10 Lessons The MCU’s X-Men Needs To Learn From The Original Trilogy

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Summary

Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot can learn from Fox's original trilogy by giving each member of the X-Men team their fair share of development before bringing them together.
Professor X and Magneto should be the cornerstones of the MCU's X-Men, with more development and exploration of their backstories and personal lives.
Marvel Studios can adapt more comic-accurate versions of the X-Men, with both their powers and their costumes, and needs to ensure that the important social commentary is still delivered in the MCU.

Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot can learn several valuable lessons from the original trilogy of X-Men films produced by 20th Century Fox. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige first teased the introduction of mutants into the MCU in 2019, shortly after the finalization of Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox. While Ms. Marvel's Kamala Khan and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Namor have been confirmed to be mutants, the MCU's X-Men team is yet to be seen, though several actors from Fox's X-Men Universe have reprised their roles as mutant characters from across the MCU's multiverse, and there have been several recent announcements in the development of Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot.
With a new version of the X-Men set to debut in the MCU soon, the previous iteration of the team from Fox's X-Men Universe are expected to be bid farewell. 20th Century Fox acquired the film rights to Marvel Comics' mutants and the X-Men in 1994, and quickly set to work developing a franchise, kicking off with a trilogy of projects including 2000's X-Men, 2003's X2, and 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. Films in Fox's X-Men Universe achieved varying levels of success, but Marvel Studios can learn a lot of valuable lessons from the previous film series, from both wins and mistakes, when developing an X-Men project for the MCU.
10 X-Men Heroes Should Be Developed Away From The Team Fox Only Focused On Wolverine As A Solo Hero Close 20th Century Fox did a great job of developing Hugh Jackman's Wolverine as a solo character away from the main X-Men team, but the same treatment wasn't given to other members of the group. While Jackman received a solo trilogy, the likes of Halle Berry's Storm, Famke Janssen's Jean Grey, and James Marsden's Cyclops were only seen in the primary X-Men films, and were often neglected as focus was put on Wolverine, Patrick Stewart's Professor X, and Ian McKellen's Magneto. Marvel Studios can change this in the MCU, giving each member of the X-Men team their fair share of development before bringing them together, akin to the Infinity Saga's Avengers.
2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine was supposed to lead to a series of prequel films exploring the backstories of major X-Men characters. One for Erik Lehnsherr, a.k.a. Magneto, was in development, but entered production limbo following the disappointing reception to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the series was canceled.
9 MCU's X-Men Needs To Focus Around Professor X Patrick Stewart Portrayed Professor X In Fox's X-Men Universe

With his appearance in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a variant of Professor X, Patrick Stewart became the longest-running actor in any Marvel movie franchise, as he first appeared as Charles Xavier, the founder of the X-Men, in 2000's X-Men. Stewart was consistently one of the strongest elements in Fox's X-Men Universe, guiding the team and introducing audiences to mutants in an understandable and accessible way. This idea can be repeated in Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot, as Professor X is the cornerstone of the team, though the MCU should give him more development than Fox ever did, as his backstory and personal life was seldom explored.
8 Magneto Needs To Be Pivotal To The MCU's X-Men Magneto & Professor X's Relationship Is Important

While a focus on Professor X is paramount to the development of the MCU's X-Men, it's difficult to tell his side of the story without also focusing on his archenemy and sometimes-ally Magneto. Ian McKellen portrayed Erik Lehnsherr in Fox's original X-Men trilogy, with him and Patrick Stewart perfectly explaining their intricate backstory and opposing philosophies. While Xavier believes humans and mutants can live side-by-side, Lehnsherr considers mutants supreme, and wants to eliminate humanity to ensure mutant survival, emanating from his emotional backstory as a Holocaust survivor. The relationship between Professor X and Magneto is hugely important to the operations of the X-Men, so must be explored in the MCU.
7 X-Men Movies Need To Lean Into Heroes' Larger-Than-Life Powers Fox's X-Men Films Didn't Display The Enormity Of The Team's Powers

