Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has teased the introduction of X-Men characters in the "next few" MCU movies.
As reported by Deadline, Feige told an audience at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore that fans will see “some X-Men players that you might recognize” in the next few MCU movies, but he stopped short of saying which characters or what movies.
On bringing the X-Men into the MCU, Feige said: “I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize.
“Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, [it’s] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.”
Marvel’s next few movies, if we assume few to mean three, are Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and then Phase Six kickstarter The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July 2025. Could X-Men characters make an appearance in any or all of these movies?
Perhaps more likely are more mutant appearances throughout Phase 6 movies, which include 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man 4, and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. One of the key questions here will be whether Deadpool and Wolverine return to the MCU having seen such huge success with their own movie this summer. Could Channing Tatum also reprise his role as Gambit?
Earlier this month, Feige said the X-Men will be an important part of the MCU’s future following Secret Wars. "When we were preparing for Avengers: Endgame years ago, it was a question of getting to the grand finale of our narrative, and then we had to start all over again after that,” Feige said. “This time, on the road to Secret Wars, we already know very well what the story is going to be until then and afterwards. The X-Men are an important part of that future.”
It sounds like Phase 7 of the MCU will be dominated by the X-Men, then, but in the short term, Storm will be in What If…? Season 3, marking the character’s first appearance in the wider MCU.
In October, Marvel Studios added three untitled movie projects to its 2028 release schedule: February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028. It seems increasingly likely one of these movies is X-Men.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
