Thanks to the scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the massive wealth of characters that exist in the source material, there are plenty of unlikely or unexpected figures who could make the leap to the silver screen.
Considering the MCU currently has a number of cosmic-level stories in the pipeline, the universe could easily introduce their version of Corsair and the Starjammers — and then use them as a means of helping introduce Cyclops and the X-Men into the universe.
Corsair was introduced in Uncanny X-Men #104 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum. Christopher Summers was a skilled pilot with the United States Air Force who had the misfortune of being targeted by the Shi’Ar Empire. Abducted by the aliens alongside his wife Catherine, the pair were barely able to push their sons Scott and Alex out of their exploding plane. Taken to Shi’Ar controlled space, Summers became dedicated to bringing down the cruel Emperor D’Ken after he murdered Catherine in cold blood. He eventually rallied a band of like-minded prisoners of the empire and formed the Starjammers; a group of skilled space pirates who became hated enemies of the Shi’Ar Empire.
Taking the name Corsair, Summers became a swashbuckling hero across the universe. Corsair’s adventures eventually reunited him with his sons, who’d grown up to become the mutant heroes Cyclops and Havok. Corsair’s connection to the X-Men allowed him and his team to repeatedly play roles in various space-faring stories involving the team, helping bridge the typically Earth-bound heroes with the greater cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe. Corsair has become something of a fan favorite and was effectively the co-lead of the Cyclops solo series that focused on the time-displaced version of Scott Summers and his father exploring the galaxy together.
Corsair’s place as a major space pirate in the Marvel Universe means he has an easy way to join the MCU and not necessarily through his connection to the X-Men. Instead, it’d be easy for Corsair and the Starjammers to be introduced via the Guardians of the Galaxy. The MCU has used the team as an easy gateway into the film version of the grander universe, introducing the Ravagers as cosmic criminals and locations like Knowhere — perfect groups or places for an old honor-bound criminal like Corsair to encounter. The universe typically considers Star-Lord just a “Terran,” suggesting there are other humans in the galaxy that share that classification. This could easily allow Corsair to have been operating in the universe unseen up to this point and give him an easy way to be introduced in a future Guardians of the Galaxy project.
Currently, the MCU has three separate Guardians-related projects coming out; The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, I Am Groot, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Corsair could easily be reimagined as either an idol to Star-Lord or even a cautionary tale of what he could become if he fully committed his life to piracy instead of heroics. Even beyond those, the Starjammers could easily show up in Captain Marvel 2 (as Carol has an in-comics history with the team) or the recently-announced Nova project, which also promises to expand the cosmic section of the MCU.
This could also set the stage for Corsair to eventually mention his children or even go looking for them. This would allow the filmmakers to introduce Cyclops to the MCU without the full baggage that comes with being a part of an X-Men-centric story. Corsair could even easily debut before the X-Men, helping the Guardians (and the audience) ease into the concept of mutants through his connection to his sons. Corsair might quietly be an ideal addition to the MCU — even before his more famous son.
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