The X-Men’s Biggest MCU Challenge Was Subtly Set Up A Year Ago

While the details of the X-Men group’s arrival in the MCU remain unclear, a solution to one of the biggest challenges may have been set up a year ago. With theories abounding over how the X-Men will finally make a full appearance in the MCU timeline, there are many questions that need answering, including how the typical air of distrust between mutants and humans will be justified. It is a narratively messy plot point that even plagues the comics, as the difference between mutants and other super beings is often tenuous.

Until now, the humans of Earth that don’t possess superpowers or galaxy-sized brains have very little reason to distrust their super-powered protectors. The Blip, the Battle of Earth, and many other humanity-saving feats have all but cemented the Avengers and their ilk as protectors of Earth and bona fide celebrities. Although the argument could be made that they entice the trouble they then defend against, the consensus seems to be that without the likes of the Avengers, humanity would be doomed. It surely stands to reason, then, that the mutants would be seen in the same way.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Set Up A Reason For Humans To Distrust Mutants

The MCU’s biggest challenge with regard to the X-Men now (aside from explaining away their absence over the last several years) is differentiating them from other super-powered beings that have won the hearts and minds of the general population. This could be done through the public vilification of the main villain in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namor, the MCU’s oldest mutant. Aside from inflicting a lot of damage to Wakanda itself, he and the Talokanil had grander designs: to take control of Earth with Wakanda’s aid.

Namor’s bad relationship with humankind could be the springboard the MCU needs to stoke resentment against those who call themselves “mutants.” The term has not been thrown around too often in the MCU, leaving it wide open to being co-opted by just about anyone looking to besmirch the innocence of mutantkind. Namor could then be the perfect target of a smear campaign against any who would call themselves “mutants,” suggesting that any who do so ascribe to the same nefarious anti-human sentiments as Namor. Then all that’s required is for Magneto to further widen the rift between mutants and humankind by giving credence to their fears.

Why Poor Human/Mutant Relations Are So Important For The X-Men’s Story

Part of the central themes of the X-Men lore is how they can be ostracized from society due to their unique set of gifts. This is, after all, the driving force behind Magneto and his team of “bad guys,” as many retaliate against the bigotry of human beings who consider themselves to be “normal.” The theme opens up a plethora of storytelling possibilities, sympathetic villains, and allegories that stand the test of time and help to make the X-Men as popular as it is today. As a group, the X-Men represent a safe haven for their kind, and their fight against those who consider mutants to be either inferior or superior to humans is central to their existence, and something the MCU will need to embrace.