3 Attachment(s)
Russos' Wolverine Tease Confirms 1 Major MCU X-Men Reboot Problem
What the Russos said about bringing Wolverine to the MCU confirms one major issue facing Marvel Studios in regards to its X-Men reboot plans. Although there are no concrete details on when Marvel’s Merry Mutants will make their long-awaited MCU debuts, it’s been understood for a while that their corner of the Marvel Universe will be used eventually. It’s just not clear when that will happen or exactly how Marvel will usher them into the MCU.
Phase 4 provided the first real step toward the MCU’s X-Men team with the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The inclusion of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X from Fox’s X-Men movies officially gave the MCU its first mutant and confirmed their existence in Marvel’s multiverse. Next, it could introduce its own versions of iconic X-Men heroes and villains, including Cyclops, Magneto, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Beast. Their arrivals come could in all sorts of different ways, including unexpected cameos in upcoming Phase 4 projects, a dedicated X-Men movie, or individual Disney+ shows.
Comments made by Anthony and Joe Russo about the possibility of the two directing an X-Men movie highlight one of the biggest problems that Marvel will have to overcome when it reboots the franchise. When the subject was brought up, Joe Russo mentioned his love for The Incredible Hulk #181 (Wolverine’s comic debut) and said with the character being “essential to the X-Men”, an X-Men movie would be “a fun project to work on” when the time finally comes for them to be used. There are obviously dozens of major heroes associated with the X-Men in Marvel Comics, yet Russo’s immediate response was to put the focus on Wolverine, rather than the team as a whole or a different character. Russo’s remark underscores the great imbalance with the X-Men franchise in terms of how much attention Wolverine gets in comparison to the other heroes.
Why Wolverine Dominates X-Men Movies
X-Men comics were in publication for 12 years before Wolverine joined the group, yet the character is still regarded as the brand’s most famous superhero. That’s consistent with the movies, which tended to make him the center of so many of their stories. In the X-Men trilogy, for instance, Wolverine was clearly the lead character, with everyone else (including Cyclops) filling supporting roles. That approach was driven by Wolverine’s popularity, which has been soaring high for decades. It grew to new heights in the 1990s thanks in large part to Fox’s X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon and its celebrated depiction of the character. Wolverine is now a bigger comic icon than all other X-Men characters, and the overwhelming praise for Hugh Jackman’s performance certainly didn’t help the other heroes even the gap. Understanding Wolverine’s fame, the X-Men movies made the most of it by making him its most important character.
How The MCU's X-Men Can Avoid The Wolverine Problem
A scenario where Marvel eventually capitalizes on Wolverine’s popularity feels inevitable, but it would actually be so much better for the franchise if Marvel holds off on introducing him or at least limits him to a certain extent. Wolverine was used so much in the X-Men movies that several other prominent comic heroes were sadly overlooked and didn’t get the screentime or character development they deserved. Instead of repeating Fox’s X-Men mistakes, Marvel shouldn’t plunge headfirst into a Wolverine story and should perhaps consider adding him later or keeping his adventures separate from the X-Men team. There’s a long list of exciting characters who can offer a ton of storytelling potential for an MCU X-Men movie or show.
