10 Biggest Challenges With Introducing The X-Men Into The MCU

With the X-Men now set to officially join the MCU, there are many challenges that Marvel will face in introducing the team of mutant characters to the existing franchise. The movies of the MCU have established one of the biggest and most successful film franchises of all time, but the shared universe has long been missing several key Marvel characters. However, with various rights issues cleared up, the X-Men are finally set to join their Marvel cohorts as part of the MCU, with the many varied heroes and villains all set to share one large live-action universe of comic book adaptations.

The introduction of mutants into the franchise was a relatively slow process, with the movies and TV shows of the MCU establishing their presence long before the X-Men were announced as part of the franchise. With their arrival in the MCU timeline now imminent, it’s clear that there are multiple hurdles that Marvel must clear to make the characters gel with the existing framework of the franchise. After all, the MCU’s established formula has earned widespread success, whereas the X-Men franchise has languished under a reputation for inconsistent quality and underwhelming adaptations. With that in mind, here are the 10 biggest challenges with introducing the X-Men into the MCU.

10 Clearing Up Fox’s Continuity Issues

The X-Men’s Movie History Is Already Very Complicated

One of the first obstacles Marvel will have to surmount is regarding the X-Men’s past, rather than their MCU future. The timeline of the existing X-Men movies is already a continuity nightmare, with multiple branching timelines and ill-defined canon. Across Fox’s X-Men franchise, many key X-Men have at least two distinct variations in different timelines, with multiple actors sharing the same roles. What’s more, bringing the X-Men over from an alternate universe only further complicates the timeline, making it an important challenge for the MCU to overcome when bringing the X-Men into the fold.

9 Combining Two Universes Will Present Narrative Obstacles

The MCU May Have To Break Its Own Rules To Make The X-Men Work

Another problem with the MCU’s approach to introducing the X-Men as characters from an alternate reality is that this means further retconning the established MCU canon. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ ending set up the franchise’s multiverse story as reality being threatened by incursions, where different universes collide due to characters crossing over. Though it’s certainly not insurmountable, this also presents a challenge, as Marvel will have to convincingly explain why incursions aren’t an issue with the X-Men, further retconning the idea as other releases appear to have done.

8 Introducing A Team Of Established Heroes Has Risks

A Lack Of Appropriate Build-Up Could Be An Issue

The X-Men won’t be the first team of heroes to exist in the MCU, but they could face a problem that no other collective of heroes has. As the mutant heroes have been teased as a pre-existing part of a separate universe, they’ll likely arrive in the MCU as an established team. However, other MCU team-ups have only worked due to previous solo movies establishing character arcs, and then exploring a team dynamic in later separate movies. Introducing a pre-formed team can certainly work, but the MCU’s best team dynamics have stemmed from carefully written individual character arcs, hinting that Marvel’s X-Men approach must be equally balanced.

7 It Will Require Extensive Exposition

Defining The X-Men’s MCU Arrival Will Be Necessary (But Boring)

Due to the ever-complicated nature of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga narrative, there will be a need for the franchise to offer clear context for how and why the X-Men will arrive in the MCU. Such weighty exposition is not something that the MCU has previously fared well with – Eternals is a clear example of how it can make a film seem poorly paced – meaning that introducing the X-Men into the MCU’s movie timeline will need to be both simple and logical to avoid unnecessary exposition.

6 Redesigning The X-Men For The MCU

Another New X-Men Look Will Be Under Additional Scrutiny

As the MCU’s X-Men will begin a new era for the mutant heroes, it seems all but certain that they will be given a new look to match their arrival in a new continuity. Unfortunately, even this presents something of a challenge to Marvel, as many X-Men characters have already been redesigned multiple times, cycling through several aesthetics throughout their movie history. Giving the X-Men yet another visual overhaul will be something that is naturally compared to previous iterations, adding an extra level of scrutiny to whatever costumes, designs, or effects are used for their MCU appearances.

5 Balancing Different Tones Will Require Careful Writing

Traditional X-Men Stories Are Dissonant With The Current MCU

The MCU’s success has been built upon a carefully conceived formula of comedic and dramatic balance, with family-friendly action incorporated to appeal to a wider audience. However, many X-Men stories and characters will be difficult to reconcile with Marvel’s existing approach, as their stories are generally much darker than those of existing MCU heroes. Themes of xenophobia and genocide aren’t likely to lend themselves well to the MCU’s regular humor, so reconciling two potentially dissonant sets of characters within a single franchise will need to be undertaken with the utmost care.

4 Beloved Iterations Of X-Men Heroes Might Need Recasting

The MCU’s X-Men May Need New Actors To Last In The Franchise

Though some of Fox’s X-Men actors have appeared in the MCU, there are multiple challenges involved with bringing back existing iterations of the characters for the franchise. Many castings, such as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, are perfect, but the ages of the respective actors could prevent them from playing lasting roles within the MCU. Though recasting the characters seems unthinkable, doing so may be vital for the continued success of the X-Men in the MCU, providing a tough challenge for Marvel.

3 Many Important X-Men Stories Need Retired MCU Heroes

The MCU Has Moved Beyond Some Great X-Men Stories

Perhaps the most concerning issue regarding the X-Men joining the MCU is how Marvel will struggle to faithfully adapt many iconic stories due to absent characters. Many stories, such as Avengers Vs. X-Men and House of M, appear to be impossible to adapt due to the deaths of Iron Man and Scarlet Witch and the retirement of Captain America. Though the stories could be explored with a little creativity, the MCU’s retired or deceased heroes seemingly place some X-Men narratives out of reach.

2 The X-Men’s Late Arrival Makes Them Seem An MCU Afterthought

The X-Men Joining The MCU Late Means Other Heroes Will Always Seem More Important

One of the most considerable challenges with introducing the X-Men into the MCU was entirely unavoidable, but will still likely present a difficult hurdle to overcome. The late introduction of the X-Men within the MCU’s overall timeline means that other heroes, such as Iron Man and Steve Rogers’ Captain America, have become by far the most important characters in the franchise. This subtly places far less importance on the MCU’s mutant heroes, which in turn could impact how audiences feel about their movies should Marvel not treat their MCU story delicately.

1 The X-Men’s Huge Roster Could Be A Problem

The MCU Is Already Full Of Characters

Though it again stems from the X-Men late addition to the franchise, one major problem is simply an extension of a common MCU criticism. The MCU is often cited as having grown too big, with its sprawling narrative and ever-growing cast of heroes becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with. The X-Men is itself comprised of a huge number of characters, and their introduction to the MCU only makes the criticisms of the franchise’s size much worse. To address this challenge, Marvel will clearly need to employ a careful and potentially controversial approach, but it might be necessary to help the X-Men succeed within the MCU.