Mutants enter MCU! Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) was confirmed as one and represented a major step towards the introduction of the X-Men. Now that the Disney-Fox deal is complete, the rights to the ‘X-Men‘ revert back to Marvel Studios. Kevin Feige teased at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 that “mutants” would be coming to the MCU.
That’s led to constant speculation over how and when mutants would be introduced into the MCU. Would it be the X-Men? Would Scarlet Witch be retconned as one? Although there have been some teases, like the use of classic X-Men location Madripoor. Much of Phase 4 has ignored mutants until ‘Ms. Marvel‘s’ finale.
Read More: Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ Reboot: A Possible Mutant Coming To Big Screen, Casting Revealed
Is Ms. Marvel A Mutant?
Throughout her debut solo run in the MCU, Ms. Marvel’s origins have been a major question. It’s still unclear exactly how she received her powers. Ms. Marvel linked them to the bracelet she wears, suggesting her powers may be cosmic in nature. Such as Kree, or could have connections to the Djinn. There had also previously been speculation over whether the MCU might make Ms. Marvel a mutant, with talk of her powers being genetic, and ‘Ms. Marvel‘ season 1, episode 6 indicating that further.
At the very end of the ‘Ms. Marvel‘ finale, Kamala talks with Bruno (Matt Lintz) about her origin. As he’s been looking into it further and comparing her genes to her family, realizing there is something different, saying it’s “like a mutation.” There’s also a quick snippet of the theme song from’ X-Men: The Animated Series. ‘ It hammers home the point the mutants are officially in the MCU now.
Despite the show’s reveal, Ms. Marvel is not a mutant in Marvel comics. She’s instead an Inhuman, an ancient offshoot of the human race that came about as a result of Kree experimentation. After 2013’s Infinity storyline, Kamala Khan was among those whose latent powers were awakened thanks to the unleashing of the Terrigen Mists. A mutagen that causes the dormant Inhuman abilities within a person to activate, giving them powers. The MCU has changed Ms. Marvel’s origin and powers. Likely because Marvel’s own attempts at introducing the Inhumans to the screen previously failed, with the short-lived TV show ‘Inhumans’ bombing.
Clues Dropped By MCU About The Entry Of Mutants
The explicit confirmation of mutants in the MCU comes from the use of the iconic riff from the ‘X-Men: The Animated Series‘ theme song. That itself is interesting. As Marvel also used it for Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. ‘ There it made sense because Charles was seemingly the same one from the animated series. Marvel is also rebooting that show with ‘X-Men ’97,’ which will use the theme song too. But its use in ‘Ms. Marvel’ implies it will be used as an X-Men theme across the MCU.
Mutants in the MCU raise a lot of possibilities for future storytelling and introducing different characters. Chief among those is ‘X-Men‘. But Marvel making Kamala one opens up the possibility that other characters could be introduced as mutants or retconned into them. For instance, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel appears in ‘Ms. Marvel‘s’ post-credits scene. It’s not totally out of the question she could be retconned into a mutant. Ms. Marvel’s mutant origin essentially opens the door to exploring other people who could have mutant genes yet to awaken in them. Perhaps even providing an explanation for how mutants can exist in the MCU that avoids them having to be brought in directly via the multiverse. There could be other characters like Kamala, with those abilities waiting to be activated.
For Ms. Marvel, her bracelet awoke her powers; that has links to the Noor Dimension, with a rift to it opened up. If that wasn’t fully closed, or enough energy leaked through, then ‘Ms. Marvel’ could even explain how all mutants are created in the MCU, with that being what awakens them.
Marvel’s Plan For ‘X-Men‘
Now that mutants have been introduced to the MCU, the next question is just when will Marvel use the X-Men? ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ introduced Professor X. But that was a version from another Earth, meaning the X-Men still haven’t been seen in the MCU properly. Nonetheless, with that and now Ms. Marvel’s confirmation, things are getting closer to reality.
Marvel still hasn’t announced any firm plans for the X-Men – whether it’ll dive straight in with a typical team movie or if they introduce members such as Wolverine and Cyclops first. Marvel’s movie slate beyond 2023 is unconfirmed. Despite plenty of projects reportedly in development, there has been little concrete news on the X-Men (unlike various other updated projects. That could quickly change though, meaning it’s possible the X-Men could join the MCU properly in 2024 or, more likely, 2025.
Read More: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Post-Credits Twist Includes A Cameo From Captain Marvel. What Does It Mean?
Read More: ‘X-Men’: Viral Photoshop Features Stunning Tom Hardy As Wolverine
