Why Marvel Isnt In A Hurry With The MCU XMen

Why Marvel Isn’t In A Hurry With The MCU X-Men

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Marvel may have regained the film rights to the X-Men, but they don’t seem in a particular hurry to introduce mutants into the MCU – and here’s why.

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Why Marvel Isnt In A Hurry With The MCU XMen

Marvel Studios isn’t in a hurry to introduce the X-Men – and there’s a good reason. In March 2019, Disney finally completed its acquisition of the bulk of Fox’s film and TV empire. As expected, the film rights to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four returned at last to Marvel Studios. Marvel has already confirmed a Fantastic Four movie is in the works, that Jon Watts – the helmer of Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise – will direct it.

But one thing is becoming clear; Marvel Studios seem to be in no hurry to introduce the X-Men. The studio has announced movies running through to 2023, along with a range of MCU TV shows on Disney+, and there’s no solid news of an X-Men show. There have been reports that Marvel has begun work on a feature film called The Mutants, but it appears to be in the earliest stages of development, with no known plot details, writers, directors, or cast members. What’s more, that title doesn’t necessarily mean this will introduce the X-Men as a team.

Marvel Studios has always tended to play the long game, and president Kevin Feige has always insisted that will be the case with the X-Men. What’s more, it’s becoming clear there are good reasons for this.

Marvel Don’t Depend On Superhero Brand Names

Why Marvel Isnt In A Hurry With The MCU XMen

It’s easy to forget there was a time before Marvel superheroes were guaranteed blockbusters. All that began to change in 1998, with the unlikely success story of Blade. As Feige observed in a recent interview with Men’s Health, “That sort of proved early on that it wasn’t about how famous the character was, but about how great their potential was for becoming a cool movie, or series of movies.” When Marvel began their own films in 2008, they were reduced to lesser brands whose film rights had either never been bought by other studios, or had lapsed. Over the next decade, Marvel turned the likes of Iron Man and Captain America into household names, transformed the Guardians of the Galaxy into a blockbuster hit, and broke $1 billion with Black Panther and Captain Marvel. Looking at the Phase 4 film slate, it’s clear they intend to continue in this vein, with 2021 introducing the Eternals – a brand that’s never even been especially successful in the comics – and the lesser-known martial arts hero Shang-Chi.

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Feige seems to be taking the same approach with the X-Men themselves. Back in 2019, discussing the exciting idea of bringing the X-Men into the MCU, he stressed Marvel’s focus wasn’t just on what he called the “marquee names.” The fans may be excited about the likes of Cyclops, Wolverine, Professor X, and Magneto, but Feige is well aware Marvel has regained the rights to hundreds of characters.

Marvel Is Already Introducing ‘Lesser’ Fox Properties

Why Marvel Isnt In A Hurry With The MCU XMen

While all attention is on the big names and the established brands, there’s already evidence Marvel is beginning to integrate Fox properties into their shared cinematic universe – by developing ideas that have never been seen on the big screen before. The Falcon & the Winter Soldier introduced viewers to the island nation of Madripoor, which is a hive of criminality and corruption. This was the first time Madripoor has ever been seen in the MCU before, and that’s probably because it’s most strongly associated with the X-Men. Madripoor’s most well-known resident is Patch, an alias of Wolverine, and other characters associated with Madripoor actually appeared in Fox films like The Wolverine.

Along a similar vein, it’s possible the first explicit mutant introduced into the MCU won’t be Charles Xavier, Magneto, Wolverine, or Storm, but rather will be a little-known Russian character named Ursa Major. Olivier Richters, the world’s tallest bodybuilder, has been cast in Black Widow for an unrevealed role, and there’s been speculation he could be playing Ursa Major. This has been supported by recent comments from David Harbour (who plays Red Guardian in Black Widow), who took to social media to name-drop Ursa Major and other members of the Winter Guard – Russia’s answer to The Avengers. A mutant with the power to transform into a giant bear, Ursa Major is about as “non-marquee” as they come.

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Marvel Is Allowing The X-Men To Become A ‘Legacy’

There’s another advantage to this approach; it allows the X-Men to become a legacy. Marvel has never been particularly keen to repeat what has been done before, and the fact remains there have been 13 previous X-Men movies (not all of which were successful or popular). Actors like Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender have inhabited these roles for years, meaning any new iterations of the X-Men will inevitably be compared to what has been done before. By taking their time, Marvel allows fans to become less attached to these previous versions, and more casual viewers become ready for something new and original. This is exactly what Marvel did with Blade, because the studio regained the film rights all the way back in 2013, and sat on them for years until Mahershala Ali eventually contacted them wanting to play the vampire hunter. Until then, they actually turned down pitches in order to give it time.

X-Men fans are impatient, eager to see the X-Men join the MCU. All the signs suggest, though, that Marvel isn’t in a hurry; they don’t believe brands need to be already established in order to be hits. Rather, they’re working on “non-marquee” concepts that they believe can be successful for now, and they want to let the X-Men themselves rest for a little so as to establish them as a legacy (which, not coincidentally, is the term used for that category on the Disney+ streaming service). While this will no doubt frustrate many, the reality is that Marvel has proved a slow-burn approach works wonders in terms of integrating concepts and ideas into their shared universe. The MCU began with a man forging a suit of armor, and by the end of Phase 3 viewers had watched as Spider-Man webbed Thor’s hammer in order to be pulled away from an alien army while carrying the Infinity Gauntlet. It will no doubt be fascinating to see what state the MCU is in by 2028 – and, of course, by then it’s safe to assume mutants will be a major part of the story.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/marvel-x-men-mcu-reboot-hurry-no-why/

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