22 X-MEN And FANTASTIC FOUR Characters And Locations You May Not Realise Are Coming To The MCU
The X-Men and Fantastic Four are coming home but there are a lot of Marvel characters and locations we're willing to bet you didn't know were tied up at Fox. Here, we take a look at the most exciting ones!
Ever since Comcast bowed out of the race, Disney's chances of acquiring the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four have increased dramatically. On Friday, shareholders for both that company and Fox voted to make the deal official and once the red tape is sorted, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will get a whole lot bigger. However, you may be surprised by just how big it will get a few years from now.
While you don't need us to tell you that the likes of Wolverine and Deadpool are coming home, there are a number of key heroes, villains, and locations which are also wrapped up in the deal. There are even superhero teams and aliens which have been off limits to Marvel Studios up until now and it's those we're taking a look at in this breakdown of those you all may not realise are owned by Fox.
So, to take a look at this list of characters and locations, simply click on the "View List" button below.
Lyja
A Skrull with the ability to shapeshift into humans or animals, Lyja is unlikely to appear in next year's Captain Marvel due to the fact her origin is very much rooted within the world of the Fantastic Four. She managed to infiltrate the team by posing as Alica Masters and served as both an ally and enemy to the team. Assuming we see more of the Skrulls in the MCU, Lyja will no doubt get in on the action.
Molecule Man
Up until fairly recently, Molecule Man was considered something of a joke but his ability to control matter and change reality could come into play in a big way in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The immensely powerful villain could be used as the big bad of any number of movies and while he'd no doubt be reimagined to at least some extent (like Baron Zemo), the possibilities are endless.
Shi'ar Empire
We thought we'd meet the Shi'ar Empire in Dark Phoenix but it doesn't appear as if that will be happening so that leaves the door wide open for the likes of Lilandra and Gladiator to be brought to the big screen. While they could be tied into the world of the X-Men in some way, I think it would be especially interesting to see them cross paths with the Guardians of the Galaxy in the near future.
Betsy Braddock
Psylocke may have received the spotlight in X-Men: Apocalypse but did you know that Betsy Braddock is actually the sister of Captain Britain and actually used to be a white woman who also held that mantle? While we know that Marvel Studios has tentative plans for Brian, the rights to the X-Men returning home means the door is wide open to them telling Psylocke's story from beginning to end.
Alpha Flight
Fox has missed a trick by leaving Alpha Flight on the shelf, especially as the characters could very easily hold their own franchise completely separate to the X-Men. The Canadian team probably won't be Marvel's top priority when all these characters return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it would be crazy not to expand this shared world by finally setting future stories in the Great White North.
Wyatt Wingfoot
Wyatt Wingfoot first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four #50 and he's served as a frequent ally to the team ever since, joining them on many adventures and serving as a pilot alongside Ben Grimm. Wyatt is very much a minor character but also one who could be reinvented in some interesting ways for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it will be fun seeing what that might entail moving forward.
Starjammers
The leader of the Starjammers is Corsair but he's actually Christopher Summers, the father of Cyclops, Havok, and Vulcan. What's interesting about bringing this team to the MCU is the fact that they don't initially have to be linked to the X-Men; they could show up in Guardians of the Galaxy! A vague reference to Corsair's family would be fun for fans and could then be followed up on in a future film.
Latveria
Doctor Doom is obviously on his way to MCU and will probably be introduced in a Fantastic Four reboot before becoming a new big bad for this entire shared world. What's really exciting, though, is the fact we'll get to visit Latveria, a fiction nation which Doom rules over with an iron fist. Sure, we've never heard of it before now but Sokovia was never mentioned before Avengers: Age of Ultron either!
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.
Quicksilver
I know what you're thinking; we've already seen Quicksilver in the MCU! Well, yes and no. While the character did make his debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, his mutant heritage, last name, and codename were nowhere to be found in that sequel. Now, if Marvel chooses to resurrect the speedster, they can do it the right way and elaborate on the fact he's actually the son of Magneto.
Scarlet Witch
The chances of Quicksilver coming back are probably slim but Scarlet Witch remains an integral part of the MCU and it can easily be revealed that she's actually a mutant whose powers were activated by Baron Von Strucker's experiments. Wanda could even end up playing the role Hope Summers did in Avengers Vs. X-Men as the two teams go to war with the daughter of Magneto somehow on the line.
Nathaniel Richards
The father of Reed Richards, Nathaniel Richard is a time-traveller with a very complicated background. He's got some pretty confusing ties to Kang the Conqueror and has taken on a number of different monikers over the years, many of which could be used in the MCU in very exciting ways. There are a lot of Fantastic Four villains who could bring them and The Avengers together and this is one of them.
The Brood
Due to the intergalactic adventures of both the X-Men and Fantastic Four, there are a lot of aliens who have not been used in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's going to change, though, and it's impossible not to be excited about the prospect of seeing The Brood. Their introduction could result in Marvel's first horror movie and they have the potential to do more than just battle the X-Men.
Paibok
Another Skrull unlikely to appear in Captain Marvel next year, Paibok was bionically re-engineered to possess more power than the Fantastic Four. Personally, I don't think pitting Reed Richards and company against these shape-shifters will be a priority for Marvel Studios but assuming a Secret Invasion adaptation does happen somewhere down the line, he'll now no doubt end up part of that.
Kristoff Vernard
The adopted son of Victor Von Doom has a convoluted history and while I wouldn't necessarily want to see that touched on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I do think the character could be used in other ways. For example, he could take on an Everett Ross style role for Latveria and seeing as Kevin Feige has reinvented many different characters over the years, the same could actually be the case for Kristoff.
Asteroid M
What if we haven't heard anything about mutants because they've been hiding above Earth on Magneto's Asteroid M base? That may seem a little far-fetched but it is at least one possibility and even if that doesn't wind up being the case, this would make for one seriously cool home for the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. If it falls from the sky, then it can just become Utopia for the X-Men!
Phalanx
The Phalanx are techno-organic beings, whose nervous systems are composed of organic circuitry and they've clashed with the X-Men on a number of occasions. This evil race was born when a scientist experimented on the remains of the New Mutant Warlock, and while this lot probably won't be a priority for Marvel Studios, it will be great to see the cosmic side of the MCU fleshed out with this lot.
Baxter Building
Well, this goes without saying really. There's already been speculation that Avengers Tower will be converted into the Baxter Building when the Fantastic Four arrive in the MCU and that seems like a smart move, especially as we're talking about a team who is loved by the public (arguably more so than The Avengers). Getting to explore the Baxter Building promises to be a treat both inside and out.
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.
The Negative Zone
The Negative Zone is home to a huge number of iconic villains who have been off limits to Marvel Studios up until now and with it being so easy to link this mysterious dimension with the likes of the Quantum Realm and Doctor Strange's many adventures, it's obviously going to be a whole lot of fun delving into the home of Annihilus. It's literally a whole new universe for Kevin Feige to explore.
Genosha
Rumour has it that we'll actually visit Genosha in Dark Phoenix but common sense says that we won't be getting a comic book accurate take on that so Marvel will be able to make up for that in no time at all. The home of Magneto and other mutants who no longer wanted to be victimised by humans, there's a lot which could be done with Genosha and it could be that Erik has been in hiding there.
Willie Lumpkin
Okay, this isn't exactly an essential addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but how amazing would it be to see to see this character return after he was once so memorably played by the late, great Stan "The Man" Lee. As cameos go, this would definitely be amazing and while there's no denying that we can live without Willie, his inclusion would definitely please a lot of longtime comic book fans.