Every Major Character Returning To The MCU Now The X-MEN And FANTASTIC FOUR Are Coming Home
With the Fox/Disney merger now a done deal, we're taking a look at all the major characters - beyond the most obvious ones - who will soon be making their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
On Friday, we learned that Fox and Disney shareholders had voted to give the planned merger the green light, something which now means that the X-Men and Fantastic Four will indeed be returning home to Marvel Studios in the very near future (there are still some regulatory matters to get through but those are simply a formality at this stage so it really is just a matter of time as of right now).
While we may know that the likes of Professor X, Cyclops, The Thing, and Invisible Woman will soon be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are an awful lot of other characters coming home who could be used in those franchises or even elsewhere over the next decade. After all, the MCU is a big place but it's about to get a whole lot bigger and it's those heroes and villains we're taking a look at today.
So, to check out this breakdown of characters (we think you'll be surprised by some of the names - and places - that pop up here), all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button to take a look.
Wolverine
Fox chose to end Wolverine's story with last year's Logan and while we've all wondered how the studio would go about replacing Hugh Jackman, it turns out that they'll never get the opportunity. There's no way Marvel will sit on the character, though, and what will be interesting is seeing whether or not they try to convince Hugh Jackman to return or start from scratch with a new solo outing for the mutant.
Doctor Doom
One of the most exciting acquisitions for Marvel, Doctor Doom is a villain who has been screwed up by Fox on three separate occasions and while Noah Hawley's planned solo movie could have redeemed him, we'll be much better off seeing this villain make his presence felt in the MCU. The question is, why have we not heard about Latveria and its evil dictator before now? That will need to be explained.
Annihilus
Annihilus is a villain with a lot of potential both in the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (imagine a big screen adaptation of the Annihilation storyline) and within the world of the Fantastic Four. We've been to the Quantum Realm but this villain could take us to the Negative Zone, somewhere which opens the door to a huge number of brand new storytelling possibilities for Marvel.
The Sentinels
We may have seen the Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past but let's face it, those were pretty poor imitations of the versions from the comic books. With humanity rocked by Thanos' attack and scared about the sudden influx of "muties," skyscraper-sized Sentinels being developed makes perfect sense and seeing the robots square off with a new version of the X-Men promises to be a truly epic sight.
Mole Man
Mole Man may not be considered a top-tier villain but Marvel could almost certainly make him one. While he may look ridiculous and has essentially been parodied in the Incredibles franchise, there's actually something epic about the prospect of him invading New York City with massive creatures from beneath the Earth and if you can't see the cinematic potential in that, I don't know what to say.
Magneto
The Master of Magnetism has received the spotlight in every single X-Men movie and so that could mean Marvel chooses to put him on the shelf for a while because he really is played out at this point. However, there's a lot Fox hasn't done with him and if he's set up the right way, Erik could end up being a new big bad for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe rather than just his enemies, the X-Men.
Super-Skrulls
We know that Marvel will finally introduce the Skrulls in Captain Marvel next year but there's one type that remains off-limits to them for the time being. Those are, of course, the Super-Skrulls, shape-shifting aliens with the power to take on a number of superpowers. Their arrival in the MCU leaves the door open to these aliens being revisited and us getting a totally faithful Secret Invasion adaptation.
Deadpool
The Merc with the Mouth's future is surprisingly uncertain despite the fact he's starred in two hugely popular and financially successful movies. Will Disney really launch an R-Rated franchise set in the MCU or will Deadpool remain in his own bubble? That's hard to imagine, especially as the X-Men are being rebooted but Kevin Feige will no doubt find a place for both him and Ryan Reynolds soon.
Sabretooth
Liev Schreiber's Sabretooth was excellent but Fox dropped him before ever giving him the chance to develop into the villain we all know and love from the comic books and the less said about the version we saw in X-Men, the better. Now, Marvel has the opportunity to change that and that hopefully means we'll get to see him and Wolverine clash on screen just as they have in the comic books.
Galactus
So, Kevin Feige is totally planning on a Galactus after-credits scene at the end of Avengers 4 now, right? Sadly, it may be a little too soon for that but the Marvel Studios President has wanted to get his hands on the villain for years now, so expect him to be a big priority when the Fantastic Four does eventually arrive in the MCU. Honestly, there's a chance the world eater will beat them to debuting in this world.
