The next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be centered on the X-Men. MCU fans are currently in the Multiverse Saga, which should conclude in Avengers: Secret Wars. Mutants have been seeded in projects like Ms. Marvel, The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Captain America: Brave New World, and even more fan-favorites will be popping up in the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has kept quiet regarding the studio’s plans for the X-Men, and how they’ll factor in with teams like the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts, and Guardians of the Galaxy. However, a look at Feige’s long-term plans give a hint at where the MCU is heading when the X-Men arrive.
The Wall Street Journal did a feature on Marvel Studios and the MCU. One particular portion of the article discusses the X-Men, and the comments can help us pin down what the next Phase of the MCU will be called.
“As he did when Marvel Studios started, Feige has an expansive vision for his company’s big-screen future,” The Wall Street Journal article reads. “The upcoming Avengers movies are expected to introduce the X-Men, one of Marvel’s most popular superhero teams, to the MCU. Feige has told colleagues he has a 10-year plan for the characters.” If Feige has 10 years’ worth of plans for the X-Men, that can only mean that the mutants will be the focus of the next saga. Thunderbolts* marks the end of Phase Five of the MCU, with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars falling under Phase Six. Together, these phases make up the Multiverse Saga. If the X-Men characters are mapped out for up to 10 years, the most logical conclusion is that the next Phase of the MCU will be called “The Mutant Saga.”
One of the many times Kevin Feige spoke about the X-Men was during the build-up to Deadpool & Wolverine. The film is the first official X-Men movie project to be developed by Marvel Studios, with all of the others falling under 20th Century Fox, before Disney acquired Fox and its assets.
“Well, it’s that phrase we use often at Marvel, which is ‘It’s an embarrassment of riches,’” Feige told io9 back in 2024. “And there are a lot of great X-Men characters in the Deadpool & Wolverine film. There are a lot of great X-Men characters in all of the Fox versions of the X-Men films. And there are a lot of great X-Men characters that have never gone on the big screen. So I think as we always try to do, as we did when we made the arrangement with Sony for Spider-Man, you’ll probably see a mix of characters you’ve seen before and characters you’ve never seen before.”
“I think the success of X-Men ’97 was really exciting for us to see people revisit and reconnect with that world,” Feige added. “And dare I say, the soap opera elements of that world, which is one of the things that’s so exciting to us about jumping into it finally in the MCU.”
If Avengers: Secret Wars sticks closely to its Marvel Comics counterpart, we could be looking at a brand-new MCU by the time the movie concludes. With fewer of our original Avengers like Iron Man, Black Widow, and Captain America (Steve Rogers) around, it makes sense for Marvel Studios to pivot and give the focus to two of its newer properties: the Fantastic Four and X-Men. Fans want to see what the X-Men look like under the Marvel banner.
Do you think the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe should be The Mutant Saga? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige says he has a 10-year plan for the X-Men, which means we may know what the next phase of the MCU is called. Read More