The MCU seems poised for a House of M adaptation, given how Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff has already been introduced and how a Disney+ series titled WandaVision is slated to release sometime in 2021. The story has Wanda lose control of her powers and alter the fabric of existence. In her new reality, mutants make up the majority of earth’s human population and normal people are subjected to slavery. Her family holds dominion over this twisted realm, and it’s up to Wolverine and another character called Layla Miller to help convince other mutants that the new dimension they live in is fabricated. House of M could serve as a great introduction to the MCU’s rendition of the X-Men, as it’ll build off a familiar, well-established superhero.
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Another comic book story that could serve as a great introduction to the X-Men is First to Last. It revolves around a mysterious group called the Evolutionaries, the likes of which seeks to eradicate normal human beings in order to let mutants thrive. They enlist the help of Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in order to accomplish the task.
Though the X-Men franchise revisits concepts like genocide and slavery frequently, its unique format is what sets First to Last apart. The story constantly switches between the current X-Men and the team’s past members, interweaving the tale of the group’s first Evolutionary encounter with their present fight to save humanity. The MCU could play around with the series’ back-and-forth nature in order to introduce audiences to a variety of experienced and novice members of the superhero squad.
Should the MCU want to preserve some of the dark themes found in Fox’s X-Men films, it should look into adapting Uncanny X-Force for the big screen. The team is made up of mutants who, according to creator Rick Remender, have all taken a life at some point during their superhero careers. A movie could reintroduce fans to popular mutants like Wolverine and Deadpool without inundating them with the quantity of characters one would find in a standard X-Men film. It’ll also give Marvel Studios an opportunity to revisit one of the most powerful characters in comic book history: Apocalypse. An Uncanny X-Force movie may pave the way for the next Avengers entry should its producers think the supervillain is worthy enough to follow in Thanos’ footsteps.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige’s mutant tease during the MCU’s Phase 4 San Diego Comic Con panel this past weekend definitely left fans hungry to learn more. Though he did confirm that a Fantastic Four movie, Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 are planned, he didn’t specify whether these films will be part of the next set of MCU entries or part of Phase 5. Whatever the case may be, here’s hoping that fan favorite mutants pop up for cameo appearances in one of these projects and that an X-Men movie is announced sooner rather than later.