An MCU insider revealed Marvel Studios' biggest priority after Avengers: Secret Wars as part of a recent report. While the interconnected comic book franchise is focused firmly on telling the ultimate MCU Multiverse story with its next few movies, there will be a time when that world-shattering narrative has come and gone, and the series has to move on to whatever is next for the super-powered canon.
As part of a new report, Insider Charles Murphy shared online what he has heard is the MCU's biggest priority after Avengers: Secret Wars. Replying to a fan on X, Murphy posited that "X-Men will be #1 priority," with a few other projects following close behind.
These other titles reportedly include "Black Panther 3 and a sequel to The Fantastic Four:"
"X-Men will be #1 priority. Sounds like 'Black Panther 3' and a sequel to 'The Fantastic Four' will be high on the list as well. Beyond that, I wouldn't know."
This aligns with previous reports on the franchise's Phase 7 plans, with Black Panther and X-Men having been frequently mentioned in recent months as the top projects for Marvel Studios.
Whispers of an MCU X-Men project have been percolating online for months, with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier attached to helm the movie. No release information for the new X-Men movie has been announced yet, but given the importance of the title to Marvel Studios, one can assume it will not be too soon after Avengers: Secret Wars.
How Mutant-Focused Is the Future of the MCU?
The Mutants are coming to the MCU; it is just a matter of when. A Marvel Studios X-Men movie is currently in the works, and (as mentioned by Charles Murphy above), Marvel is making this a top priority for the future of the brand.
After Secret Wars, things within the MCU will seemingly look a little different. Even more so than Endgame, the Multiverse Saga-capper will change the very core of the franchise it resides in, reportedly serving as a reset for the series.
This means the MCU will need to start slowly rebuilding. Introducing the X-Men will provide the next era of super-powered storytelling with a solid foundation to build upon, offering audiences a new crop of heroes to invest in after bidding farewell to characters departing Phase 6.
A previous report stated that the next era of the MCU will be divided into three distinct segments: the supernatural, cosmic, and mutant.
That is how intrinsic the X-Men characters seem to be to the franchise's future. They are being built into the very DNA of the MCU for its post-Secret Wars plans. They are not just going to appear, but their emergence will shape the way this universe looks and feels.
Then, if Marvel can find the proper X-Men-focused over-arching villain to head towards as the next Thanos-level threat, the MCU's Mutant storytelling will be off to the races.
