What started with 2000's
X-Men has now concluded with 2019's
X-Men: Dark Phoenix - or is that 2020's
New Mutants? Either way, some of Marvel's most powerful and interesting heroes are now back home thanks to Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
While the myriad of Fox's
X-Men films were definitely hit or miss, even the most ardent MCU fan has to admit to just a twinge of melancholy that this era of superhero cinema is over - albeit those melancholy feelings are likely due to all the missed opportunities in the Fox
X-Men era. Namely, the studio failing to capitalize on a ton of opportunity by not adapting any of the storied comic book arcs from the
X-Men's wide-ranging history. Sure, there were attempts to tackle
Days of Future Past,
Dark Phoenix and
X-Men: Gifted storylines, but they were completely butchered and adaptations in name only.
These attempts were so far off the mark it was as if someone looked at a two-sentence summary of the arcs and attempted to turn that into a feature-length film, skipping the nuance and intrigue inherent with the stories from Chris Claremont and Joss Whedon. However, Fox's loss is Marvel's gain.
It's with that notion in mind we look at some of the most notable
X-Men stories from the comics that would be perfect for the
Marvel Cinematic Universe.
X-Tincton Agenda
While the storyline is notable for bringing together the X-Men, X-Factor and the New Mutants for the first time, the tale centers on the mutant-hating country of Genosha and the mad (cyborg) scientist Cameron Hodges, who want to wipe mutantkind off the face of the earth. With such an ambitious goal. their naturally going to target the world's most famous mutant institution, The Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
X-Men: Schism
With Professor X jettisoned from the school (Cyclops kicked him out after discovering Xavier altered his memories), the X-Men split behind two different leaders, Cyclops and Wolverine. The former wants to take a more militaristic stance in the battle between mutants and humans while the latter wants a more peaceful coexistence. In essence, it's the "Professor X vs Magneto" conflict all over again, except this time its Cyclops and Wolverine in leadership roles.
Phalanx Covenant
If your knowledge of the X-Men is limited to just the Fox films, you'll be surprised to know that Marvel's merry band of mutants have a ton of adventures involving outer space and aliens (a ton!). That's an element only briefly dabbled within the lackluster swan song, X-Men: Dark Phoenix. However, Fox's aversion to the source material makes storylines like the Phalanx Covenant perfect for the MCU, as it's a way to create something holistically different from what Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg crafted.
Case in point, the Phalanx Covenant deals with a cybernetic alien species who are parasitic in nature and wish to assimilate all life in every known galaxy (think of the Borg from Star Trek). The Phalanx first appears in Marvel thanks to a group of mutant-hating humans wishing to become human Sentinels, however, it soon becomes apparent that they've bitten off more than they can chew and their conflict with the X-Men becomes a race to prevent the Phalanx on earth from contact the rest of the Phalanx in space.
House of M
One of the more infamous storylines sees the Scarlet Witch goe absolutely mental and her reality-warping powers create a world where mutants are the dominant species and humans are treated as their inferiors. Wolverine is the only mutant who remembers the original timeline and slowly goes about assembling a team of non-mutant superheroes to change things back. The tale famously ends with Scarlet Witch uttering the words, "No More Mutants." In a flash of white light, the world returns to normal but the large majority of mutants have lost their abilities
Avengers vs X-Men
The 2012 Marvel crossover event was somewhat of a dud (mostly due to a large number of tie-ins) but the concept was solid. The premise centered on the Phoenix Force returning to Earth and the fact that the planet lacked a host for the "universal embodiment of Creation" as Jean Grey was dead. The Avengers and X-Men come to blows over how to deal with the cosmic force's arrival but they eventually iron out their differences although Cyclops further descends into his Magneto transformation (see X-Men: Schism).
Age of Apocalypse
Professor Xavier's powerfully inept son Legion travels back in time with the intent of killing Magneto to create a better world. Instead, Xavier sacrifices himself to save Magneto resulting in a vastly different timeline with only the time-traveling mutant Bishop aware of the changes. Outside of Days of Future Past, the Age of Apocalypse is the most popular alternate timeline version of the X-Men.
X-Men: Season One
X-Men: Season One is a modern retelling of the origin of the classic line-up of Cyclops, Beast, Ice Man, Angel and Jean Grey. Believe it or not, the Fox films have never covered this roster as their "First Class" included a team of Mystique, Cyclops younger brother Havok, Darwin, Beast, and Banshee.
The Phoenix Saga
Why is The Phoenix Saga on this list? Because the two Fox adaptations solely focus on The Dark Phoenix saga and largely ignore the part that comes before it. At the start of the story arc, the Phoenix Force (in possession of Jean Grey) and the rest of the X-Men venture off into space and saves the entire universe before the Phoenix Force starts to question the morals of humanity and succumbs to the dark side. However, this slip is very gradual and in order to accurately depicted on the big screen, has to occur across multiple films.
X-Men: Manifest Destiny
The anthology miniseries deals with the X-Men leaving Westchester and changing their base of operations to San Francisco. They send out a telepathic message to all mutants around the globe, inviting them to join them at their new digs. Surely nothing could go wrong...
The Messiah Trilogy
Although it lacks in execution, X-Men: Messiah Complex just might be the most ambitious X-Men miniseries of the last 15 years. For several years, the X-Men books deal with the aftermath of House of M and the decimation of the mutant population. The tale chronicles the first mutant born after the Scarlet Witch's disastrous hex and many (MANY) factions that are after her. Thanks to timetravelers Bishop and Cable, no one is sure whether the new mutant child will save mutantkind or doom it to a future of concentration camps.