MCU X-Men - Part 2

[MasterCat]

Some of Marvel's Mutants are like the demigods in Greek mythology.
The X-Men Evolution quite reasonably showed pubescent ones accidentally destroying their high schools.
By the second movie, every adult Mutant (except of course Apocalypse) should be accounted for unless their superpowers aren't remotely flashy.
X-Men should establish that police departments across New York state are replacing policemen with Sentinels, show the creation of Xavier's School, his breakup with Magneto and the creation of the Brotherhood.
The sequel should use the invention of Cerebro as the key plot device. Xavier discovers the existence of the Hellfire Club Mutants and also Logan, who he recruits as a teacher.
From there, do whatever villains and introduce any young X-Men. Juggernaut breaks into the mansion because he was an MIA soldier when his father died and willed it to Charles? Senator Kelly? Mr. Sinister? It could easily stretch beyond a trilogy.

 

[Protar]

They dont need to have been a team already bc there was no need for one before. In the books Xavier's mission stance is about peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans but a point that gets ignored is that he drafted a bunch of mutant children to act as his small army of soldiers which is problematic. The movies can handle it as his primary focus before being to help mutants control their powers and assimilate into society over the years. They werent really big enough to worry about the whole coexistence thing as the concept of mutants isnt well known or understood yet. However post Av4 with a large number of X-gene activations happening across the world and politicians and media putting a spotlight on mutants and hate rising, he changes his mind and feels the need to be more proactive and visible, which leads to the formation of the team in the MCU. This way you can have adult characters with a history of being mentored by Xavier and it answers the question about another superhero team being around, bc they weren't a team. As adults, they make the decision themselves to get involved in the fighting.

The school can officially be established at the end of the first movie and we can see it populated with students in the next. I think the concept of focusing on teenagers and the teaching aspect should be reserved for a spinoff. New Mutants (Fox) definitely isnt going that direction, so this is an avenue MCU can do with the property. Or they can focus it on Generation X or an amalgam of different classes from throughout the years. Keep X-men larger scale and older and a secondary series for the younger characters

But if these characters have been active, and in contact with each other for such a long time, it begs the question of why they have waited so long to start being superheroes. If these guys are ready to be heroes post Infinity War, why were they never willing prior? Are mutant affairs the only possible reason for Cyclops and Jean to become heroes? It makes them seem unsympathetic and clandestine if the x-men are only heroes where their own affairs are concerned. This comes across much better if we're just talking about a few pacifist (Xavier), loner (Logan) or dormant (Apocalypse) mutants.

So at the end of the day, while more reasonable than most suggestions I've seen, it still raises unnecessary questions. Ultimately young X-men is the route that raises fewer questions because they have little-to-no impact on past films. They shouldn't deviate from that without good reason and I just don't see what is gained from an older X-men film to be worth such the risk.

 

[ImSGirl95]

They wanted to be heroes, but the Prof doesn't let them be, because they will be considered different. Anad I can picture Iceman saying: Why not? What are we so different than that Spider-Kid swinging in NY?

 

[MasterCat]

I'd really like it if "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters" wasn't a fraud. X2 even acknowledged in the scene at the Drake home that the adults living with Xavier made no sense.

 

[Silvermoth]

Some of Marvel's Mutants are like the demigods in Greek mythology.
The X-Men Evolution quite reasonably showed pubescent ones accidentally destroying their high schools.
By the second movie, every adult Mutant (except of course Apocalypse) should be accounted for unless their superpowers aren't remotely flashy.
X-Men should establish that police departments across New York state are replacing policemen with Sentinels, show the creation of Xavier's School, his breakup with Magneto and the creation of the Brotherhood.
The sequel should use the invention of Cerebro as the key plot device. Xavier discovers the existence of the Hellfire Club Mutants and also Logan, who he recruits as a teacher.
From there, do whatever villains and introduce any young X-Men. Juggernaut breaks into the mansion because he was an MIA soldier when his father died and willed it to Charles? Senator Kelly? Mr. Sinister? It could easily stretch beyond a trilogy.

We’ve kind of already done the hellfire club though. Plus in regards to the demigods thing, I’ve always loved the xmen the most when they’re just good people trying to do their best and make mistakes like anyone. I would love to see flawed xmen which is why they’re so good as a team.

Hey what do you think of Isla Fisher as an older jean, more similar to the animated series version of jean? I would love to see a jean that could inherit the school

 

[Tg11]

I would go with Isla Fisher or even Kate Mara as Jean Grey

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Emma Watson was born to play Hermione Granger and Jean Grey.

