How would you incorporate the X-Men into the MCU?

[DACrowe]

What would your suggestion be? This goes beyond whether Fox or Marvel has the rights to the character. That doesn't matter. World War 2 ended over 70 years ago. In another decade it would simply be impossible for him to exist in the present without some sort of explanation. He would have to be in his 90s at that point.

Right now I am enjoying the Michael Fassbender Magneto too much to mind. But yes, I imagine time travel or some type of explanation will have to be given if/when the character is rebooted. But after McKellen and Fassbender, I imagine it will be an uphill battle for whoever dons that silly little helmet next.

I would be totally down for this

I'm sure he's been suggested before but Liam Neeson would be awesome as MCU Magneto

He already played a somewhat sympathetic big bad in a Batman movie not too long ago.

 

[BatsDC]

Christoph Waltz would make a fantastic Magneto

 

[Rorschach2012]

I'd rather have him as Dr. Octopus^

 

[DACrowe]

I think Waltz needs a break from playing villains, period. He is a wonderful actor. Besides, Marvel would just waste him anyway.

 

[Chris B]

I would be totally down for this

I'm sure he's been suggested before but Liam Neeson would be awesome as MCU Magneto

If they found a way to preserve the traditional Holocaust backstory, Viggo Mortensen would be my choice. But if they were to switch it something like the Cambodian Genocide, then I'd pick Andy Lau.

On a related note, Jason Isaacs is my choice for Professor X.

 

[Rorschach2012]

If they found a way to preserve the traditional Holocaust backstory, Viggo Mortensen would be my choice. But if they were to switch it something like the Cambodian Genocide, then I'd pick Andy Lau.

On a related note, Jason Isaacs is my choice for Professor X.

Holy ****. Great casting. Mortensen and Isaacs would both be perfect.

The Holocaust angle must remain intact, it's crucial to his character. I liked the idea of Hydra experimenting on a young Magneto, providing him with decelerated aging.

 

[DrCosmic]

I hate it when they say this young looking person is 70 years old, but they act/think nothing like a 70 year old. This is why I hate Twilight. This is why I hate long lived Black Widow and long lived Magneto. Incidentally this is why I like the MCU take on Captain America so much.

Nazi origins are impossible to beat because of the mythology that's built up around them in our culture, but as far as tragedies, the Holocaust just isn't the worst genocide to happen in the last 100 years. Not even close. I never thought it was crucial to Magneto's character, anymore than having been an American Slave would be necessary for him to be a Nazi Hunter after going through the Holocaust.

Of course, updating the X-Men to deal with racial injustice in modern times means they can't really be white. 2000 was the last hurrah for that. I'm cool with Black Cyclops, Asian Beast and Palestinian Magneto, but I might be the only one. If they just can't let go of the Nazis or being white for Magneto, then I'd much rather he get bodyswitched with a younger guy than have yet another once-in-a-lifetime-one-of-a-kind life extending serum. It's hard to pretend it's not just magic mumbo jumbo at that point.

 

[The Batman]

I would not make Logan the central character. Wolverine, IMO, works best in the Han Solo role, not playing both the Han AND Luke Skywalker role like he has been. He's been the lead of three X-Films and three of his own films, he should definitely take a step back in a rebooted franchise.

If someone has to be the center of the MCU X-Men, I'd rather it be Scott or Jean.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Scott be better because he leader of X-Men in comics.

 

[metaphysician]

I am generally opposed to incorporating the X-Men, and specifically opposed to incorporating the X-Men without some very strong, setting bible level protections against "Every single human being hates mutants, for no discernible reason".

That said, if they were to do so? The first thing that needs to be redesigned is Xavier and Magneto's backstory. Bluntly, you can't use WWII anymore. Its just been too many decades. So, for Magneto's origin story, use the former Yugoslavia if you wish to be conservative, Rwanda if you wish to take risks. Set Xavier's age similarly. They are young, thus, probably in their early 40s by the time any hypothetical X-Men movie were to happen. Just old enough to be the elders teaching and training a new generation of young mutants, as the rate of superhuman emergence accelerates.

Beyond that, I'd have the story be of the young new mutants, as they navigate the changing world and the formation of mutant culture, and what it means to be part of a demographic that is superhuman "just because". To be a mutant *sometimes* means to be an outcast. . . but other times it means being a celebrity. Its opportunity and risk, applause and envy, and the brilliance and uncertainty of the future. Mutants are less a metaphor for insert-minority-here, and more a metaphor for change itself, how the new generation gets to make the world of tomorrow, and often makes a world inconceivable mere decades prior. "Mutant paranoia", when it manifests, is less "I'm going to treat my kids as whatever racial group I hate most", and more "What is this strange music my kids are listening to, and these incomprehensible gadgets they are using?"

