Disney’s acquisition of Fox ensured that two groups of beloved Marvel Comics characters would finally be allowed to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Marvel Studios has made it clear that, of the two groups, the Fantastic Four are the more immediate priority. Matt Shakman has a Fantastic Four movie scheduled for February 2025, bringing Marvel’s First Family back to the big screen. The plan for the X-Men is a much longer term ordeal, but that doesn’t mean the MCU is waiting to start laying the groundwork for its mutant future.
There have been a couple of direct mutant references in the MCU to this point. The word “mutant” was said in reference to characters in both Ms. Marvel and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, confirming the existence of mutants in the franchise.
In 2024, the mutants will make an even bigger foray into the MCU with the release of Deadpool 3. Ryan Reynolds’ popular X-Men off-shoot is getting a third installment, this time with Marvel Studios in charge, and it has been confirmed that the film will exist within the confines of the MCU.
So, with Deadpool 3 on the horizon, and the multiverse blown wide open, it feels like a good time to take a look at how many mutants have already appeared — or been confirmed to appear — in the MCU.
Deadpool
(Photo: 20th Century Fox)
Ryan Reynolds’ take on Deadpool may be the most popular comic book character adaptation around right now. Fans have loved this faithful take on the Merc with a Mouth since 2017 and, more than seven years later, the character is finally joining the MCU.
No one knows yet exactly how the R-rated Deadpool will mesh with the MCU. There’s a good chance he exists in a separate universe from the Avengers characters. Regardless, Deadpool 3 will make him a part of the franchise, opening the door for all sorts of possibilities.
Wolverine
There are few mutants more popular than Wolverine, so it makes sense he’d be one of the first to appear in the MCU. The big question surrounding Wolverine’s MCU debut was how Marvel Studios would find someone to play the role. Hugh Jackman’s turn as Wolverine was iconic, and replacing him feels somewhat impossible. On the other hand, Marvel will probably want Wolverine in its movies for a long time, and Jackman isn’t getting any younger.
For now, it’s Jackman bringing the character from the Fox X-Men universe to the MCU. He’s confirmed to star in Deadpool 3 opposite Reynolds, finally pitting the beloved best frenemies against each other once again. There’s no telling if Jackman will have a role in the MCU beyond this movie.
Colossus
At this time, there are only three confirmed mutant characters for Deadpool 3, but the third is one that fans are certainly excited to see make his way to the MCU.
News broke on Wednesday that Stefan Kapičić is reprising his role as Colossus in Deadpool 3, making him one of the handful of actors to appear in all three films in the Deadpool series. Given how vital Colossus is to many different iterations of the X-Men, this version of the character may have some staying power in the MCU down the road.
Ms. Marvel
(Photo: Disney+)
Kamala Khan isn’t traditionally classified as a mutant, but the MCU made a change to the character to help lay the groundwork for the introduction of mutants to the franchise.
In the Disney+ Ms. Marvel series, the M-word is dropped in regards to Kamala’s DNA, and the tune of the X-Men animated series theme can be heard in the background at the same time. She may not be a part of the X-Men, but Kamala’s new mutant origin will have a significant impact on how the franchise explains the existence of mutantkind.
Professor X
(Photo: 20th Century Studios)
Patrick Stewart spent decades portraying the leader of the mutants, and he was the first of the Fox X-Men regime to make his way to the MCU. Unfortunately for him, that was likely a one-time kind of thing, as his alt-universe Professor X (complete with yellow hover chair) was killed by the Scarlet Witch.
We probably won’t see more of Stewart’s Charles Xavier in the MCU going forward, but his appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opened the door for the future. With the multiverse, quite literally anything can happen.
Namor
(Photo: Marvel Studios)
Namor is known by comic fans as Marvel’s first mutant, but there was a question as to whether or not the MCU was going to keep that backstory in its iteration of the character. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever put that debate to rest.
Not only did star Tenoch Huerta say Namor would be a mutant while promoting the film, but his character actively refers to his mutations in the film itself.
Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch?
Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are already in the MCU, but we don’t know yet how deeply the franchise is going to connect them to other mutants.
Their initial appearances made it seem like their powers came from the experiments conducted by Hydra, but some flashbacks in WandaVision confirmed that at least one of the twins had abilities before she was ever taken captive. That leaves the door open for a mutant origin story similar to the comics.
It seemed like there would be a more definitive answer in WandaVision after Evan Peters appeared on the show. Peters played Quicksilver in the Fox X-Men films, while Aaron-Taylor Johnson took on the role for the MCU in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Peters’ character claimed to be Wanda’s brother, and fans believed this was the first mutant crossover, but it was ultimately nothing more than a fake-out, as Peters was playing a character named Ralph Boehner.
