What Are The Pros And Cons Of The X-MEN And FANTASTIC FOUR Joining The Marvel Cinematic Universe?
With the signs all pointing to the X-Men and Fantastic Four arriving in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we take a look at the pros and cons of those characters moving from Fox to Disney by coming "home."
As you no doubt already know, Disney is closing in on a deal with 21st Century Fox which will see them acquire the company's film and television assets for a whopping $60 million. This is a game-changing deal and one which in some ways monopolises Hollywood as the House of Mouse will be in control of franchises like Avatar, Alien, Planet of the Apes, and TV shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy.
For comic book fans, the most exciting part of this deal is the fact that this deal will bring the Fantastic Four and X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a process which will probably take a while but obviously means we'll be bidding farewell to a lot of movies and can expect big changes in Phase 4.
Focusing on the Marvel side of things, is this really what's best for both the characters owned by Fox and those that inhabit the MCU? Here, we take a look at the pros and cons of this deal going down - it could happen as soon as next week - and attempt to figure out where we can expect things to next...
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Con: We'll Probably Say Goodbye To Deadpool
Deadpool may have been a huge success but Marvel Studios won't be releasing an R-Rated movie any time soon and that means the Merc with the Mouth is either being shelved or that a new PG-13 version will enter the MCU. Ryan Reynolds could remain in the role (the character is probbly meta enough to acknowledge his place in a new world) but he may not want to play a watered down version of Wade Wilson, so chances are Deadpool 3 and X-Force will never actually come to fruition.
After all, having Josh Brolin play Thanos and then appear as Cable in the MCU could be too messy!
Pro: The Fantastic Four Find Redemption
There are a myriad of ways Marvel Studios could tackle the Fantastic Four. They could retell the origin story of the team with a more comic book accurate take on that (something lacking from Fox's efforts) or even take things in a very different direction by setting this tale in the 1960s, having the team go missing in space and focus on their cosmic adventures. Hell, they could even return to Earth and become the MCU's first superhero team, filling in some big gaps in this shared universe's history!
Chances are they won't be Disney's first priority after what happened back in 2015 but this is one franchise which can still find redemption and there's no one better than Kevin Feige to ensure that's the case.
Pro: Mutants In The MCU
Whatever happens, the X-Men franchise is being rebooted and the current iteration of the team is going bye bye. Having them exist in an alternate universe (like The Flash and Supergirl on The CW) simply wouldn't work and aside from Jennifer Lawrence and maybe Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, there's no longer anyone left in the franchise who would make a "crossover" a major draw.
If Hugh Jackman was still around, it could work but he's not so that's a moot point. The mutant gene springing up in the MCU wouldn't be a hard sell by any means - it's what happened in the comic books - and fresh versions of these characters showing up gives Marvel new tales to tell well beyond the release of Avengers 4, 5, and 6! Just imagine actual Sentinels hovering by Avengers Tower!
Con: The MCU Becomes Unrecognisable
As cool as it will be seeing the Fantastic Four and X-Men in the MCU, that also runs the risk of making this shared universe completely unrecognisable. Is it possible those teams showing up will overshadow Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Guardians? It's feasible but providing Marvel doesn't just forget about the likes of Captain America and Iron Man, we may get some dream scenarios as Wolverine joins The Avengers, Spider-Man hangs out with the Human Torch, and Thor meets Silver Surfer!
All of those are things I certainly never expected to see in my lifetime and the fact that there will be kids growing up seeing that come to fruition will be nothing short of amazing for them.
Pro: Disney Theme Parks Will Be Even Cooler
Characters from the Marvel Universe have slowly been finding their way into Disney's theme parks for years now but this change means we can expect to see the likes of the Fantastic Four and X-Men joining The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, something which will fundamentally change these theme parks in a significant and memorable way. Who else is already psyched for Marvel Land?
Con: The Loss Of Some Potentially Great Movies
Should this deal take place, we'll probably still end up seeing X-Men: Dark Phoenix but anything beyond that should probably be forgotten about. That means no Fantastic Four movie from the perspective of the kids, no Doctor Doom, no X-Force, no sequel to The New Mutants, and no Multiple Man and Gambit (I'm probably even forgetting some). While it's probably worth losing those to see these franchises brought home to the MCU, we are potentially losing what might have been great movies.
At the end of the day, Feige knows how to make fans happy so as long as he's spearheading this, we're safe.
Pro: A Plethora Of New Villains
The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn't exactly running out of villains but they've certainly made their way through most of the big names over the past decade. The X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises are full of great bad guys, though, including Apocalypse, Galactus, Annihilus, the Super-Skrull, Magneto, and far too many others to mention. All of these characters could move into other movies - Galactus and the Silver Surfer battling The Avengers, for example - and that's very exciting indeed.
Con: The End Of R-Rated Superhero Movies
I already touched on this while talking about Deadpool but if Disney does own the Fantastic Four and X-Men, that probably means no more R-Rated superhero movies. Ever. While we still get independent offerings like Kingsman and whatever's happening with Judge Dredd, Sony is unlikely to commit to too many R-Rated movies as that studio's focus seems to be more on launching profitable new franchises. Logan and Deadpool changed the game with what they delivered but that might be short-lived.
Then again, the success of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok prove that superhero movies don't need an R-Rating to give them a boost, so perhaps all we'll lose is blood and swearing!
Pro: An Even Larger Marvel Cosmic Universe
Marvel Studios is looking to James Gunn to expand the cosmic side of the MCU but the acquisition of these franchises ensures it will be bigger than ever before. Galactus and Silver Surfer alone are game changers, while Annihilation taking place could lead to an entirely separate series of event movies running parallel to what's happening with The Avengers.
From alien races to supporting characters and villains, Marvel can mine the worlds of the Fantastic Four and X-Men for years even if they were to decide to leave those heroes gathering dust! The story possibilities are insane and that's definitely a good reason to be excited as a fan.
Con: This Might Kill The DC Films Universe
With The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, AND Spider-Man all in one world, Warner Bros. may just give up on even trying to compete, especially if their recent struggles are any indication.
I hope this one isn't the case but it could happen and that lack of competition might be bad for Marvel Studios in the long run. Then again, they've managed well this far with no real sort of rival!
Are you excited to see the X-Men and Fantastic Four enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe or is it a bad idea? Let us know your thoughts on that in the comments section down below.