 

[ernesth100]

Very unpopular idea imma bout to say but. I'd make them Inhumans. :x

 

[DrCosmic]

I am generally opposed to incorporating the X-Men, and specifically opposed to incorporating the X-Men without some very strong, setting bible level protections against "Every single human being hates mutants, for no discernible reason".

That said, if they were to do so? The first thing that needs to be redesigned is Xavier and Magneto's backstory. Bluntly, you can't use WWII anymore. Its just been too many decades. So, for Magneto's origin story, use the former Yugoslavia if you wish to be conservative, Rwanda if you wish to take risks. Set Xavier's age similarly. They are young, thus, probably in their early 40s by the time any hypothetical X-Men movie were to happen. Just old enough to be the elders teaching and training a new generation of young mutants, as the rate of superhuman emergence accelerates.

Beyond that, I'd have the story be of the young new mutants, as they navigate the changing world and the formation of mutant culture, and what it means to be part of a demographic that is superhuman "just because". To be a mutant *sometimes* means to be an outcast. . . but other times it means being a celebrity. Its opportunity and risk, applause and envy, and the brilliance and uncertainty of the future. Mutants are less a metaphor for insert-minority-here, and more a metaphor for change itself, how the new generation gets to make the world of tomorrow, and often makes a world inconceivable mere decades prior. "Mutant paranoia", when it manifests, is less "I'm going to treat my kids as whatever racial group I hate most", and more "What is this strange music my kids are listening to, and these incomprehensible gadgets they are using?"

Always appreciate your posts, meta. Even the ones I don't entirely agree with, like this one. This post makes me see the brilliance of using the gay metaphor instead of the racial one, as it is a thing that happens on a very personal immediate family level that can (but not always) cause a great deal of stryfe in the family. I think superhuman powers that result in things like death and mind control go a bit more firmly in the "Oh #$%^, my life as I know it is over!" than the "weird things my kids do" camp. Perhaps the intense KKK-level hatred of offspring shouldn't happen so often, but when your kid starts blowing the roof off and mind controlling you into feeding them candy every day, you don't just say "What's a Justin Bieber," you take extreme precautions, and many families would. And I really don't think we can discount the media's role in shaping public perception of these issues.

I definitely agree that the reactions should run the gamut, but having a large pervasive politically-motivated irrational opposition to a minority group isn't exactly far-fetched. The same can be said on a broader scale about change, too, but change when incarnated, even if only by perception, into a group of people becomes in practice a minority issue. I also think, if they want to comment on how parents treat their children, anti-mutant therapy, drugs especially, would be a much more likely result of mutant paranoia than burning crosses in front of your kids' bedrooms. It would also be a much more likely government safety mandate than 40 foot purple killer robots.

That said, one thing about minority issues that no one talks about is the irrationally positive reaction going the opposite way, the fetishization, the celebrity, applause and envy, even in the face of oppression. I would love to see an X-Men or any metahuman race story deal with that. Add to that the co-opting of mutant-ness without actually wanting to be around mutants. I think that kind of 'outcastness' is far more common today than the picket signs and lynch mobs... of course, that still happens too, but that's a story for another day.

 

[ernesth100]

The issue is if they go through with Inhumans film. They will essentially be the MCU version of mutants. So that brings us to wonder. Whats the point of mutants? If Fox gives back the rights having two groups of heroes with the same concept behind them is...stupid to say the least. It may confuse the GA. Which is why I said make them Inhumans in the first place.

 

[BarryAllen]

The issue is if they go through with Inhumans film. They will essentially be the MCU version of mutants. So that brings us to wonder. Whats the point of mutants? If Fox gives back the rights having two groups of heroes with the same concept behind them is...stupid to say the least. It may confuse the GA. Which is why I said make them Inhumans in the first place.

We'll have to see where the Inhumans go first. I think the movie version will most likely be the Royal Family and not the recent Nuhmans, so that'd give more leeway for the X-men in the MCU.

 

[ernesth100]

We'll have to see where the Inhumans go first. I think the movie version will most likely be the Royal Family and not the recent Nuhmans, so that'd give more leeway for the X-men in the MCU.

Hm, hopefully so in the event Fox does decide to give up the rights or merge the universes.

