While the next phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have yet to include the X-Men, fans are waiting for the inevitable announcement following the end of the previous live-action franchise with 20th Century Fox and the characters’ return to Marvel Studios. However, there are still questions about the X-Men will be introduced into the already established movie universe.
The MCU is known for slowly developing teams like The Avengers with solo movies, which only builds the ongoing anticipation of the upcoming announcement. So today we are going to explore a few X-Men who should get their own solo movies, and a few we’d rather see appear with the team (or not at all).
10 Should: Psylocke Needs A Solo Movie To Properly Adapt The Character
The character of Psylocke has one of the X-Men’s most confusing backstories that can even trip up long-time fans as it involves multiple comic book franchises, multiversal antagonists and race-switching body-swapping. Elizabeth Braddock began her career as a telepathic model turned spy who briefly took over for her twin brother Captain Britain before she was blinded in battle.
Betsy Braddock was briefly turned into a multiversal spy before her mind was forcibly implanted in the dying body of a mutant ninja named Kwannon to become Psylocke. Kwannon and Psylocke were then returned to their original bodies years later to further prove why Psylocke needs room to develop in her own movie.
9 Shouldn’t: Wolverine Has Already Had His Own Succesful Solo Trilogy
There’s no doubt that Wolverine will be included in some way in the X-Men’s relaunch in the MCU given the character’s immense popularity among comic and movie fans alike, which has grown over the years thanks to a starring role in the previous X-Men movie franchise.
Hugh Jackman starred as Wolverine in both the X-Men movies as well as a solo Wolverine trilogy that developed that version of the character well. And while we’re excited to see a new take on the character, there are a lot of other X-Men out there who should get a chance at the spotlight.
8 Should: Storm’s Origins Deserve More Exploration On The Big Screen
Ororo Munroe is another character who was heavily featured in the previous cinematic X-Men franchise that saw both modern and youthful takes on the mutant-controlling leader of the X-Men known as Storm. However, much of the character’s early beginnings and established connections to the larger Marvel universe were left noticeably unexplored.
Ororo’s origins as a weather goddess and even her youthful romance with the future king of Wakanda, T’Challa/Black Panther before she was recruited by Xavier to join the X-Men are now available for solo development in the MCU.
7 Shouldn’t: Gambit’s Previous Solo Attempt Proved He’s Better With The Team
Storm originally helped introduce comic fans to the Cajun thief and kinetic mutant Remy LeBeau/Gambit, who quickly became one of the more popular members of the X-Men who also briefly appeared on the big screen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, leading to a push to see the character fully realized in his own solo movie.
Unfortunately, a series of shakeups with directors and a questionable casting choice in the role led to the solo Gambit movie’s cancellation, which may have tainted the character’s potential solo development and could restrict him to a team player.
6 Should: Rogue’s History As A Villain Could Be Explored With Captain Marvel
Rogue was a main character in the previous live-action installment though fans never quite got to see the character fully realized on the big screen as her origins and powers involved a Marvel character that wasn’t affiliated with the X-Men. Rogue debuted as a member of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants when she encountered Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel.
Rogue gained most of her powerful abilities after using her mutant siphoning power on the future Captain Marvel, which also drained the memories and personality of the hero and led to Rogue joining the X-Men. Now that that Rogue and Captain Marvel are both potentially in the same universe, Rogue’s origins could be more faithfully adapted in her own movie.
5 Shouldn’t: Kitty Pryde’s Development Should Start With The X-Men
While there were already plans for a live-action Kitty Pryde movie before the end of Fox’s X-Men franchise, the character’s growth and development over the years are so ingrained with the X-Men that she would definitely shine better if her introduction occurred with the X-Men.
That’s not to say that Kitty Pryde couldn’t carry her own movie as she is more than capable, having grown over the years from the youngest member of the X-Men to the well-trained apprentice of Wolverine and even technologically advanced S.H.I.E.L.D. agent before she assumed leadership of the X-Men, but her story should still start at Xavier’s school.
4 Should: Forge Has An Intense Wartime Origin And A Unique Powerset
The mutant maker known as Forge has been both a member and a leader of the various mutant teams that have formed over the years, though he usually serves as a supportive member of the X-Men who uses his mutant engineering brain to create advanced technology for the team.
However, Forge has a dark history during his service in the Vietnam War that revealed his shamanic connection to an evil demonic spirit known as The Adversary, which would introduce an entirely new element into the live-action X-Men and the MCU that could easily carry a solo movie.
3 Shouldn’t: Nightcrawler Works Best Alongside His Family In The X-Men
While Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler has a huge fanbase and a proven successful live-action history that featured one of the best action scenes in the previous cinematic franchise, his appearances in the movies also highlighted a fundamental difference that stripped the character of some of his charm.
Nightcrawler joined the X-Men alongside other international mutants like Wolverine, Storm and Colossus who he quickly bonded with, creating lifelong friendships that would go on to further define the characters. While Nightcrawler needs to brought back to the big screen, we want to see the “fuzzy elf” there alongside his best friends.
2 Should: Cable’s Time-Traveling Mission And Unique History Deserve More
Nathan Summers/Cable previously appeared on the big screen in 2018’s Deadpool 2 which teased the character’s time-traveling origin and showcased his amazing design and militaristic attitude that made him a hit in the 90s, it completely avoided his connection to the X-Men’s powerful Summers Family and his origins in the modern-day before he was sent to the future.
While his connection to his father Cyclops and the rest of the Summers family could carry a solo movie, Cable’s time fighting as a warrior in the future against the armies of Apocalypse would also present an alternate take on the live-action character that fans would undoubtedly love to see explored.
1 Shouldn’t: Jubilee Was One Of The Most Popular X-Men… In The 90s
Jubilee has often served the role of a newcomer to the X-Men which served well to introduce new readers to the team in the 90s which also earned the character a starring role on the hit X-Men: The Animated Series.
Unfortunately, Jubilee’s brief time in the spotlight fizzled and she was soon used to bolster new teams like Generation X before she was transformed into a vampire to keep the character interesting in the X-Men’s ever-changing roster. There might have been a time when Jubilee would have hit it big on the big screen, but that was definitely back in the 90s.
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