6 Foolproof Ways To Reboot The X-MEN Franchise After The APOCALYPSE

X-Men: Apocalypse was a critical and commercial disappointment, and so it's no real surprise that Fox is looking to reboot the series. These are the best (and most likely) ways they can actually do that!

By JoshWilding - Nov 10, 2016 09:11 AM EST

Filed Under: X-Men: Apocalypse

Yesterday, we learned that 20th Century Fox is planning on hitting the reset button on the X-Men franchise following the disappointing performance of X-Men: Apocalypse back in May. Personally, I really liked the movie, but the vast majority of fans and critics did not, and that was reflected in how poorly it performed at the box office. So, what's next for this iconic group of mutant superheroes?

As of right now, we don't really know. The studio is hoping to bring back the same cast, but with Bryan Singer hard at work on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a Freddie Mercury biopic, he won't be returning to take the helm. It also definitely sounds like Fox wants to make some significant changes to the franchise, and from a soft to full on reboot, there are many ways that they could achieve that.

What you'll find here then are what I believe to be the six foolproof ways for Fox to reboot the X-Men. From ditching certain creative voices to teaming up with other studios, any one of these options could be what these characters need to return to their glory days as some of cinema's most popular heroes.

6. Team Them Up With The Fantastic Four

The failure of last year's Fantastic Four reboot means that the announcement of a team-up movie is unlikely to excite moviegoers. However, with the right story, this could be made into a spectacle every bit as big and exciting as Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. With a marketing campaign revolving around getting fans to pick a team, it would be easy for Fox to make this feel like a real event, though they would obviously need to reboot the Fantastic Four once again for this to work.

How would the X-Men benefit from it? Well, a new adventure for the team where they head into battle against a cosmic villain like Galactus would give the franchise the kick in the ass it needs, especially as taking the heroes into space could leave us with a Guardians of the Galaxy style adventure which would make the next movie truly different to anything we've ever seen from the X-Men before. If Fox were to play their cards right, this sort of reboot could even leave the door open to a brand new Fantastic Four movie as well.

Simon Kinberg has now written three X-Men movies, and while Days of Future Past was a hit, both The Last Stand and Apocalypse were obviously disappointments. The fact that he's being kept on to reboot the franchise is kind of mind-blowing then, especially when you think back to how much First Class benefitted from some fresh blood in the form of Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman.

Whether the original cast returns and we get some sort of loose continuation or an entirely new start, having the same writer working on the screenplay feels counter-intuitive to shaking things up, especially when Kinberg has arguably dropped the ball with three iconic storylines now (as good as Days of Future Past was, the Sentinels didn't exactly live up to expectations). Bryan Singer being too busy to return is definitely for the best when it comes to ensuring that the next instalment in the franchise feels like a fresh start for these characters, but it's essential that a different writer is hired in order to truly help these characters move on.

Starting from scratch is certainly one option for the X-Men franchise, but given the way X-Men: Apocalypse set the stage for a brand new group of heroes to take centre stage, it would be a real shame to have to say goodbye to them (especially now they finally have actual superhero costumes). It seems like Fox is already considering this option as they want to bring back actors like James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence, and if they are able to sign up the franchise's most recognisable names for another trilogy, it's essential that we don't just get more of the same.

That means it would be better to kick things off with a new adventure which doesn't really reference anything that's come before in too direct a manner (like The Incredible Hulk's relationship to Ang Lee's Hulk). If that means making the now heroic Magneto the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and ditching Mystique as the leader of the X-Men, so be it, but perhaps the best way Fox can achieve this is by focusing on some new characters and making the trio of actors listed above supporting players and nothing more.

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3. Make A Deal With Marvel Studios

Wishful thinking? Possibly. However, X-Men: Apocalypse was an even bigger commercial disappointment for Fox than The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was for Sony, so talking to Marvel Studios about where they should go next must have crossed their minds. Bringing the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be really tough at this stage, but it's certainly doable with the right approach to retelling their origin story. However, a better idea could be some sort of crossover where characters from the worlds of The Avengers and X-Men meet for the first time, something which is now possible thanks to the introduction of the Marvel Multiverse in Doctor Strange.

