If one thing has become evident, it's that Marvel has a plan. They had their entire Phase 3 storyline laid out, and knew what they wanted it to be whether or not the Spider-Man deal went through (thank God it did). But I'm sure they were also worried about their X-Men and Fantastic Four characters, whom I'm sure you know are at 20th Century Fox--and I doubt they're going anywhere anytime soon.
X-Men: First Class and
X-Men: Days of Future Past are set in the 1960's and 70's respectively, and both were very well received by critics and brought a new wave of fans to the franchise. We can talk all day long about comic book accuracy,
but the fact of the matter is these two movies are no more inaccurate than Marvel's own endeavors. And if
X-Men: Apocalypse's synopsis and new cast members are anything to go by,
it's looking like a real, solid X-Men team is finally being set in place.
Look, guys, I know some of you are X-Men fanatics, and don't think Bryan Singer and co. have done them justice. And I think that's a fair argument. What I'm here to argue is that the X-Men series has in recent years been beautifully entertaining, and with only 2 movies currently in continuity, it is the perfect time to merge with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Now I'm not saying that this will happen, or that it's even likely to happen. And I'll agree that I don't want the new Fantastic Four movie anywhere near the MCU (based on what I've seen). But recently rumors have arose claiming that the FF are in an alternate realty from the X-Men, and that the crossover movie would be them crossing realities to come together. I don't know about you, but that sounds like trash to me. I think Fox have decided to focus on their own properties, and will not reconsider a deal with Marvel unless Fantastic Four fails. So don't see that movie!
Back to my main argument, though--the X-Men. Here I will look at the arguments against including the X-Men series, and then counter argue it myself.
1. The Events of First Class and Days of Future Past Have Never Been Acknowledged
This is another fair argument, but one I feel bears little relevancy. Events don't need to be mentioned for them to have happened. Even Marvel's Daredevil barely mentions The Avengers, and there's only the briefest Easter egg to The Incredible Hulk. As distanced as that show is, it still takes place in the MCU's timeline. First Class' events weren't recognized by the public's eye, so the problem we're really looking at here is Days of Future Past's main battle when Magneto dropped the stadium around the White House. And while that is a huge terrorist attack, it was still 42 years ago. Several Marvel movies take place in New York City, but we don't see them mentioning 9/11 (to my remembrance anyway). This was a terrible act that people wouldn't want to talk about, that happened four decades ago. It's actually no wonder that it wouldn't be spoken of.
How come mutants haven't been mentioned then? Well, we all know that Marvel can't use the word without them getting sued, but one personal idea of mine is that the world believes mutants no longer exist after the events of Apocalypse or some other X-movie.
Just a thought.
2. Quicksilver
Quicksilver was a character in both Days of Future Past and Age of Ultron, so it sets up a continuity error if they were in the same universe. However, I again see this as little relevancy, and an error that can be easily explained.
In DOFP we see Peter Maximoff in 1973, Magneto's long lost son with no worries. In AoU we see Pietro Maximoff, a much more comic book faithful adaption of the character. Pietro's parents died when he was only ten years old. We don't know how old the twins are in the series, but this event must have taken place in the late eighties or early nineties. Now, classically, we'd all want Pietro and Wanda's dad to big daddy Mag himself, but even the comics have recently altered this fact after decades of story.
If these two worlds crossover, it's safe to assume that Peter is Pietro and Wanda's father, or otherwise somehow related. After all, the character's ages set this up perfectly, and the general audience simply wouldn't care. They're not focused on the minor details, and I seriously doubt this would confuse them; it's literally something that can be explained away in one sentence.
3. "I Don't Want the Fox-Men Anywhere Near the MCU!"
Well aren't you just a selfish little rascal! Kidding aside, I'm a firm believer that if you have a problem, you should fix it, not erase it. I've grown attached to Fox's characters, along with millions of other fans. There are comic book nerds just like us who want to see this happen, but there's even more general audience members who want to see this happen. The movies have only gotten better, and have millions of people who are following their storyline. There is no need to reboot it, and at this point, it'd be so easy to make it happen storyline-wise.
4. Aren't the Inhumans Replacing the X-Men?
In the comics, the X-Men AND the Inhumans dealt with unjust prejudice and all of those themes that have been shown in the X-Men films and Agents of SHIELD series. Showing that mutants deal with similar things could actually be something that unifies the superheroes. All across the world, people who have never met go through many of the same hardships. Just because this is fiction doesn't make that fact any less true. It's kind of a "been there, done that" situation that could help the characters come together and propel them further along.
5. Where Were the X-Men During the Battle of New York?
They were at Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, protecting their students.
Look everyone, I'm NOT saying that they wouldn't have some explaining to do. I'm saying that everything could be very easily explained at this point.