10 X-Men Stories That Are Perfect For The MCU Phase 7

After the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios may shift their attention onto mutants and the X-Men in the MCU, allowing many brilliant storylines from Marvel Comics to be adapted into live-action. Marvel Studios acquired the rights to mutant characters from Marvel Comics in 2019, creating the opportunity for a wide variety of new stories to be told in the MCU. So far, the MCU’s introduction of mutants has been slow, with only Kamala Khan and Namor being confirmed to be mutants in Ms. Marvel and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, respectively. However, this is soon expected to change drastically, as more mutants will debut in the MCU’s upcoming projects.

While Multiverse Saga projects, including Deadpool 3, Captain America: Brave New World, and Avengers: Secret Wars, are expected to feature a huge number of mutants, there is speculation that the MCU’s official X-Men team won’t form until Phase 7. Secret Wars could dramatically change the MCU’s status quo, with many suspecting that Marvel Studios will pay more attention to mutant characters and less on the Avengers, which means more of Marvel Comics’ X-Men-centric stories could be adapted for Phase 7 and beyond. These ten pivotal X-Men storylines from Marvel Comics have the potential to span an entire Phase or Saga of the MCU following the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga.

Released between 2006 and 2008, Marvel Comics’ X-Men: First Class series retrospectively detailed standalone stories exploring the original X-Men team’s early adventures. This would be a great way to introduce the MCU’s X-Men, as this storyline could span several projects as Professor X recruits his premiere superhero team, much like what was shown in Fox’s 2011 film, X-Men: First Class. First Class could introduce high-profile mutants such as Jean Grey, Cyclops, Angel, Iceman, Beast, and Wolverine to the MCU, giving each of them a substantive backstory prior to joining the X-Men, and establishing a clear, modern-day origin for the team.

House of X and Powers of X were two miniseries in Marvel Comics that told a brand-new story for mutants in 2019, introducing a new mutant nation on the island of Krakoa after Professor X and Magneto grew tired of trying to get humans to accept mutants. One of this story’s key elements is the reveal that Moira MacTaggart is a mutant, with her power resetting the timeline every time she dies, though she retains her previous memories. This ability and the existence of Krakoa would be a great way to explain why there haven’t been mutants in the MCU and could forego the formation of the X-Men too soon.

8 “Mutant Massacre” Could Force The MCU’s X-Men Out Of Hiding

One of the clearest explanations for why mutants haven’t been in the MCU until now is that they’ve been in hiding, and an adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Mutant Massacre could finally bring them out of the shadows. The 1986 storyline features a villainous group known as the Marauders tracking down an underground network of mutants in the sewers of New York City. When the Marauders kill a number of Morlocks beneath New York, the X-Men and a variety of other heroes intervene. This could mark a strong, albeit tragic, introduction to the X-Men in the MCU, as lives could be lost in live-action just as they were in Marvel Comics.

7 “House Of M” Could Explain Why There Have Been Few Mutants In The MCU

2005’s House of M was one of the most significant storylines for Wanda Maximoff in Marvel Comics, as a twisted Scarlet Witch alters reality on a massive scale, creating a world where mutants are superior and Magneto rules all. After seeing the damage caused by this world, however, Wanda utters those now infamous words, “No more mutants,” causing millions to lose their abilities. The Scarlet Witch creating an alternate world has been seen in the MCU’s WandaVision, but there have been theories that the current world of the MCU could be taking place after House of M, meaning mutants could soon begin to get their powers back.

Released in 2001, Marvel Comics’ E Is For Extinction storyline opened with the mutant population of Genosha being massacred by Cassandra Nova (Professor X’s dark shadow) and a group of wild Sentinels. This storyline established a new status quo for the X-Men that could form a strong origin story for the team in the MCU, particularly if it’s revealed that a large number of mutants have already been living peacefully on Genosha, away from the outside world. An attack from Cassandra Nova – who has been rumored to appear in 2024’s Deadpool 3 – could introduce mutants to the wider world and mark the catalyst to bring the X-Men together.

5 “The Dark Phoenix Saga” Can Finally Be Done Justice In The MCU

20th Century Fox made two attempts at adapting Marvel Comics’ Dark Phoenix Saga, first in X-Men: The Last Stand and again in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Unfortunately, neither of these projects was positively received, but if Marvel Studios takes more time to establish this epic storyline, it could form the perfect foundation for an MCU Phase or Saga. The storyline focuses on Jean Grey being corrupted by the cosmic Phoenix Force and engaging in battles against her former friends. This storyline deserves to be done justice in live-action and could be a brilliant opportunity for Marvel Studios to explore a complex villain along the same lines as the Scarlet Witch.

4 “Giant Size X-Men” Could See Professor X Gather A Global X-Men Team

1975’s Giant Size X-Men could provide Marvel Studios with the perfect opportunity to build a new team of X-Men from the ground up. The Marvel Comics storyline featured Professor X traveling across the globe to form a new team of X-Men in an effort to save the original members, who had gone missing on a mission to Krakoa. This storyline introduced some iconic mutants, including Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus, and the globe-trotting nature of the story would allow for some brilliant filming locations and a clear answer as to why the X-Men haven’t yet come together: they’ve all been so far apart from each other.

3 “Fatal Attractions” Sets Up The Perfect Rivalry Between Professor X & Magneto

At face value, 1993’s Fatal Attractions seems like a generic, cut-and-paste X-Men story, but the Magneto-led storyline would actually work wonders in establishing a clear rivalry between Magneto and Professor X in the MCU. After Magneto and his Acolytes assume control of the space station Avalon, they threaten to eradicate humanity from the planet, which causes the X-Men to intervene. During the final battle, Magneto ends up ripping the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton in a brutal moment before having his memory wiped by Professor X. This storyline could also introduce the Shi’ar to the MCU, one of Marvel Comics’ three main extraterrestrial species alongside the Kree and the Skrulls.

2 “Messiah Complex” Could Detail A Great Origin Story For The MCU’s X-Men

Taking place after the events of House of M, set during the time of the “Decimation,” Marvel Comics’ Messiah Complex explored a race between many X-Men-related groups to capture the first naturally-born mutant since the Scarlet Witch altered reality. If MCU theories suggesting House of M has already happened are true, Messiah Complex would be a great storyline to kick off Phase 7 and start to bring mutants back to the MCU en masse. Not only could this storyline debut Cable in the MCU, but it could also introduce several different mutant groups that have been in hiding for quite some time, beginning to build the world of the X-Men.

1 “Avengers Vs. X-Men” Could Conclude The MCU’s Phase 7

2012’s crossover event Avengers vs. X-Men would perhaps be the best way to bring Phase 7 or the next MCU Saga to a close. After Marvel Studios has established mutants and the X-Men, it’s inevitable that the new characters would butt heads with the MCU’s original superhero team, just as they did in Marvel Comics in a series of battles that put Hope Summers, the first naturally-born mutant after the Decimation, and the Phoenix Force front-and-center. Avengers vs. X-Men would be great to adapt after a successful Dark Phoenix storyline and could allow the X-Men to take part in an even bigger MCU project than Avengers: Infinity War or Endgame.

Key Release Dates

 The X-Men could debut after the Multiverse Saga.  Read More