It's an exciting time to be a fan of the X-Men. While we've yet to see any sign of mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we know they're coming...and it's bound to be an improvement over what we saw from 20th Century Fox! There's still no word on when that reboot will hit theaters, though there's been speculation as of late that Loki Head Writer Michael Waldron might pen the screenplay.
Thanks to the Disney/Fox merger, Marvel Studios has access to thousands of new characters, but there are some mutants we're pretty sure will never make it to the big (or small) screen.
Whether it's powers that veer between lame and gross or their place in some of the comic book stories that simply don't hold up today, there's a vast array of heroes and villains to be found here. It's always possible some of them could be reimagined for the MCU, of course, but between the offensive stereotypes and making a joke out of alcoholism, we don't see Disney going anywhere near this lot.
To take a look at these mutants too controversial for the big screen, click on the "Next" button below!
8. Wraith
Adding the X-Men to the MCU means we'll soon see lots of new superpowers, but this...this is just f***ing weird. Wraith has the ability to make his skin invisible, a power that is completely useless.
His skin is literally all that vanishes, though he did once manage to extend the field around himself to make others appear the same way. That confused Magneto for a moment, but what good is this power in a fight? This could be a suitably gross way to show the downside of becoming a mutant, but there are far more effective ways of portraying that than a dude with no skin.
This stomach-churning D-Lister is unlikely to ever see the light of day on screen, and was quickly forgotten in the comic books after M-Day resulted in him losing his powers and regaining his skin!
7. Skin
While we're on the subject of skin, now seems like a good time to bring up... Skin! Despite being featured prominently in a handful of comic books, all he brought to the table as an X-Man is his stretchy epidermis.
Now, you probably think that sounds pretty cool, right? Like Mister Fantastic or Ms. Marvel? Guess again. At best, this pointless mutant could stretch around six feet, a power that's useful for getting something from a high shelf, but not that handy in the midst of a battle with some Sentinels. He didn't last very long, but it's not even worth introducing him just to kill him off at some point in the MCU.
Throw in the fact that Marvel Studios has changed Kamala Khan's powers to avoid similarities to Mister Fantastic, and we're betting on Skin having zero chance of ever being added to the MCU.
6. Psylocke (Betsy Braddock)
And with that, we reach a character many of you might not think is that controversial. Betsy Braddock is the sister of Captain Britain, and a white English woman who found her mind placed into the body of an Asian woman, Kwannon. We're sure you can probably see why that won't fly in 2022, as it's a problematic idea on a number of levels.
Instead, we can see Marvel Studios following the comic books by making Betsy a hero in her own right (she most recently took over as Captain Britain). Kwannon, meanwhile, is Psylocke again and that's a role we can't wait to see filled by a great Asian actress...who isn't pretending to be a white woman trapped in an Asian body!
There's a chance Betsy and Kwannon will be somehow combined, but don't bank on the MCU following the comic books on this occasion, as it would understandably lead to a whole heap of backlash.
5. Stacy X
Stacy X was actually a very interesting character, but we can't picture even the darkest of MCU stories taking us to a mutant brothel. Yes, this member of the X-Men was once a prostitute and used her powers alongside other women to make money from men with a mutie fetish. If reading that made you uncomfortable, then know that the comic books themselves weren't any better.
With an ability to control her pheromones through skin contact, Stacy X can make those she touches instantly fall in lust with her, and while she can also make them sick, that's about the extent of her powers.
The hero's story reached an abrupt end when Angel decided he didn't want to date her, and while we're sure there's a way to do something respectful with Stacy X, bringing her into the MCU would open a can of worms. The Deadpool franchise might make it work, but we're not convinced.
4. Thunderbird
John Proudstar was introduced in the pages of Giant-Size X-Men #1, but his story ended shortly after. He is a fan-favourite character, but also one who was left on the shelf for decades.
There's a good reason for that, though; much like Shang-Chi, the era in which Thunderbird was introduced means he's a character surrounded by racial stereotypes. The Native American hero had a costume and abilities that paid "homage" to his culture, but in a way that's remained divisive and controversial over the years. Even the name Thunderbird has proven problematic for many fans out there.
Now, we'd love to see John brought into live-action in a respectful way, but some major changes would need to be made and by the time all was said and done, he probably wouldn't be the same character. Like the comics themselves, we can see Marvel Studios leaving Thunderbird alone for now.
3. Lifeguard
Lifeguard is a character with potential, but she's not particularly interesting and is overly sexualised to the point where she's basically Pamela Anderson in Baywatch, albeit with golden skin.
The hero is able to adapt to any situation, meaning she can unleash a surprisingly impressive array of abilities on the battlefield. The problem is, Lifeguard can't control them and her powers are basically a ripoff of the far more popular Darwin...it just so happens that she's nicer to look at. Borderline sexist and only useful in a fight after it's begun, there's not much Marvel Studios could do here.
It's a shame, because the character has a striking appearance and seeing her unleash claws and wings was pretty cool. Lifeguard was created at a time when comic books were capitalising on eye candy, though, and we can't see this buxom blonde bombshell finding a home in the MCU.
2. Gin Genie
Much to the disappointment of fans, the MCU never really tackled Tony Stark's battle with alcoholism. It was half-heartedly addressed in Iron Man 2, but not in a way that did "Demon in a Bottle" justice. With that in mind, do you really think the Disney-owned Marvel Studios will introduce Gin Genie?
A powerful mutant who can generate earth-moving seismic waves, Gin only has access to her powers while drunk. The drunker she gets, the stronger her powers are, but the problem there is (and we're sure you can see this coming), the more she drinks, the more intoxicated the hero becomes.
She's also a mean drunk, and while that's resulted in a few laughs on the page, it doesn't feel like Gin Genie will be anywhere close to a priority for Marvel Studios. Again, the Deadpool franchise might be able to make a punchline out of this, but even those movies might want to leave this one alone.
1. Xorn
Xorn was one of the most intriguing characters introduced by Grant Morrison, and fans were instantly transfixed by this hero with a star for a brain. However, things took a weird turn when it was revealed that Magneto had been posing as this Asian man to infiltrate the X-Men and ultimately unleash a horrifying attack on New York City. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long before that was retconned.
We learned that it wasn't really Magneto, and Xorn was actually a twin. This gave Marvel Comics the chance to bring him back, of course, but it was one of the dumbest, most convoluted stories yet.
While Xorn is a character who could be great on screen, there's so much baggage surrounding him, we simply can't imagine why Marvel Studios would even want to bother. In fact, most fans would probably just dread the possibility of a similarly silly reveal with this hero-turned-villain-turned hero.