WARNING: Before I start, this is going to be a long post, but I tried to make it detailed and neat, so as to explain my ideas clearly enough. I really think it's worth the read if you're eager to see the mutants in the MCU.
Considering the whole Fox situation and the fact that the deal is finally made complete, I was thinking about how to introduce the X-Men in the MCU in a way that would honor both the comics and change things up a bit from the Fox films.
To do such a thing would take a few years of set-up, but I could see a MCU X-Men film coming out around 2022 if things go right.
Okay, let's start.
The first step to the introduction of the mutant gene would've started in Avengers Endgame.
Yes, I know that it seems quite impossible considering that the movie is coming out next month, but it is entirely possible to shoot a very small scene in time for the premiere, just like what they did with the first Avengers and the shawarma post-credit scene.
In this case, the scene that I need to help set up the mutants would ideally happen in that Captain America support group moment from one of the Endgame TV Spots:
As mourning survivors try to cope with the consequences of the "decimation" (Thanos's snap), we see a news report that shows the negative consequences of the snap. Economies are crashing, planes falling down with no captain, trains derailing, basically, end of the world scenario. Plus, and this is the important part, thousands of people have been hospitalized and rushed to quarantines around the world. The reason being that the energy wave that dusted half the population has somehow affected part of the remaining 50% in what researchers describe as "cellular alteration".
The camera then pans down to whomever was watching the news report, like Cap or Bruce, and the plot of the movies ensues normally.
That's the scene that I would love for Endgame to include. It would only take about 30 seconds of the runtime and would be a great wink to the future of the MCU. The rise of mutants.
So, the mutants are created this way. Radiation from Thanos's snap "awakens" the X-gene that was dormant on thousands of people, who slowly start showcasing their mutations. Essentially, in the MCU, mutation occurs when humans with the x-gene are exposed to energy from the infinity stones (therefore the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver getting their powers from the Mind Stone is explained)
Don't worry though, this does not mean that mutants like Magneto and Wolverine will have their backstories changed. This is not the first occurance of mutation in the MCU's history, as you'll see soon. Magneto could have been experimented on by the Red Skull using the Space Stone during WWII. Wolverine could have been exposed to Infinity Stone radiation in the 19th century, for example.
So, going back to the movies. Considering that initial reference to mutation in Endgame, we move on to Phase 4. Movies like Spider-Man: Far From Home and The Black Widow would not delve into any mutant business, but then, a very important movie would come.: The Eternals.
I believe the Eternals movie is going to follow a very similar plot to the Neil Gaiman run that many comics fans are familiar with. That considered, I believe we will see a lot of X-Men lore set-up in that movie.
The movie would tell the story of the Eternals, Deviants and Celestials.
Celestials, the most powerful creatures to ever live, came to earth eons ago. They found humans and tested them, creating two new species: Eternals, highly evolved humans who have powers and are basically immortal; and Deviants, who are grutesque, ugly, beings, that make up their lack in power with their large numbers and cunning ways.
The Celestials leave Earth and the Eternals are left with protecting Earth from the Deviants, exterminating almost all of them.
One day, the Eternals awake in the 60's with no memory of their past lives. They had been living normal lives as doctors, reporters, etc. They start to awake when Ikaris, their leader, reappears and brings them all together to stop the Deviants's ressurgence.
The deviants team up with a rogue Eternal and awaken a dormant Celestial who was buried somewhere on Earth (BTW, this Celestial could be Galactus, that would be cool).
This Celestial attacks the Eternals. During the battle, the Celestial uses the power of, say, the Power Stone or the Mind Stone, and sends a tremendous attack towards Earth. Ikaris, the main hero, sacrifices himself to absorb and redirect the attack. He is able to do so and scare off the Celestial, who flees with the Stone. Ikaris dies.
However, a portion of the Celestial's attack was not absorbed and hit a building. Sersi, another Eternal goes to check if there were casualities. She find that the building that was hit was an orphanage and that inside were 5 orphans and a teacher. Thankfully, they were not harmed, only desoriented.
Sersi helps them off the crumbling building and questions if they will be okay, to which the teacher tells her he will relocate the children to a safer location and get them medical attention.
Sersi leaves. The movie wraps up. The Eternals leave Earth once again, having stopped the Deviants, but not before honoring Ikaris. Credits roll, and the post-credits scene starts.
We see the teacher from before sitting behind a desk. The teacher looks out of the window with a very faraway look.
Behind him, one of his students, a little boy, comes in the room quietly. The man says:
TEACHER: What is it, Scott?
BOY:How did you know I came in?
TEACHER:I heard your voice.
BOY: I didn´t say anything.
TEACHER: You didn't?... Nevermind then. It seems lately I've been hearing a lot of weird things. Scott, you know... I feel change coming. And when it does, you've got be there for the other children. Jean, Hank, Warren, Bobby, and I, we all depend on your courage…
The teacher leaves the desk revealing a wheelchair. He puts the hand on the boy's shoulder who smiles as his eyes slightly glow red.
For me this would be ideal. Bring the original five X-Men plus Professor X to MCU, through a contained accident in the 60's.