For that, they would need a really significant big bad, and that takes me back to Galactus. The problem here is that it's hard to say what Marvel Studios would gain from taking on a struggling franchise like the X-Men, but if there's one person capable of fixing these characters, it's Kevin Feige. That's something Fox must realise, but whether or not they'll take advantage of it is hard to say at this stage. Avengers Vs. X-Men would be a guaranteed hit though!

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2. Recast Wolverine

The vast majority of fans are sick of Wolverine being the focal point of the X-Men franchise, but the fact is, people love the character. Hugh Jackman's tenure will come to an end in Logan, so Fox is either going to leave the hero on the shelf or recast. The latter option could be good news for this reboot, as a more comic book accurate version of Wolverine with a new backstory (and the damn costume) has the potential to bring a lot of exciting new elements to the franchise moving forward.

Someone like Sabretooth could even be utilised as the big bad, and there's so much that Bryan Singer got wrong with Wolverine as a member of the X-Men, it really wouldn't be too soon to bring him back here. Alternatively, the studio could focus on a new version like X-23 or even Daken, but it's fair to say that X-Men: Apocalypse suffered without the character, and it would actually be better to concentrate on his story again rather than continuing to delve into Erik and Charles' relationship. That's a story arc which has been fully played out, but there's lots Wolverine could still do in this world.

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1. Set It In A Present Day Shared Universe

The novelty of switching decades for every X-Men movie has officially worn off, something which Apocalypse made clear when it breezed through the 1980s with a few unique fashion choices and a handful of references. Moving the action to the 1990s would be an absolute waste of time, and so Fox would be much better off by just switching to the present day and concentrating on making it clear that these movies take place in a shared universe. That would hopefully lead to an appearance from Colossus in order to tie the franchise to Deadpool, while references to the likes of Gambit and New Mutants would also be smart.

Logan will more than likely tell the story of how the X-Men came to an end, but there's really no need to build to what is essentially just one possible future. These movies need to stop getting wrapped up in their own convoluted timeline and just kick things off with a fresh slate thanks to a next instalment which borrows from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in respect to teasing fans with a shared world for these heroes.

How do you think Fox should go about rebooting the X-Men franchise? Do you agree with these points or do you have your own ideas? As always, share your thoughts in the usual place.

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192 Comments

1 2 3 4 5

MattBellissimo - 11/10/2016, 8:20 AM

Dumping Kinberg should be #1.

"Set It In A Present Day Shared Universe"

But yes, this.

RancidBane - 11/10/2016, 9:11 AM

The present day idea is great. Plus leave Logan alone for a little while. Make Scott the leader and the focal point of the team. Stop making him a pussy and have him run the place like the badass he is. That would be my 2 cents. Adding the deadpool movie in as the setting would be great. Let Ryan Reynolds' deadpool be the new wolverine. Let the world forget about Hugh Jackman's amazing performance and leave Logan out of it for a few films.

Quicker - 11/10/2016, 9:12 AM

If the MCU does reboot X-Men, I kinda want them to make it a tv series. I feel like it would be a good idea since you have so many [frick]ing characters.

We don't want to repeat past mistakes, do we?

P862010 - 11/10/2016, 9:13 AM

seriously we just got a new jean and cyclops we dont need a full on reboot

GhostDog - 11/10/2016, 9:13 AM

The One Fullproof Way To Do It

Quicker - 11/10/2016, 9:15 AM

@ComicsBornAndBred - I don't really think Singer is sticking around. Simon...

is the annoying neighbor who just won't keeps butting into everyone's conversation.

GhostDog - 11/10/2016, 9:15 AM

Make Cyclops the LEADER AND BADASS he should be.

He's only second to Cap as the greatest leader in the Marvel Universe.

1 2 3 4 5

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6 Foolproof Ways To Reboot The X-MEN Franchise After The APOCALYPSE

X-Men: Apocalypse was a critical and commercial disappointment, and so it's no real surprise that Fox is looking to reboot the series. These are the best (and most likely) ways they can actually do that!

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5. Dump Simon Kinberg

4. A "Soft" Reboot

3. Make A Deal With Marvel Studios

2. Recast Wolverine

1. Set It In A Present Day Shared Universe

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