Highlights
- Marvel Studios is not ready to say goodbye to old versions of X-Men characters, as seen with Patrick Stewart's cameo and Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine.
- Gambit, Cable, Cyclops, and Magneto are all characters that fans are hoping to see in future MCU films.
- Famke Jenson's Jean Grey has more storytelling potential, especially with her ties to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, making her a potential candidate for reprisal in the MCU.
Marvel Studios and the MCU gained access to all its mutant characters in 2018 when Disney bought Fox. While this move meant that the MCU would soon be able to bring its own version of the X-Men to the big screen, it seems that the studio is having some trouble saying goodbye to some old versions of the characters. Fox's X-Men movies began in 2000, and the franchise spawned over 12 films in 2 decades. As such, some of the stars of these movies made a big impression on fans.
Marvel: Cruelest X-Men Heroes
The X-Men and their allies may do a lot of good, but some of them go too far to achieve their goals.
Patrick Stewart reprised his role of Charles Xavier for a cameo in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Hugh Jackman is putting on the claws again as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 in 2024, and The Marvels has an unexpected appearance in a mid-credit scene. Therefore, it seems that Marvel Studios is not ready to say goodbye to these leads, and fans can hopefully expect to see some more old favorites show up in the franchise in the future.
6 Gambit
Can Channing Tatum Finally Get His Due?
The character of Gambit has had a difficult ride in Fox's X-Men films. He did make a brief appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the character had too little screen time to make a real impression. Gambit was then supposed to receive his own solo film with Channing Tatum in the role, but sadly, the project was canceled as part of the Disney merger.
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Insomniac Games can't seem to miss, and in the inevitable case that Marvel's Wolverine is a hit, it should look to other X-Men characters to adapt.
This means that one of the most popular X-Men in the comics is yet to have any real big screen attention. While that means Marvel Studios can start with a fresh slate moving forward with the character, it would be nice to see Channing Tatum suit up as Gambit before then to find out what his version of the iconic mutant would've looked like. Perhaps there is a small chance for a cameo in Deadpool 3.
5 Cable
A New Character With More Story To Tell
Cable made his movie debut in Deadpool 2 in 2018 and acted as the villain of that film. However, the film also sees the mutant from the future later team up with Wade Wilson and become the straight man in their comedy dynamic. With Deadpool now under the Disney umbrella, there is a big question mark over what is going to happen with the franchise moving forward. Fans know that Deadpool 3 is coming in 2024 with Wolverine in the lead, but where does that leave Cable?
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He made his movie debut in Deadpool 2, but only comic fans know the secrets of Cable's tangled family tree.
Josh Brolin did a good job playing the character, and his dual role of Thanos in the MCU leaves the character open to some more of Deadpool's meta and fourth-wall-breaking humor. His time travel device also means that Cable easily fits the current multiverse concept. Let's hope that Hugh Jackman's role as Wolverine in the next film doesn't mean that Cable has to be forgotten.
4 Jean Grey
One Of The Franchises First Leads
Jean Grey is one of the few characters that the X-Men franchise has explored twice in its run. Fans saw Famke Jenson take on the role of the telekinetic mutant in the original trilogy, and then a younger version of the character was played by Sophie Turner in the prequel series. However, the first version of the character has ties to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Therefore, it would make more sense for Famke Jenson to reprise her role in the MCU.
Logan was tortured when he was forced to kill Jean when she was taken over by the Phoenix Force. This means that her appearance has more storytelling potential moving forward with these versions of the X-Men.
3 Colossus
Deadpool's Original Tie To The X-Men
When the first Deadpool movie was released in 2016, Fox did not know if the franchise would be a hit. That is why the movie had very few links to the successful X-Men franchise. There were a few jokes and nods, but there was no way the studio could make Deadpool canon in the X-Men universe until they knew the character would be a hit. As such, only Colossus and a new mutant called Negasonic Teenage Warhead were introduced to tie the movies together tangentially.
Colussus was a big hit with fans of the film, and he even showed up in the sequel as the mutant tasked with bringing Deadpool into the X-Men. Even though Wolverine is around for the next Deadpool movie, things wouldn't feel right if Colossus didn't also return to the franchise.
2 Cyclops
The Leader Of The X-Men
Cyclops is the leader of the X-Men and Professor X's star pupil in the comics. However, the character took a bit of a back seat in the original X-Men films and was even killed off early in the third movie. The character fared a bit better in the prequel series, but many fans would agree that movie-goers have yet to see a true representation of the mutant on the big screen. Although Marvel has a chance to play this character better with a reboot of the team, it would be cool to see one of the other versions of Cyclops once more.
Imagine the X-jet landing in a future movie and everyone sighs when it is revealed to be piloted by Cyclops. The character can then go on to surprise fans by acting as the natural-born leader he is supposed to be.
1 Magneto
One Of The Leads In The Franchise
Fans of the X-Men franchise were incredibly lucky that they got a proper send-off to Wolverine and Professor X in 2017's Logan. Then, they get to see them pop up one last time as both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart have reprised these roles in the MCU. However, many fans would also argue that Ian McKellan's Magneto is just as integral to the X-Men franchise as these two characters, and he is yet to have his swansong.
If Marvel has plans to use the old version of Fox's X-Men again, it would only be right that Ian McKellan should return to the screen too. Magneto may be a villain, but he is still one of the most iconic faces in superhero cinema. Even a quick cameo would give fans a chance to say goodbye to the complicated mutant.