Now, to make sure that it just wouldn't feel like a X-Men First Class ripoff, Magneto would not be introduced right away. Neither would Wolverine or Storm. The first X-Men Movie would be focused on the core team of five, and sequels would add one or two members each, so as not to take away focus from the main five.
Anyway, after the Eternals, there would be other movies like Black Panther 2 and Dr. Strange 2, that would also not factor X-Men or mutants. Storm could be introduced in Black Panther 3, but that's still far away.
After BP 2 and DS 2, it would be fitting for there to be the first MCU X-Men movie: The Astonishing X-Men.
This movie would be a mix of Spider-Man Homecoming's youthful feel, GOTG's unconventianal teamup fun and Avengers epicness.
It would not focus on Mutant and Proud themes, instead being more about a group of youths learning how to use their powers, thair first real adventure outside the X-Mansion and finding their place in the world.
I have many ideas about this movie, but I will try to make this not too overstuffed with plot.
The movie would open on a dark interrogation room. In enters Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. He has a file in hand puts it on the table and pushes it to the man facing him. That man? Charles Xavier. Bald man in a fancy suit, in a wheelchair. Nick Fury proceeds to interrogate him:
FURY: So... I did a little research. Went through some old files of my predecessor. Most of it is redacted so there's not a lot to work with. But there are multiple registers of superhuman people, mutated people. Strong men, men who can fly, humans that can shoot lasers and spit fire. Believe me, I met a lot of extraordinary people. It's the age of heroes up in here. But these... these incidents, these people, they were not considered heroes. They were chased, killed, feared. From scruffy guys who are unkillable, to men who control metals, all these cases were hidden the public as best as possible. Now tell me, you and your students... they appear in one of these cases... in 1975. Mind telling me how that happened?
Xavier looks at Fury and smiles lightly.
XAVIER: Well, Director Fury, allow me to start from the beginning.
The movie then would recap the events that led to the mutation of Charles Xavier and his students, also telling the audience about the x-gene and its activation due to the exposure to the infinity stones.
After that, they showcase what happened after Professor X first gets his powers and starts manifesting them. Throughout 10 years, he learned to control them. He researched their origin and taught his students not only on normal subjects such as Maths, History and Science, but also other subjects that would prove useful in the future like Battle Tactics, Marksmanship, etc.
At the same time, he payed attention to the development of his students, expecting them to demonstrate their powers, which they eventually did. We finally reach 1975. The children are now teenagers/young adults. They've taken codenames such as Cyclops, Iceman, Beast and Angel. Jean Grey, the girl of the group remains without a codename for she hasn´t decided on one yet. They dub themselves X-Men, although they've never gone on a mission or made an heroic act. The reason being that Charles keeps them on the Mansion at all times.
Eventually, they decide to break out and have a night on the town. Angel and Beast wear trenchcoats to hide the wings and fur respectively. They visit malls, go to a concert of the Dazzler, a pop singer and go to the movies, where Scott and Jean share their first kiss, thus initiating their romance. As they are leaving the theatre, Jean uses her powers to save a woman from a falling telephone pole. A man witnesses her telekinesis.
They are found by Charles who scolds them and orders them to return to the mansion. However, Jean is nowhere to be seen. She was knocked out and kidnapped by the man who saw her powers. That man's name was Nathaniel Essex.
Charles and the students panic, with Cyclops blaming himself. The Professor has a deep conversation with his students, where he reminds them of the various dangers they've already faced and the challenges they've overcome. He gives them their iconic yellow and dark blue suits and gives Cyclops his special visors telling him the exact same thing he told him years ago. They all depend on his courage. They suit up and with the Professor's ability to locate Jean through their mental link they go to her rescue.
On Essex's hideout, Jean wakes up to find herself strapped to a wall. Essex has been running tests on her. He reveals himself to be a biologist with a fascination for the Darwin's Evolution Theory. He reveals that he has believed in human's ability to evolve even further ever since he was saved by "a man who could heal from any wound". He has since dedicated his life to learning the secret to this evolution, and with Jean's blood, he is now able to do it. He finishes a serum that he claims will give the x-gene and awaken it to anyone who takes it. Jean uses her telepathy and learns that her allies are on their way. She uses her telekinesis to break out of her chains and attack Essex. Out of panic, Essex uses the serum on himself. His body grows more muscles, skin turns pale, a red mark appears on his forehead, his eyes grow dark and he gains powers. Jean continues to attack him, but he dodges every attack.
When he gets a chance he projects an energy beam that wounds Jean.
Meanwhile, as the other X-Men arrive, they attempt to enter Essex's lab, only to be stopped by his advanced AI Danger. She attacks them proving to be a skilled defense as she learns their fighting patterns and uses them against them. They struggle for quite a bit only being able to stop her by attacking together with a unison attack. They manage to reach Jean who is being chocked by Essex. They attempt to fight him, bute he proves to powerful. Just as all hope is lost, Jean's eyes start glowing and Essex is suddenly pushed back by a orange glow. The X-Men use this chance to attack him and he flees. They reunite and go back together to the Mansion, where Jean is healed. Jean and Cyclops share a moment and Beast fixes Cyclops's device that broke during the fight. Just as they begin to relax, a citywide warning comes on the radio, as a unknown figure floats over a local town holding what appears to be a tank, so as to call upon their attention. The X-Men have a heart-to-heart before leaving, deciding to work together as a team as best as they can and devising a plan. Jean reveals she has decided on a codename, choosing "Phoenix".
