Dark Phoenix was a critical and commercial bomb in 2019, but following the Disney/Fox merger, the X-Men are finally coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the not too distant future.
It remains unclear when and where that will happen, though it's hard to imagine Wolverine and company sitting on the shelf for too long. But with so many previous big screen adventures for the team, who should now step up to square off with the mutant heroes in the MCU?
Well, that's what we're taking a look at here as we delve into ten bad guys we think would make the perfect foil for these beloved characters when they enter the same world as The Avengers.
There are a few names here that you'll recognise, but also plenty you're probably not quite as familiar with. Each and every one of them would help bring these mutants into the MCU in an exciting way, though, and give us something different to what we saw from Fox's take on the X-Men.
To find out who made the cut, all you need to do is click on the "Next" button down below...
10. Nimrod
Nimrod is an Omega Sentinel from a future (the "Days of Future Past" timeline, to be exact) where mutants and superheroes have either been killed or imprisoned. Nimrod has also made his presence felt in the present day, and was most recently reimagined with a very unique new personality in Jonathan Hickman's
Powers of X series.
Initially, Marvel Studios should probably ditch all the time-travel malarkey as that's something they can delve into down the line. Instead, making Nimrod a Sentinal that has gained sentience and is determined to destroy mutantkind (taking control of his fellow robots from the humans) would be fun to see.
Perhaps White Vision could eventually become Nimrod? That would be an unexpected evolution...
9. Cassandra Nova
Charles Xavier's twin sister seemingly died in the womb, but she actually remained dormant in her brother's body for years, before ultimately taking on her own form and laying waste to mutantkind (she killed billions on Genosha by unleashing a Sentinel on Magneto's nation). Every bit as powerful as Professor X, this would make the X-Men's first battle very personal.
What if the leader of the X-Men in the MCU isn't just Charles Xavier, but his sister as well? In a Mysterio-style plot twist, she could be revealed as a villain fairly early on as her hatred for her brother and mutants in general leads to her outing them to the world and ensuring that they're despised by humans. This character has a lot of potential and could be used in lots of different ways.
Plus, there are certainly worse places to turn for inspiration than Grant Morrison's New X-Men run!
8. Proteus
The son of Moira MacTaggert (who we recently learned is a mutant herself), Proteus has the ability to warp reality and is forced to hop from body to body because his immense powers quickly burn out those he inhabits. Whenever he faces the X-Men it's a big battle, and he's pushed the team to their limits on multiple occasions. The Ultimate version was actually Professor X's son!
One possible reason why no one has heard of mutants is because Charles Xavier used Proteus to hide them from the rest of the world. The villain then learning that he's been manipulated could set Proteus on the path to losing control, and what better way to out the X-Men - and Charles' shadier side - than having him attack the world, forcing the X-Men into action.
The franchise needs a new type of villain, and there aren't many as unique as Proteus.
7. The Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants
Typically portrayed as a villainous team of mutants led by Magneto, the Brotherhood was initially formed to battle both the X-Men and to take the fight to humanity. If you're going to introduce mutants to the MCU and head down the "hated and feared" route, then there's really no better way to do that than by unleashing this evil group on the unsuspecting residents of this world.
Plus, it gives Marvel Studios the chance to introduce several A-List X-Men bad guys in one go.
The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants has taken many forms over the years, but I think it's fair to say that leaving Mystique out of this iteration would probably be for the best, especially as that character has taken centre stage in so many movies now. There are plenty of other possibilities, though, and seeing a villainous team in the MCU is definitely something that feels long overdue.
6. Shi'ar Empire
The Shi'ar Empire has been a huge part of the X-Men's adventures over the years and is led by Empress Lilandra, a character who has actually been portrayed as love interest of sorts to Charles Xavier. The Imperial Guard is a formidable group and having the mutants protect the Earth from a cosmic threat could help immediately establish them as heroes and a force to be reckoned with.