 

[Tg11]

I would go with Emma Watson too provided they go younger on Jean Grey but I think they go older

 

[psylockolussus]

I was gonna suggest Emma Watson but I want Jean to be tall just like Famke.

 

[Havok83]

But if these characters have been active, and in contact with each other for such a long time, it begs the question of why they have waited so long to start being superheroes. If these guys are ready to be heroes post Infinity War, why were they never willing prior? Are mutant affairs the only possible reason for Cyclops and Jean to become heroes? It makes them seem unsympathetic and clandestine if the x-men are only heroes where their own affairs are concerned. This comes across much better if we're just talking about a few pacifist (Xavier), loner (Logan) or dormant (Apocalypse) mutants.

So at the end of the day, while more reasonable than most suggestions I've seen, it still raises unnecessary questions. Ultimately young X-men is the route that raises fewer questions because they have little-to-no impact on past films. They shouldn't deviate from that without good reason and I just don't see what is gained from an older X-men film to be worth such the risk.

If you found out you had super powers, would you automatically want to be a teenage vigilante? Maybe you might, but there is fear in putting yourself out there. People on a superhero team are essentially soldiers and most people dont want to put their lives on the line like that. It doesnt make them unsympathetic; its a human reaction. They are mutants and if the world is shifting such that mutantkind is having a spotlight shined on it with discrimination and hate taking over that narrative, its enough to have them step forward and take a stand. They might feel guilt for not doing more. There are tons of powered beings in the world. Not everyone is an Avenger. There's nothing wrong with Scott and Jean leading normal lives prior to being heroes. Its not that difficult to grasp unless one is just resilient and close minded to to a different take

 

[Marvel united]

I would go with Emma Watson too provided they go younger on Jean Grey but I think they go older

Emma Watson *already is an older choice for Jean. She's pushing 30. How much older are you expecting Marvel to go? Mid to late 30s?

 

[Havok83]

Emma Watson *already is an older choice for Jean. She's pushing 30. How much older are you expecting Marvel to go? Mid to late 30s?

to be fair, she looks younger than her age. She has a baby face and comes across college age. She looks too young for the role despite actually being 28

 

[Marvel united]

to be fair, she looks younger than her age. She has a baby and comes across college age. She looks too young for the role despite actually being 28

That depends on which route Marvel goes. I want Jean to be in her late teens, personally. So the actress looking young is kinda the point for me.

 

[Protar]

If you found out you had super powers, would you automatically want to be a teenage vigilante? Maybe you might, but there is fear in putting yourself out there. People on a superhero team are essentially soldiers and most people dont want to put their lives on the line like that. It doesnt make them unsympathetic; its a human reaction. They are mutants and if the world is shifting such that mutantkind is having a spotlight shined on it with discrimination and hate taking over that narrative, its enough to have them step forward and take a stand. They might feel guilt for not doing more. There are tons of powered beings in the world. Not everyone is an Avenger. There's nothing wrong with Scott and Jean leading normal lives prior to being heroes. Its not that difficult to grasp unless one is just resilient and close minded to to a different take

There's nothing wrong with a superpowered character attempting to live a normal life. But these guys are going to be heroes at some point, so that raises the question of why they choose to become heroes post-infinity war, and not during any of the countless world-threatening events. Mutant rights and fighting hatred against mutants is obviously a big part of the X-men property, but that shouldn't be the only thing that spurs these characters to heroism. I don't want Cyclops and Jean to come across as people who only step up when they have to; when it finally starts affecting them and other mutants.

And I still don't understand why you think that a team of older X-men is a "new take" when it's what we've had for the past twenty years. They throw a couple of Dawson-cast adults in First Class and Apocalypse and suddenly young mutants are a worn out idea?

 

[Protar]

Emma Watson is too old, she will likely be approaching her mid-thirties by the time an MCU X-men film releases. 25 is the absolute oldest they should go for main team members (exceptions like Xavier and Logan aside), the characters themselves should be early twenties at the latest even if their actors are a little older.

 

[Havok83]

There's nothing wrong with a superpowered character attempting to live a normal life. But these guys are going to be heroes at some point, so that raises the question of why they choose to become heroes post-infinity war, and not during any of the countless world-threatening events. Mutant rights and fighting hatred against mutants is obviously a big part of the X-men property, but that shouldn't be the only thing that spurs these characters to heroism. I don't want Cyclops and Jean to come across as people who only step up when they have to; when it finally starts affecting them and other mutants.