The Savage Land
More of a place than a character, the Savage Land opens the door to unlimited storytelling possibilities. Regardless of whether it's the X-Men who visit this mysterious land full of mutated monsters and dinosaurs or characters like The Hulk and Black Panther, there's a lot of potential here to give any number of future releases a very different feel by shining the spotlight on this unique area of the MCU.
Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer goes hand in hand with Galactus but if Marvel wants to play the long game with that villain, there are a number of ways his herald could be used in the meantime. A solo movie somewhere down the line feels like an inevitability, especially as it's something Fox has been talking about for a number of years (which Kevin Feige and company could do so much better for a long list of reasons).
Mr. Sinister
Over the past few years, it appears as if Fox has been teasing the impending arrival of Mister Sinister. However, unless he appears in X-Force, there's now no chance that we'll see him in that world, especially as the clock is ticking. In many respects, you have to hope that it's Marvel who is able to use him first because he'd make an excellent big bad for their rebooted X-Men movie as he'd be fresh.
Franklin And Valeria Richards
There are a number of ways Marvel can handle the introduction of the Fantastic Four but making them a little older seems like the wisest move, especially as it opens the door for their children Franklin and Valeria to appear. The latter has a very interesting history with Doctor Doom, while Franklin's amazing mutant abilities could have ramifications for the entire MCU, especially if he ultimately loses control.
The Juggernaut
Yes, we got a fairly comic book accurate version of The Juggernaut in Deadpool 2 but there's still a lot more that could be done with this character. That sequel never really treated him more than just another strongman and delving into his origin story and unstoppable abilities would be great fun, especially if we see him clash with the likes of Spider-Man and The Hulk rather than just the X-Men.
The Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants
There have been countless iterations of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and while we've seen Fox attempt to bring them to the big screen, that's a plot point which has either been dropped almost immediately or done in a massively disappointing way. Marvel has the potential to make up for that in a big way (I'd like an all-female roster, personally) and they could even end up clashing with the X-Men.
Namor The Sub-Mariner
We know that the rights to Namor are somehow tied up with Universal but if it's a similar sort of situation to what's happening with The Hulk, then Marvel could no utilise the King of Atlantis in the X-Men or Fantastic Four franchises as he has more history with those characters than any of the Avengers. The only potential downside here is that Warner Bros. has done Atlantis first with Aquaman.
H.E.R.B.I.E.
The previous Fantastic Four movies have never had the balls to introduce a concept as wacky as H.E.R.B.I.E. but you know Marvel Studios could handle it the right way! It's not exactly a must to see this character brought to the big screen but it would be a lot of fun and it would be similarly exciting to see Danger from Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run adapted to a live-action setting as well.
Apocalypse
Oscar Isaac played Apocalypse back in 2016 and while he's a great actor...he didn't exactly have the best of material to work with! Just as Marvel perfectly brought Thanos to life on screen, though, they could undoubtedly do the same with Apocalypse. He's another villain who could be a villain to the entire MCU rather than just the X-Men and is a big enough threat to bring all the teams together.
Kang The Conqueror
There's a lot of speculation that Marvel can already use Kang due to his status as an Avengers villain but much of his history is wrapped up with the Fantastic Four so I would like to see him introduced there before taking on a larger role as a MCU wide big bad. It's about time that he's brought to life on the big screen and the door is now wide open to a truly comic accurate take on the character.
The Fantastic Four
You don't need us to tell you that this iconic foursome is on its way home but what's the best way to introduce them? Personally, I think they should once again be portrayed as astronauts who head into outer space and come back with remarkable powers with their origin possibly tied to the ramifications of Thanos' attack. Don't make them teenagers, though, and focus on them being a family right away.
The X-Men
There's a lot Marvel could do with the X-Men too but seeing as we've never heard of mutants in the MCU, making them teenagers is the most logical option. That's no bad thing as it allows Marvel to target a teenage audience the same way they have with Spider-Man: Homecoming but it's going to be a challenge explaining where the likes of Wolverine and Professor X have been hiding all these years.