Marvel Studios Could Give The X-Men What Fox Never Could – An Ending

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were buzzing around the world on March 26, as Marvel Studios slowly (and painfully) unveiled the cast of the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday." The eagerly anticipated sequel will shift Robert Downey Jr. into villain mode, as the "Iron Man" actor is taking on the new MCU role of the villain known as Doctor Doom. Though most famous for tangling with the Fantastic Four in Marvel Comics, he's also frequently been at the center of nefarious plots that have caught the attention of the entire Avengers roster, and that's exactly what's going to happen in "Avengers: Doomsday," which will also set the table for "Avengers: Secret Wars," bringing an end to the Multiverse Saga.

While even Marvel's most loyal fans would probably agree that the Multiverse Saga has had many more missteps than the massively successful Infinity Saga that preceded it, plenty are still more than thrilled to see this massive cast of superheroes (and some villains) get back together for another blockbuster romp on the big screen. In fact, speaking as someone who has fallen out of love a bit with the MCU in recent years (though I still see every movie and TV series), I found myself pleased to see a certain selection of names among the long line of chairs revealed in the Marvel Studios announcement of the "Avengers: Doomsday" cast, if only for one reason. 

Joining many of the ongoing superheroes from previous Marvel movies (as well as the upcoming "Fantastic Four: First Steps") were "X-Men" franchise stars Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Kelsey Grammer, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, and even Channing Tatum, who made a surprise debut as Gambit in "Deadpool & Wolverine" in 2024. Though we're missing some key talent, like Halle Berry as Storm and Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, Marvel Studios is clearly going all in on X-Men nostalgia. And if there's one thing that I'm happy to see the Multiverse Saga deliver in the MCU, it's a proper ending for Marvel's mighty mutants. 

The "X-Men" franchise sputtered out rather spectacularly with "X-Men: The Last Stand," a trilogy capper which ruined everything good about the infinitely superior "X2: X-Men United." Just five years later, the franchise got a prequel reboot in the form of "X-Men: First Class," which would peak with the time-hopping crossover "X-Men: Days of Future Past" that allowed most of the original "X-Men" franchise cast to adapt one of the best Marvel Comics stories ever told. There was also a Wolverine spin-off franchise that ranged from being downright awful with "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" to providing one of the best superhero movies ever in "Logan."

But after that, the X-Men went down in flames, literally and figuratively, with "X-Men: Apocalypse" somehow "learning" zero lessons from its predecessors and "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" fumbling the beloved Marvel Comics arc focusing on Jean Grey for a second time. After that, "New Mutants" tried to take the reins, but by that point, mostly due to the acquisition of 20th Century Fox by Disney, the X-Men were pretty much done on the big screen.

Since then, "Deadpool & Wolverine" has served as our only MCU chapter that reached into the messy past of Marvel movies that existed before "Iron Man" kicked off an interconnected series of superhero franchises and sparked one of the biggest cinematic crossovers of all time. 

To refresh, Kelsey Grammer has already been re-introduced as the mutant called Beast (AKA Hank McCoy) by way of the post-credits scene from "The Marvels." Meanwhile, Patrick Stewart made his MCU debut as a multiverse version of Professor X among many other cameos in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," though he was dispatched pretty quickly by the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). But unlike Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), Elektra (Jennifer Garner), Blade (Wesley Snipes), X-23 (Dafne Keen), Gambit (Channing Tatum, making good on a long-promised Marvel appearance), and Pyro (Aaron Stanford), none of the other X-Men were given their due in the MCU.

With the upcoming double dose of "Avengers: Doomsday" and the multiverse-spanning "Avengers: Secret Wars," all of the X-Men can finally be given the ending they deserve.

Will the return of the 2000s-era X-Men see the mutants facing off against the Avengers in a battle orchestrated by Doctor Doom, trying to distract both factions of heroes as part of his evil plans? Or will the mutants make a proper last stand against Doom before he ultimately defeats them and achieves a pivotal goal, making him a real threat for the Avengers to deal with? No matter how it plays out, bringing as many of those characters as possible into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is exactly what they deserve. 

Furthermore, the return of the original X-Men will actually mark quite an impressive full circle moment for Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, whose early career included working as "X-Men" producer Lauren Shuler Donner's assistant before becoming an associate producer on the movie (in which he also has a small cameo). Eventually, Feige would become Marvel's president of production in 2007, leading to the first "Iron Man" movie, and the rest is Hollywood history.

However, the question is whether this will truly be the original iteration of the X-Men from that 2000s run of movies, or if this will be another multiverse version that merely uses the same cast. After all, the Professor X from "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" appeared in his signature yellow hover chair, and Channing Tatum (also confirmed in today's casting announcements) was a version of Gambit in "Deadpool & Wolverine" that was fully inspired by "X-Men: The Animated Series," one who never made it into those original movies. So perhaps we're going to get a full-on live-action version of the '90s X-Men, realizing two different mutant dreams in one massive movie before Kevin Feige reboots the superhero team all over again.

A lot can be said about how directing duo Anthony & Joe Russo have fared cinematically since delivering "Avengers: Endgame," with the "Electric State" as the most recent mark against them. But with all these pieces in play from preceding franchises, just as they were for "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," maybe they can bring some of that movie magic back with the help of some marvelous mutants. We'll keep our fingers (and adamantium claws) crossed.

"Avengers: Doomsday" hits theaters on May 1, 2026.