And I still don't understand why you think that a team of older X-men is a "new take" when it's what we've had for the past twenty years. They throw a couple of Dawson-cast adults in First Class and Apocalypse and suddenly young mutants are a worn out idea?

It mirrors how things are in the book. The X-men primarily focus on mutant issues. For all we know Jean and Scott could step out as active during the events of IW. Her TK would be of help to people given whats happen. That doesnt mean she is costumed and acting as a soldier trying to take on aliens


I didnt say new take; I wrote different take. I never said they shouldnt have young mutants either. I want a mix. Something like Storm, Jean, Scott as mid 20s. Warpath as 18-19ish and maybe Jubilee at 15 to start. That already is younger than the OT started off with save Rogue. I still dont see why the MCU cant have a film with veteran X-men and a spinoff focused around the school with teen leads

 

[Marvel united]

Yup. Early to mid twenties for the actors. Late teens to early twenties for the characters

 

[MasterCat]

I didnt say new take; I wrote different take. I never said they shouldnt have young mutants either. I want a mix. Something like Storm, Jean, Scott as mid 20s. Warpath as 18-19ish and maybe Jubilee at 15 to start. That already is younger than the OT started off with save Rogue. I still dont see why the MCU cant have a film with veteran X-men and a spinoff focused around the school with teen leads

Because how does that make sense? What is Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters? A prep school where mutant kids can learn to use their powers safely? Then why do all these grown-ass adults live there?
If you start with a 15-year-old original team, you can actually tell stories about how the heck this whole Xavier thing works. Do the mutants Xavier finds when they're 14 go on to college and come back after getting a bachelor's to teach what they majored in?

 

[Marvel united]

It mirrors how things are in the book. The X-men primarily focus on mutant issues. For all we know Jean and Scott could step out as active during the events of IW. Her TK would be of help to people given whats happen. That doesnt mean she is costumed and acting as a soldier trying to take on aliens


I didnt say new take; I wrote different take. I never said they shouldnt have young mutants either. I want a mix. Something like Storm, Jean, Scott as mid 20s. Warpath as 18-19ish and maybe Jubilee at 15 to start. That already is younger than the OT started off with save Rogue. I still dont see why the MCU cant have a film with veteran X-men and a spinoff focused around the school with teen leads

Because it had had zero buildup and the X-brand has not been established in the MCU. Marvel shouldn't hold back elements from an X-Men movie for a potential New Mutants that may not happen for another 8 years after X-Men comes out. If we're going by the comics as you said - the New Mutants didn't come until almost 20 years after the original X-Men lineup. Cyclops, Jean, Hank etc were teenage-focused stories almost 2 decades before the New Mutants were even created.

The MCU X-Men shouldn't be veterans because that is not the proper way to start a franchise like this. A franchise that is going to feature these characters for the next 15 years. Why would you skip years of development for the core members? "Because that's the highpoint of the franchise" is a terrible argument to make when it comes to the basic set up of the hero's journey and character investment.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Someone mentioned a couple of posts earlier that Stark should be the one who creates the Sentinels...thinking about it, that's not a bad idea. It can plant the seeds for AvX.

First the Sentinels, then the push for the Mutant Registration Act.

It would be interesting to see the Avengers afraid of the mutants and the X-Men. Opposing sides but both heroes.

 

[Marvel united]

That would Tony the antagonist once again. I mean why would he want to discriminate against mutants? I prefer the Sentinals to be created by Trask and for him to be a weapons contractor hired by the US Government but I'm not opposed to the Stark idea

 

[MasterCat]

Someone mentioned a couple of posts earlier that Stark should be the one who creates the Sentinels...thinking about it, that's not a bad idea. It can plant the seeds for AvX.

First the Sentinels, then the push for the Mutant Registration Act.

The question is, will the Sokovia Accords be revoked after Avengers 4?
If not, Mutants are already required to Register in 117 countries. If so, how pants-on-head stupid would it be to pass a new law that says exactly the same thing, but only if you were born with powers?

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

That would Tony the antagonist once again. I mean why would he want to discriminate against mutants? I prefer the Sentinals to be created by Trask and for him to be a weapons contractor hired by the US Government but I'm not opposed to the Stark idea

It doesn't necessarily have to be just Tony either, it could be Ross' idea and Tony backs it up (yet again). But I like the idea of people like the Avengers having an irrational fear of mutants and what they are capable of. On a meta level, it'd be interesting to see that conflict between the OG heroes/cast going up against the new faces for the MCU.

