It was always presumed that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige would reboot the “X-Men” franchise within the MCU. That would mean casting new actors to put new stamps on characters like Charles Xavier and Wolverine, among others. We know that Marvel is looking to hire a writer for a new “X-Men” movie, so eventually, that may happen. But for the time being, the plan appears to be to bring Fox’s version of the universe into the MCU’s larger multiverse so that we can have one last hoorah with the versions of these characters that date back more than 20 years.
We’ve already seen other examples of this in the MCU. Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Professor X in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” albeit a different version of the character from elsewhere in the multiverse. We also know that Hugh Jackman is coming back as Wolverine yet again in next year’s “Deadpool 3,” even though he died during the events of “Logan.” For now, the Multiverse Saga’s version of the mutants will be versions that audiences are familiar with. But there is no chance this will be the long-term plan.
One very telling part of the credits scene is the fact that Beast was done entirely in CGI, as opposed to the practical makeup effects work that was employed to turn Grammer into the character in “The Last Stand.” But that was nearly 20 years ago, and it’s likely that Grammer isn’t up to doing what would be required of him to physically take on the role in his late 60s. He was much younger when he first took on the role, and therein lies the most interesting part of this somewhat odd strategy.
None of the actors who played these roles in the original “X-Men” films are getting any younger. I am certainly not trying to sound agist, but Patrick Stewart is 83 years old. Kelsey Grammer is 68. If they want to bring Ian McKellen back as Magneto, they need to consider the fact that he’s 84. Surely, utilizing this version of the X-Men is not a long term plan.
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