 

[rockman1216]

I just have mutants be a hidden race like the Inhumans that have just been discovered recently, that are hated just like the Inhumans in the MCU, because people are afraid of everyone having powers, especially in a non-controlled environment, I mean think about it if a mentally unstable hoodlum could end up having the power of the SIlver Surfer or Galactus or the Phoenix Force I would be very afraid to, but at least with the Inhumans it's a more controlled environment. You could even tie the origin of mutants with the origins of the Inhumans saying that mutants come from a mutated line of Inhumans that were experimented on to produce already powered people to be raised as weapons for the Kree.

Or you could just turn all the mutants into Inhumans, and the word mutant could just be another word for Inhuman.
Hell the term mutant could be applied to those with powers effectively changing the definition from the traditional Marvel definition

 

[The Overlord]

Always appreciate your posts, meta. Even the ones I don't entirely agree with, like this one. This post makes me see the brilliance of using the gay metaphor instead of the racial one, as it is a thing that happens on a very personal immediate family level that can (but not always) cause a great deal of stryfe in the family. I think superhuman powers that result in things like death and mind control go a bit more firmly in the "Oh #$%^, my life as I know it is over!" than the "weird things my kids do" camp. Perhaps the intense KKK-level hatred of offspring shouldn't happen so often, but when your kid starts blowing the roof off and mind controlling you into feeding them candy every day, you don't just say "What's a Justin Bieber," you take extreme precautions, and many families would. And I really don't think we can discount the media's role in shaping public perception of these issues.

I definitely agree that the reactions should run the gamut, but having a large pervasive politically-motivated irrational opposition to a minority group isn't exactly far-fetched. The same can be said on a broader scale about change, too, but change when incarnated, even if only by perception, into a group of people becomes in practice a minority issue. I also think, if they want to comment on how parents treat their children, anti-mutant therapy, drugs especially, would be a much more likely result of mutant paranoia than burning crosses in front of your kids' bedrooms. It would also be a much more likely government safety mandate than 40 foot purple killer robots.

That said, one thing about minority issues that no one talks about is the irrationally positive reaction going the opposite way, the fetishization, the celebrity, applause and envy, even in the face of oppression. I would love to see an X-Men or any metahuman race story deal with that. Add to that the co-opting of mutant-ness without actually wanting to be around mutants. I think that kind of 'outcastness' is far more common today than the picket signs and lynch mobs... of course, that still happens too, but that's a story for another day.

I feel like the problems are how do you apply the X-Men mythos and make it gel with the rest the MCU, because frankly that doesn't even happen in the comics.

In the comics, it often comes across that other super hero groups do very little to deal with mutant human tensions and they come across as jerks, that was a plot point in Avengers vs. X-Men.

I also find it ridiculous that the female X-Men, who look super models are hated and feared, but the Thing, who looks like a big scary rock monster is idolized.

 

[Johnny-Oh]

I wouldn't, it just wouldn't work IMO the only way it would work is if its an alternative reality with occasional crossovers.

 

[rockman1216]

I wouldn't, it just wouldn't work IMO the only way it would work is if its an alternative reality with occasional crossovers.

Not really the X-MEN could have always been in the MCU, just street level at this point, and unknown to most of the general public. Magneto could be in the shadows, and Deadpool could be retired, or like Daredevil just doing his thing as a street level anti-hero.

 

[WeaponXCII]

I would begin by having mutants be a relatively new phenomenon. Originally, it was intended that the mutant gene was a latent (dys)function of the Atomic Age. In the MCU, I definitely feel like some sort of nuclear event could work- definitely something tied to the unrest that was a central point of Civil War. Or, they could go the canon route and have them be the result of genetic experimentation by the Celestials, thereby expanding the presence of the latter. It might be a bit much to involve both in a single movie, though. Lastly, they could borrow from the Ultimate Universe and have mutants somehow be the result of Weapon X, but I think this is definitely the least appealing option.

Ideally, I would want the original five (taken in by Xavier as a sort of refuge as they discover their newfound capabilities, mirroring the comics closely) to be the first students. Another roster, such as the one that debuted in 1975, definitely wouldn't be a deal-breaker, though. I would make it a true ensemble film, with nobody being an obvious lead (film lead, that is; I would have Cyclops be the leader if he were on the team). The first film would focus on the students, allowing the audience to understand who these people are; I probably wouldn't introduce the villain till the second film. Also: nobody famous. We've already seen what happens when these become star vehicles....

As for the villain, of course I would pick Magneto. I really think his Holocaust background is indispensable. No other genocide (that I'm aware of) has the "Never again" mentality that Magneto is famous for. As far as his age tying into this, I do agree that it's becoming increasingly difficult to use this angle. However, I feel that a Hydra de-aging experimentation subplot could make it work. By the time the MCU's X-Men happens, alternate realities will have been explored with Doctor Strange, so I would think that this (or anything relating to the X-Men, really) is something the GA will by then be willing to accept.