Fox's X-Men Universe was one of the first major superhero movie franchises, so the studio likely scaled back its characters' abilities so as to not deter viewers from witnessing anything too strange. This meant that supremely powerful heroes such as Storm, Iceman, and Jean Grey had their powers weakened significantly, which is something that Marvel Studios must change. After a decade-and-a-half of the MCU, audiences have become used to seeing some remarkable powers on-screen, so the MCU's X-Men team will finally have the opportunity to show off the full range of their incredible abilities, and will surely change the status quo of the MCU forever.
6 MCU's X-Men Must Be More Comic-Accurate Fox Failed To Accurately Adapt Many X-Men Characters Close Not only should Marvel Studios put more focus on showing off the X-Men's incredible abilities, but more attention should be given to making sure the team's members are more comic-accurate than their depictions in Fox's X-Men Universe. In Marvel Comics, the X-Men have vivid costumes, deep connections to other heroes, and a range of powers never seen in live-action, so the MCU's X-Men needs to ensure these characters are adapted faithfully. Images for 2024's Deadpool 3 show that these changes may already be being made, as Hugh Jackman will sport a comic-accurate Wolverine costume alongside Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, which spells good news for the future of the X-Men.
5 A Younger Cast Would Be Perfect For The MCU's X-Men Audiences Watched Fox's X-Men Grow From Kids Into Heroes

2000's X-Men may have introduced audiences to the adult X-Men team, but the project also debuted several younger actors as the mutant students at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. While Shawn Ashmore's Bobby Drake, Anna Paquin's Marie and Alexander Burton's John Allerdyce weren't the focus of the original X-Men film, audiences watched them grow from children into adults over the course of Fox's first trilogy, eventually becoming the bona fide heroes and villains Iceman, Rogue and Pyro, respectively. To this end, Marvel Studios shouldn't shy away from casting younger actors as the MCU's X-Men, as audiences will be able to watch them grow and develop over a number of years.
4 The Dark Phoenix Saga Needs To Be Done Right Fox Made Two Attempts At Adapting Marvel Comics' Dark Phoenix Saga

Marvel Comics' Dark Phoenix Saga is one of the X-Men's most transformative storylines, so it's no wonder that 20th Century Fox wanted to develop it for live-action. However, 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand failed to capture the magic and tragedy of the Dark Phoenix Saga, and 2019's X-Men: Dark Phoenix suffered the same problems, particularly since both projects neglected to stick to the actual narrative laid out in the comics. Marvel Studios, although likely to stay away from the Dark Phoenix Saga for a while, can fix these mistakes, as more elements of the storyline have already been established in the MCU, meaning a more comic-accurate tale can be delivered.
3 MCU's X-Men Storylines Shouldn't Be Rushed Rushed Narratives Ruined Many Brilliant Moments In Fox's X-Men Universe

The problem with many storylines in Fox's X-Men Universe was that they were simply rushed, as the studio tried to cram too much into its projects. This was especially evident during the original X-Men trilogy, and contributed to the problems with their Dark Phoenix Saga adaptation. Since Fox wanted to thrust audiences straight into superhero action, many characters saw little-to-no development throughout the series, and iconic Marvel Comics storylines including God Loves, Man Kills and Gifted weren't done justice. Marvel Studios needs to take care to develop stories organically, and make sure that some of the more impactful moments of these narratives don't get overshadowed by all-out action.
2 X-Men Movies Need To Balance Action With Social Commentary Mutant Discrimination Is Key To Marvel's X-Men Storylines Close At the core of every mutant-centric storyline in Marvel Comics is the discrimination and oppression that mutants face from average humans, and this was delivered (for the most part) effectively in Fox's X-Men Universe, and must be explored in the MCU. 2000's X-Men's Senator Kelly feared mutants, 2003's X2 explored the hatred mutants experience from their own families, and 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand introduced the idea of a mutant "cure". These storylines were impactful and hugely important, so Marvel Studios must recreate some of this social commentary for the MCU's X-Men, taking care to display these issues sensitively, while showing how harrowing it is for the mutant community.
1 MCU's X-Men Needs More Diverse Casting Fox Failed To Capture The Diversity Of The X-Men

Since any good X-Men project includes a sobering social commentary, the X-Men team itself needs to be an accurate representation of society, which means Marvel Studios needs to put much more attention on diverse casting than 20th Century Fox did. The X-Men are some of the most varied characters in Marvel Comics, but Fox's X-Men team was primarily comprised of white, straight actors and characters. Storm's African heritage, Magneto's Jewish background, and characters from Cajun, Native American, Russian, and Japanese descent, among others, as well as characters in the LGBT community, can finally be explored in Marvel Studios' highly-anticipated X-Men reboot, bringing diversity and representation to the MCU.
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