men. The diplomatic approach is officially out the window. The heroes of the world open fire, focusing all of their energy on forcing the Dark Phoenix to use all of its cosmic energy on defense until it can enter a weakened state. If you've seen the final battle of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, it would be something like that. Finally, after a particularly strong walloping by Captain America and Wolverine, the Phoenix Force is diminished, and Cyclops regains control. As he stares in horror at Professor X's mangled, empty wheelchair, he realizes what he's done. Just then, Scarlet Witch uses his powers to rip the Phoenix Force free from its host.
As the ball of cosmic energy emerges as its own form, the Avengers are poised around it, and Scarlet Witch is ready to erase it from existence. Just before she does, Cyclops shouts for her to wait. Suddenly they all realize: the Phoenix Force has taken the form of Jean Grey.
Jean explains: when she flung herself into that dying star, she became one with the Phoenix Force. This is why the Phoenix Five all gained limited psychic abilities when imbued with its power. While the overwhelming rage and hate of the cosmic entity over its long entrapment kept it as the dominant personality, Jean was able to make it hold back when fighting the heroes of Earth. After forcing the Dark Phoenix personality to expend its energy, she has now finally been able to maintain control and quiet the anger within the age-old force. She is now the White Phoenix, she and the Phoenix Force are one.
She kisses Scott, tells him she loves him, and then approaches Scarlet Witch. Jean offers her redemption for her past actions. As they join hands, Jean shares the Phoenix's power with her, amplifying her power. The Phoenix Force, and Jean with it, explodes into countless small shards of energy that surround the globe, striking random people everywhere. Every light is a new mutant awakening to their powers. The mutant race has returned.
Scott Summers is arrested, placed in the highest security prison the Avengers have control over. The X-Men elect a new leader (not sure who) and rechristen their school as the Jean Grey Institute for Higher Learning.
Obviously, there is so much more than can be done with the X-Men after this. However, I feel this saga would be a great way to introduce the X-Men to the world stage and integrate them into the MCU in a way that can make them a part of the world.
There are also a lot more interesting ways this could go. I'm curious to hear what all of you think. If you like what you read, hit that thumb, and stay tuned for the last chapter in this series, where I'll lay out a master plan for Marvel's First Family, the Fantastic Four.