Every MCU Character Marvel Could Retcon Into Being Mutants

The arrival of mutants to the MCU is a highly anticipated event, but the members of the X-Men may not be the first mutants to appear in Disney’s shared universe. Superpowers in the MCU come from all kinds of sources. Some characters actively sought them out, like Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch); others were chosen, like Captain America (Chris Evans), and others got them by accident, like Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Some heroes, like Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), didn’t even know they possessed special abilities. Now that Marvel owns the movie rights to Fox’s properties, superpowers can come from a particular mutation in an individual’s genes.

Mutants are coming a bit too late to the MCU. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely fans will see Wolverine teaming up with Iron Man and Captain America anytime soon. However, mutants will bring plenty of creative opportunities. Iconic X-Men heroes can be gradually set up as supporting characters in different movies before assembling, which is an unprecedented way of presenting the beloved team. The rise of the X-gene will also make up for the departure of the original Avengers and pave the way for multiple movies based on famous X-Men storylines.

Superpowers will also get a makeover. The existence of mutants raises the question of what having a superhuman ability really entails. What happens when a mutant doesn’t want their powers? What happens when they get the short end of the stick? What happens if the already established MCU heroes didn’t get their powers out of mere luck, but instead kept them dormant in their genes since they were born? These are the MCU characters who might have been mutants all along.

Scarlet Witch

The revelation of Scarlet Witch’s mutant nature is not just likely – it’s expected. Her magical powers come from HYDRA’s experimentation with the Mind Stone inside Loki’s Scepter, but the sole reason Wanda and her brother Pietro were the only survivors of Wolfgang von Strucker’s experiments was that they had a genetic anomaly that helped them acquire their powers. Since the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, fans have been awaiting the moment the MCU finally acknowledges the twins as mutants.

Due to her reality-warping abilities, Wanda Maximoff could be the catalyst to the introduction of mutants as soon as WandaVision or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Her twin sons Wiccan and Speed, set to be introduced in her Disney+ show, could be the first two official mutants in the MCU. Later down the line, Wanda could be revealed as Magneto’s daughter. So far, everything points out that Scarlet Witch may become the most important mutant in the multiverse.

Quicksilver

Just like his twin sister, Quicksilver has been the closest to a mutant a character has ever been in the MCU. In Pietro’s case, the discovery of the mutant gene and Wanda’s increasingly omnipotent powers could give him a well-deserved second chance to prove his worth after his death in Avengers: Age of Ultron. As a full-fledged mutant, Pietro Maximoff could go through interesting difficulties, like being torn between good and evil mutants, the clash between mutants and Inhumans, and the clash between the Avengers, the X-Men, and Magneto’s Brotherhood. Some surprising things can happen with Quicksilver, however, with Evan Peters’ involvement in WandaVision and the possible return of Fox’s X-Men characters.

Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers herself could be revealed to be a mutant genetically fit to absorb the power of the Tesseract, which would explain why a simple explosion made her one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. As a mutant, Carol Danvers could become the ultimate paragon of the X-gene, serving as an icon for mutants across the universe. This could be the reason why Kamala Khan adopts the “Ms. Marvel” moniker. New characters like Wiccan and Speed could find a role model in a mutant Captain Marvel as well. Opposite to Kamala, the iconic X-Men mainstay Rogue could start as Captain Marvel’s main antagonist, previous to the mutant absorbing Carol Danvers’ powers.

Captain Marvel may not be associated with mutants very often, but Carol Danvers has hung around many characters related to the X-Men. Through Captain Marvel, the cosmic side of the MCU could tie into the cosmic side of the X-Men, with Captain Marvel 2 introducing the Starjammers – a group of space pirates led by the long-lost father of Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops. Whether her interaction with an X-Men character or by revealing to be a mutant herself, Captain Marvel 2 could pave the way for iconic cosmic storylines like the Brood and the Dark Phoenix saga.