With concern to the mutant hatred aspect, yeah, it wouldn't be logical. But that's the beauty of it, though. Real-life bigotry isn't supposed to have any rational basis. If the audience needs something more, I suppose I would highlight the "next step in evolution" perspective that others have mentioned, as well as the fact that some mutants are, in fact, a threat to humanity (e.g., Magneto).

With the X-Men being essentially the final group to get adapted by Marvel proper, I would make fidelity to the source material (along with developing a skillfully-crafted film, of course) my highest priority. After a wait of more than two decades, audiences, and especially fans, deserve it.

 

[DACrowe]

I hate it when they say this young looking person is 70 years old, but they act/think nothing like a 70 year old. This is why I hate Twilight. This is why I hate long lived Black Widow and long lived Magneto. Incidentally this is why I like the MCU take on Captain America so much.

Nazi origins are impossible to beat because of the mythology that's built up around them in our culture, but as far as tragedies, the Holocaust just isn't the worst genocide to happen in the last 100 years. Not even close. I never thought it was crucial to Magneto's character, anymore than having been an American Slave would be necessary for him to be a Nazi Hunter after going through the Holocaust.

Of course, updating the X-Men to deal with racial injustice in modern times means they can't really be white. 2000 was the last hurrah for that. I'm cool with Black Cyclops, Asian Beast and Palestinian Magneto, but I might be the only one. If they just can't let go of the Nazis or being white for Magneto, then I'd much rather he get bodyswitched with a younger guy than have yet another once-in-a-lifetime-one-of-a-kind life extending serum. It's hard to pretend it's not just magic mumbo jumbo at that point.

Actually the idea of doing a color-blind recasting of the X-Men is at least one time it would feel desperately needed. These characters are about fighting intolerance, and it would certainly differentiate a reboot from the previous version of the characters at Fox.

With that said, I still really like the new cast from Apocalypse and am hoping to get a few movies with them. Hopefully with new creative talent as well.

 

[DrCosmic]

^I agree, though I do think there would be some strongly negative fan reactions, because the younger/less relevant X-Men are full of all sorts of diversity, but the most important X-Men are largely white. So the complaint would be "Why 'take' our characters, there's plenty of those other kinds of people in the X-Men, use them" but at the same time, if the original X-Men were Storm, Dust, Northstar, Sunfire and Banshee, people would say that it's a poor adaptation.

I like the new cast too though. Kodi and Alexandria especially, though Tye and Sophie did well as well.

I feel like the problems are how do you apply the X-Men mythos and make it gel with the rest the MCU, because frankly that doesn't even happen in the comics.

In the comics, it often comes across that other super hero groups do very little to deal with mutant human tensions and they come across as jerks, that was a plot point in Avengers vs. X-Men.

I also find it ridiculous that the female X-Men, who look super models are hated and feared, but the Thing, who looks like a big scary rock monster is idolized.

I think it's pretty easy. You make mutants actually dangerous. I think this is what AoS attempted to do with Inhumans, but I'd take it a step further. Mutant powers are, by definition, out of control. They suck. Not because they're evil, per se, but because that's what happens when you give random 12-15 year olds eye beams, or the ability to control other people's thoughts or the ability to control ice.

Then you put a large negative reaction on top of that, politically motivated. Perhaps religiously as well. This is why characters like Senator Kelly, Reverend Stryker and Cameron Hodge have been so huge in the X-Men mythos, because they're first and most major enemy is the US Political system. This puts the Avengers and all the supposedly rational people like us in the world into a difficult position. These people are dangerous. Then you bring in Xavier as THE third option to deal with this situation, because Magneto is prolific and he's untouchable.

The biggest challenge, imho, is to not repeat Civil War, which kinda covered the whole 'legislation to control people with power.' Which could also be touched on to explain why they don't want to get into it.

 

[Tg11]

Personally could the X-Men fit into the Disney MCU? If I had to be perfectly honest I don't think that they could because they are too big for it in the sense that can mutants really co-exist with Avengers and all other superheroes in this universe? I doubt it

 

[Rorschach2012]

To make the X-Men work, you start with a small number of mutants in the world. That way it makes sense for them to have been operating in the shadows.

 

[scarlet-witch]

I'm not sure how it could work at this point. I echo what someone said on the first page, maybe start off without around 5 of them that just got their powers ala Spiderman. Someone like Magneto could work as a villain with established powers if they explained he's just been lying in wait watching all these years.

A more wild approach: Make them from another planet and have the Guardians run into them.