Here's How The X-MEN And FANTASTIC FOUR Could Be Introduced In The Marvel Cinematic Universe
We're a little over a year away from the Fox/Disney deal being completed and with Avengers: Infinity War guaranteed to be a game changer, we're looking at the ways the X-Men and FF could join the MCU.
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 are going to change the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever but with the Fox/Disney deal unlikely to be completed until next summer, neither one of those is going to bring the Fantastic Four and/or X-Men into the fold. As a result, Thanos snapping his fingers or the Reality Stone being destroyed aren't going to suddenly lead to these characters being introduced.
With that in mind, we're now taking a look at the many different ways the likes of Magneto, The Thing, Wolverine, and Doctor Doom could be introduced to the MCU and the reasons those would and wouldn't work. While there a lot of fan theories about how it might go down, we think we've come up with some suggestions which are both realistic and stand a very good chance of happening one day.
So, to check out the full list of possibilities, be sure to click on either one of the buttons down below.
A Period Piece
Captain Marvel is taking us back to the 1990s to reveal that Iron Man wasn't the first modern-day superhero and we've frequently had flashbacks to various other periods in the MCU (most notably WWII in Captain America: The First Avenger). When it comes to the Fantastic Four, though, the best possible option for these characters could be to have them gain their powers during the 1960s or 70s.
That was a time when space travel was obviously a much bigger deal than it is now (especially as The Avengers will be travelling to the far reaches of space while doing battle with Thanos) and it's fair to say that these occasionally cheesy superheroes would fit in well in that period just as they did in the comics. The franchise could then remain in this time or even follow the team into the cosmos.
Lost In Space
Alternatively, Marvel could bring the Fantastic Four crashing back to Earth after revealing that they've either been lost in space or stuck in a wormhole and what seemed like months for them has been decades for the rest of us. That would leave the team like a fish out of water, thereby giving the franchise a different feel but there's one major problem with this; Reed Richards may be a genius but his 60s era inventions would look laughable compared to today's and he'd no longer seem that smart!
With that in mind, another option is for one of their adventures - perhaps with a character like The Beyonder - being wiped from everyone's memories for reasons which could be made clear during this movie. Unfortunately, both of these options could prove too complicated for your average moviegoer.
They've Always Been There
This would be a hard sell but if handled the right way, it could work. The Fantastic Four operating from within the Baxter Building is feasible as their accident could have easily been kept off the record and The Thing having been hidden indoors for all these years - probably because he wouldn't want to be looked at the same way as The Hulk - would explain how they've managed to stay off the radar.
Bear in mind that the rest of the team look very human so they could have gone about their normal lives and while some fans would probably find fault with the Fantastic Four not helping out against Thanos and other world-ending threats, I'm sure Marvel could come up with an explanation for that. Having them come out of the shadows to finally be superheroes would also be a very cool moment.
As for the X-Men, Professor X's team being hidden absolutely makes sense and a cataclysmic event of some sort which exposes them would obviously kick the door open to their adventures being told.
The Arrival Of The Mutant Gene
Assuming that latter point does happen - and even if it doesn't - the sudden arrival of the Mutant Gene will obviously have lasting ramifications for the MCU which everyone will be forced to sit up and take note of. Marvel could easily reveal that a character like the Scarlet Witch is a mutant and that all Baron Von Strucker did was activate dormant abilities which many people in the world have.
With that in mind, Thanos unleashing the power of the Infinity Gauntlet could have a similar impact on a much larger scale, just like how Terrigen Crystals finding their way into the water explained the sudden emergence of powered individuals in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Some mutants will have had to be around longer than others, though, but mutants popping up all over the place would help explain why the X-Men are needed and goes some way in addressing why we're only seeing them now.
Disaster In New York
I'm not a storyteller by any means but someone like Magneto destroying a huge chunk of New York City or Galactus arriving in the Big Apple to devour the world could lead to the X-Men and Fantastic Four stepping out of the shadows to finally take centre stage. This method would avoid any convoluted explanations for where they've been all these years as it throws them into the deep end and just makes it clear that while they've been out there, it's only now they're having to make their presence felt to us.
