With X-Men '97 less than a month from hitting Disney+ and Deadpool & Wolverine set to claw its way into theaters this summer, Marvel Studios is finally putting the X-Men front and centre. A reboot of the franchise likely won't head our way until after Avengers: Secret Wars, but in the meantime, the MCU is embracing past iterations of these characters courtesy of the Multiverse.
It's all thanks to the Disney/Fox merger, of course, and between this and The Fantastic Four franchise, Marvel Studios now has access to thousands of new characters. However, there are some mutants we're pretty sure will never make it to the big (or small) screen.
Whether it's powers that lie somewhere between lame and gross (sometimes both) or their place in comic book stories that simply don't hold up today, these heroes and villains will likely stay on the shelf. It's possible some of them could be reimagined for the MCU, but whether it's offensive stereotypes or turning alcoholism into a "superpower," we don't see Disney going anywhere near this lot.
To take a look at these mutants too controversial for the live-action - and animation - 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 is just weird, man. Wraith can make his skin invisible, a power that's essentially useless. Well, totally useless, to be honest.
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? Sure, it's 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 who has no skin.
This stomach-churning D-Lister is unlikely to ever see the light of day on screen and was quickly forgotten in the comics after M-Day resulted in him losing his powers and finally getting his skin back.
7. Skin
While we're on the subject of skin, we're heading in the opposite direction to discuss a character called - you guessed it - 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 overly useful when Sentinels attack. He didn't last very long, and it's not even worth introducing Skin just to kill him off at some point.
Throw in the fact that Marvel Studios already changed Kamala Khan's powers to avoid similarities to Mister Fantastic, and we're betting on Skin having zero chance of ever making his way to the screen.
6. Psylocke (Betsy Braddock)
And with that, we reach a character many of you might not think is overly 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 2024 and beyond, as it's a problematic idea on several levels.
Instead, we can see Marvel Studios following the comic books by making Betsy a hero in her own right (she currently holds the Captain Britain mantle). Kwannon, meanwhile, should be 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 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. Recent stories have reinvented the character on Krakoa, but that backstory could still prove problematic.
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 can 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. Something like 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. A brother with the same powers meant Marvel Comics could give him a second chance, 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 that 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.