 

[The Infernal]

Who is familiar with it? Only us comic fans know about the origins of Cyclops, Jean, Storm etc. Their orgin have never been explored on the big screen. We never saw Scott's plane crash, Jean's car accident and subsequent coma, a plane crashing into Ororo's home and her parents being killed right in front of her. We have never seen the origin for the well-known X-Men members. I want a young Scott who isn't sure of himself yet. Someone who is trying to lead the team while Xavier constantly puts pressure on him. Maybe even being inspired by Steve Rogers. I want to see him GROW into the confident, strong leader he became in the comics. I want to go on that journey WITH him. Not be introduced to him when he's already in his prime and already when the hardships and struggles of being essentially a kid with this huge weight on his shoulders. We got that older Cyclops in X1 and we're getting it again next year with a 27 year old Scott Summerrs.

I'm talking about the origin of the group. I don't think we need to cover Cyclop's head injury other than being told why he can't remove his visor. They're origin stories aren't their defining characteristics and you don't need to go into that much depth unless you like origin porn. It would take multiple movies just to get to the full team being formed. You want to see more of what we got with a young Cyclops that we just got in Apocalypse? I don't. We're just not going to agree on that.

How do you explain the X-men existing for several years in the MCU without even being mentioned in any of the other films? There are ways you can try to explain it, but all the suggestions I have seen on here are convoluted and would take up for too much screen time to explain. Why go to all that trouble when you can just have Mutants be a recent phenomenon? Is an experienced team of X-men so important that it's worth compromising the MCU's continuity?

It wasn't an issue that Spider-Man wasn't present for the first Avengers or there weren't any Avengers in Iron Man 3. You're determined to see holes where there aren't. There doesn't need to be a ridiculous plot device like their existence being a result of Infinity War or a crossover from a separate universe. All you need to explain is they have existed for a while but in low numbers until now and aren't widespread public knowledge.

 

[Havok83]

Because how does that make sense? What is Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters? A prep school where mutant kids can learn to use their powers safely? Then why do all these grown-ass adults live there?
If you start with a 15-year-old original team, you can actually tell stories about how the heck this whole Xavier thing works. Do the mutants Xavier finds when they're 14 go on to college and come back after getting a bachelor's to teach what they majored in?

Good lord, you've completely ignored what Ive been writing.

Because it had had zero buildup and the X-brand has not been established in the MCU. Marvel shouldn't hold back elements from an X-Men movie for a potential New Mutants that may not happen for another 8 years after X-Men comes out. If we're going by the comics as you said - the New Mutants didn't come until almost 20 years after the original X-Men lineup. Cyclops, Jean, Hank etc were teenage-focused stories almost 2 decades before the New Mutants were even created.

The MCU X-Men shouldn't be veterans because that is not the proper way to start a franchise like this. A franchise that is going to feature these characters for the next 15 years. Why would you skip years of development for the core members? "Because that's the highpoint of the franchise" is a terrible argument to make when it comes to the basic set up of the hero's journey and character investment.

thats not true. The O5 graduated and were adults by issue 30, save Bobby. The stories were not teenage focused. The franchsie wouldnt get that until Kitty Pryde joined the team and actually gave a young perspective, which was lacking prior to her. And a teenage spinoff doesnt need to be a rip on the New Mutants. I mentioned before it could be an amagalm of mutant groups, including some X-men like Kitty, Monet, Collossus and Iceman. Having two seperate films allows them to do a younger focused group without it feeling redundant when the X-men have aged to the point of being adults.

Starting some of the vets at age 25 and trying to go 15 years, leaves them at 40 by the end of that. Thats hardly too old and there's plenty that can be done in this span. That argument is weak to me anyway bc I dont recall people advocating starting the various MCU heroes/Avengers outside of Spider-man as teenagers so we could get 15 years worth of development out of them. Thats weak

It wasn't an issue that Spider-Man wasn't present for the first Avengers or there weren't any Avengers in Iron Man 3. You're determined to see holes where there aren't. There doesn't need to be a ridiculous plot device like their existence being a result of Infinity War or a crossover from a separate universe. All you need to explain is they have existed for a while but in low numbers until now and aren't widespread public knowledge.

exactly. People are being really close minded and resilent. Its not that difficult to understand