Ms. Marvel

Kamala Khan is one of the central Marvel characters when it comes to the theme of dealing with the social struggles of superhuman abilities. Her genes are Inhuman in the comics, but after Disney’s failed Inhumans TV show, the MCU might choose to retcon Kamala’s powers to be of mutant origin. If Captain Marvel is revealed to have mutant genes, Kamala may consider her a role model for her kind, which would lead her to adopt the nickname of Ms. Marvel. With Kamala Khan as a mutant, the MCU would need to find a way to include her in the X-Men or explain why she chooses not to join them.

Hulk

The reveal of Hulk as a mutant could be one of the biggest surprises Phase 4 of the MCU can offer. Of course, this doesn’t mean Disney should retcon Hulk to be Bruce Banner’s main mutant power, but Banner’s genes could explain why he didn’t die in his fateful Gamma incident. According to The Incredible Hulk, Betty Ross’s myostatin primer and a failed recreation of the Super Soldier Serum were the two elements that caused the Gamma explosion to grant Bruce Banner the curse of Hulk, but his dormant mutant genes could have also been at play.

In Avengers Endgame, Smart Hulk remarked that “he was made” to withstand the Gamma radiation of all six Infinity Stones combined. What he may not know is that he really was born able to absorb Gamma energy, just like the Maximoff twins were born ready to have their genes developed further. They all may have been “chosen” by natural selection to be prone to superhuman evolution. This new information could put a new spin on Bruce Banner’s arc, which remains stagnant after he fused the man and the monster between the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers Endgame.

America Chavez

In the comics, America Chavez is closely connected to the multiverse, having been born and raised in a timeless, spaceless reality called the Utopian Parallel. Her reality-warping powers come from the Demiurge, a magical entity that destroyed her home reality. The MCU may combine America Chavez’s multiversal origins with the introduction of mutants. Her rumored presence in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may explain why the latent mutant genes in thousands of individuals suddenly awaken. Therefore, America Chavez could be a host of one of the most powerful mutant genes in the entire multiverse.

Hawkeye

Most of the Avengers tower over Clint Barton because he’s one of the only MCU heroes without a flashy superpower. In a universe where the number of rage-fueled monsters, Asgardian gods, and Super Soldiers increases by the minute, a guy with a bow and arrow doesn’t sound so impressive. However, this particular marksman never misses a single shot. In real life, this level of accuracy is impossible, which suggests Hawkeye isn’t a run-of-the-mill human being. Although the MCU runs the risk of diminishing his merit, a mutant body would explain why it’s impossible for Clint Barton to miss a shot.

Janet van Dyne

Janet van Dyne’s trip to the Quantum Realm, which many couldn’t have survived, gave her the ability of Quantum healing instead of killing her. It would make a lot of sense to connect Wasp’s unlikely survival with her latent mutant genes. After all, the Quantum Realm and the multiverse are closely tied together, and both Scarlet Witch and America Chavez may be the mutants that open the multiverse. A mutant Janet van Dyne wouldn’t be unprecedented, as Marvel’s Ultimate comics made Wasp a mutant whose genes help Hank Pym develop his size-altering technology.

Ghost

Ava Starr a.k.a. Ghost is one of the MCU’s few loose ends up until the beginning of Phase 4. Her main conflict is that she can’t control her powers – much like Rogue from the X-Men – which come from a quantum accident. Ant-Man & the Wasp guaranteed her survival when Janet Van Dyne gave her a little of her own Quantum energy. As with Wasp, all of Ghost’s abilities could be explained by combining her origin story with the revelation of her mutant genes, which can give Ava Starr a hopeful future in the MCU.

The prevalence of mutants in the MCU is not a question of if but when. The X-Men, Deadpool, X-Force, and all the related characters that come with them will surely expand the universe like no one could have imagined just a few years ago. An unexpected side effect is that mutants may have been present all along, and the narrative consequences of this revelation could change everything.