They reach Essex, who now calls himself Mr. Sinister, as he reveals himself glad that they came, for he wishes to make them all test subjects. They have an epic fight. As Mr Sinister strikes down everyone of them, he starts mocking them. He insults each one of them with the goal of destroying their morale. After he does this, he attacks Xavier, lifting him up in the air and threathning him of crippling him even further. This enfuriates Cyclops who rises, gives a motivational speech and they enact their last stand (see what I did there). Angel serves as a decoy, as Beasts punches him towards a wall, Iceman freezes Mr Sinister's arms and legs, Jean contains him using her mental powers and Cyclops delivers the final blow by bursting one of his rays on Mr. Sinister's chest, killing him. They cheer upon their victory, and get Xavier safely back. But suddenly stop as a child cries. They look over to see a lonely child crying in the middle of the rubble. As Jean approaches him to show him comfort. The child backs away afraid and angry, running to his mother, who is covered in rubble with tears in her eyes. As her last dying breath, she calls them monsters and tells her son to run away, which he does. As he does, a crowd with weapons approaches, yelling "Get the Freaks!". This shocks the young X-Men. They are hit with rocks and other things. They flee, but not before Jean looks at them one last time. She stands there shocked, looking on. In her eyes you see the reflection of fire, chaos and destruction that surround her.
As they return to the Mansion, Xavier tells them them to pack their things, for they are leaving. Upon hearing this, Cyclops, Angel and Iceman become angry and confused contesting Charles idea to run away. Jean stops them and tells them that it's what they must do for "they will never understand us, therefore, they will never accept us, no matter how much good we do". They all quiet down and agree with a frown. They get ready to leave the Mansion. They board the blackbird, Charles's personal aircraft. Angel says:
ANGEL: Not that I mind flying, I love flying, but, where are we flying to?
Charles breaths deeply and says:
XAVIER: During my period of researching our powers and possible causes, I came across a map to a very special place. It is called Savage Land. It does not confirm to the laws of science, just like us. There, time does not pass, we will wait there, train there, until the world is ready for us.
They do so, they travel to the Savage Land where we see them train, maybe fight some Dinosaurs...
We transition back to the Nick Fury interview, in the present day. Fury says:
FURY: So that's where you've been all along? The "Savage Land"?~
XAVIER: Yes, we lived happily there, although anxious to return one day.
FURY: So why now?
XAVIER: Two reasons. The world has become accepting of extraordinary individuals. The Avengers are loved and cheered for. Maybe we can now be seen as something other than threats. The second reason is a bit more obvious. The worldwide mutation that recently occured...
FURY: Oh, yeah... Thanos sure did a number on us. First erases half of us. We're brought back. Then it turns out thousands that survived the decimation, got mutated. Damn...
XAVIER: Well, those thousands of mutants that were created, they need guidance. I'm here to offer it.
FURY: You understand that I can't let you just waltz out of here. I need to make sure you and your X-Men are not threats. You sure you're ready to go back out there? You sure they are.
XAVIER: I have the upmost faith on my students. They are the ones I live for. They carry my legacy and my will. They will change the world.
FURY: For the better, I hope. I consider myself an expert on "enhanced" individuals by now. So I'll let you go with one little piece of advice. The same advice I gave the Avengers when they first began. You have the chance to become something more. You represent something. Together you can fight the battles that alone no one can. Stand together. Fight together. Always remember that.
The movie would end with the X-Men returning to the Mansion, all dusty now. They suit up ready to go out, help and recruit new mutants for the team.
POST-CREDITS SCENE 1:
The X-Men are sitting in the living room of the X-Mansion, watching the news report of the worldwide mutations going on. Iceman asks Cyclops:
ICEMAN: So, where do we go first, leader?
CYCLOPS: We have a few hits worth checking out. One in Russia. Another one in Deerfield, Illinois.
ANGEL: Where's the Professor?
BEAST: He told me was seeing Someone who helped him research mutants way back in the 60'S. An "old friend". (screen cuts to black)
POST-CREDITS SCENE 2:
We see a lab, and in it, we see a scientist with a lab coat working. On the corner, a TV is showing the same news report from the first post credits scene.
He turns and we see that the scientist is Mr. Sinister. He looks a bit older. He is holding a serum in his hand. H e turns to a a cage in the corner and says:
MR SINISTER: Soon your transformation will be finished, and our time will come.
The camera turns to the cage as we see "Omega Red Project" written by the cage.
This feels like a wholesome way to introduce them. No time travel, no alternate realities, no confusing plot devices.
I honestly have many ideas for the sequels. This turned out way longer than I expected. If you actually read everything, let me now what you think!! If you want a continuation to this, I'm totally up for it! I have ideas on how to eventually introduce fan favorites like Wolverine, Storm, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Rogue and others. Give me Feedback!!