Dark Phoenix didn't have the guts to take the X-Men into outer space, so if Marvel Studios really wants to do something different with the team, that's definitely an option for this reboot. Having them clash with the Imperial Guard would be fun, while this could also lead to the introduction of the Brood and a long-overdue look into Cyclops' past by having the Starjammers appear.
Needless to say, the Shi'ar Empire could easily show up in Secret Invasion or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, thereby giving them some history in the MCU before that eventual meeting with the X-Men.
5. The Hellfire Club
Matthew Vaughn did a decent enough job with The Hellfire Club in
X-Men: First Class, but still failed to delve into what makes the team so great. A new take on Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost would definitely be welcome, while the introduction of characters like Madelyne Pryor and Mastermind is something that could open the door to a long list of very exciting stories.
A group of mutants who use their influence to alter world events for their own gain, The Hellfire Club are interesting for a lot of reasons, and seeing the X-Men square off with them would be a blast, especially as there's lots of drama to be had from showing the heroes torn between helping a world that fears and hates them and joining a group who use their powers to their advantage.
Emma got her start as part of the Hellfire Club and exploring her time as a villain before she eventually becomes a hero could lead to a really satisfying character arc in this corner of the MCU.
4. Mr. Sinister
19th Century scientist Nathaniel Essex had a great deal of interest in Social Darwinism, and is both an immortal and someone with a vested interest in genetics. That's led to him developing a very unhealthy interest in the Summers bloodline and he's cloned, created, and enhanced many a mutant over the years. Don't forget, we know Bryan Cranston is desperate to play him!
If Marvel Studios wants to introduce the X-Men with a bang, someone like Sinister is the way to do it, and his interest in Scott Summers could mean that Cyclops finally gets the screentime he deserves. This is a villain who could have a recurring presence in all future X-Men adventures and someone who obviously hasn't been tainted by Fox's misuse of X-Men bad guys over the years.
This seems like a logical next step for the franchise in terms of who should be the big bad, anyway.
3. Apocalypse
Is it too soon for another take on En Sabah Nur? It's been five years since
X-Men: Apocalypse was released, but even more time will have passed when this reboot finally arrives, and there's no denying that there's a lot that could be done with this character that Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg failed to do due to their apparent lack of interest in the comic books he hails from.
A constant thorn in the side of the X-Men, Apocalypse even clashed with Thor once upon a time and his obsession with making sure the strong survive could be what leads to his appearance in the MCU, as mutants finally become known to the world. The villain should definitely be brought to life with CGI like Thanos, and Marvel could even gender-swap him if they really wanted to!
There's no way his big screen legacy should boil down to poor Oscar Isaac's terrible makeup, that's for sure.
2. The Juggernaut
The Juggernaut was re-introduced to moviegoers in
Deadpool 2, and while we know Disney and Marvel Studios is mulling over how to balance his R-Rated adventures with PG-13 team-ups, there's really no reason why this unstoppable villain can't be softly rebooted for the MCU and turned into a threat so massive that the X-Men are forced to come together to stop him.
Thus far, we've not delved into the mystical side of his powers or his relationship with Charles Xavier (they're step-brothers), and that's material with a lot of cinematic storytelling potential. Even if Juggernaut is once again used as a secondary antagonist, Marvel Studios should definitely flesh him out and make him someone capable of taking on an entire team of heroes.
Regardless, we definitely deserve a better version than the last two which have graced the big screen.
1. Magneto
At this point, you probably don't need us to tell you who Magneto is. The Master of Magnetism has taken centre stage in literally every
X-Men movie released by Fox (outside of the Wolverine movies, anyway) and returning to that well for this reboot might be a mistake - even if he's portrayed in a far more comic accurate manner, or simply as the truly powerful mutant he really is.
It would be nice to get a new take on Magneto, though, and a good place to start would be to make him the co-leader of the X-Men. His slow descent into villainy is something Marvel Studios could spend years building towards. Then again, these past few years have seen him portrayed in a heroic light in the comics, so maybe the reboot could follow suit.
However, it might not be a bad idea to hold off on using Magneto in at least the first couple of movies.