While you could argue that the X-Men and Fantastic Four not getting involved with the Chiaturi Invasion or Ultron's attack doesn't make sense, those were relatively contained adventures and just like we never saw what Black Panther and Doctor Strange were up to when those battles were taking place, their absence could be explained by the heroes dealing with threats only they could face.
An Alternate Reality
Fox has dropped the ball on its X-Men Universe in a lot of big ways over the years but the studio has assembled one hell of a cast for its current iteration of the team and it would definitely be a shame to lose the likes of Tye Sheridan, Michael Fassbender, and Nicholas Hoult. So, rather than start over in terms of casting, why not bring their versions of the X-Men over from another reality?
It could be hard to explain but the X-Men arriving in the MCU after their world is destroyed could work, especially if whatever that world-ending threat might be is on its way there too. A lot of complications come with this one but we may need to brace ourselves for the possibility that the X-Men Universe will be kept separate to the MCU (for a while at least) rather than ditch the likes of the Deadpool franchise!
Universes Collide
Marvel's recent Secret Wars event brought together a number of alternate realities, and once all was said and done, characters like Old Man Logan and the no longer scarred Doctor Doom were part of the Marvel Universe proper. A similar story playing out on the big screen could explain the sudden arrival of the Fantastic Four and X-Men in a seamless and quick way which fans would approve of.
By the time the story reaches its close, the versions of characters like Cyclops and Magneto that we're used to seeing could have been totally rebooted and integrated into the MCU in a quick and easy way. Again, there's a risk this could get too complicated but there are definitely ways it could work!
X-Men: First Class...Again
Something we may have to accept when it comes to the arrival of the X-Men is the fact that they'll likely be teenagers. Just like Spider-Man being an adult wouldn't have made sense in the MCU, the team having been around for years might be really hard to explain even with some of the ideas we've put forward here. The question is, will fans embrace younger versions of these characters?
There's no reason why they wouldn't but a lot of fans may end up being disappointed with kid versions of Cyclops and Jean Grey as opposed to their older selves (who are more than capable of holding their own against The Avengers rather than being looked down on as little more the powered up children). However, a teen approach to the X-Men would obviously help Marvel attract a new audience.
Avengers Vs. X-Men
This would very much be a case of throwing the characters straight into the deep end but an Avengers vs. X-Men movie would no doubt break all sorts of records at the box office. Just picture this: Earth's Mightiest Heroes see that the X-Men - who have had to step out of the shadows due to some sort of mutant terrorist-related threat - are causing problems and decide to do something about it.
What follows is a battle between the two sides which culminates with them teaming up to take on that larger threat, regardless of whether it's Magneto, Apocalypse, Onslaught, or any other villain you can think of. This would basically be like Captain America: Civil War all over again and that would be no bad thing, especially as it would be easily marketable and exciting way to introduce the heroes.
"Reboot" The MCU
Whoa, calm down! I'm not suggesting a full-on reboot of the MCU but with Avengers 4 set to wrap up more than a decade of storytelling, there has to be a way for Marvel to push the reset button and change this world in a fundamental way. That way would allow the Fantastic Four and X-Men to be introduced in a way which doesn't require a lengthy explanation and convoluted twists and turns.
Perhaps we could get a "5 Years Later..." title card at the end of Avengers 4 which shows that the Fantastic Four and X-Men now exist without the need for origin stories and the like? I'm not entirely sure how this could work but Marvel has already subtly rebooted The Hulk so they know their stuff!
Use The Villains
One of the biggest complaints about Fox's X-Men and Fantastic Four Universes is that they've dropped the ball on the villains again and again. Apocalypse, Galactus, Doctor Doom...the list goes on.
A good start for Marvel would be redeeming these guys even if the Fantastic Four and X-Men aren't part of that at first. Handled the right way, the studio could deal with these baddies before slowly introducing the heroes best known for squaring off with them. Galactus would be a great choice to bring everyone together while the X-Men's arrival could be explained by them hailing from a timeline created by Apocalypse (who's known for making alternate realities through his actions).
We'll just have to wait and see but an argument could be made that the villains have more potential than the heroes because Doctor Doom, for example, could easily be the MCU's new big bad.