According to a new report, Marvel Studios has already chosen which two X-Men characters will lead its mutant-based reboot movie, and it is not who some fans may expect. Marvel Comics' marvelous team of mutants is finally coming to the MCU. This new X-Men film will follow a new, original take on the iconic super-powered squad, helmed by Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier. While relatively little is still known about the project, a few nuggets have begun to emerge, including that the movie will be released after Secret Wars.
A new report has shed even more light on the upcoming MCU X-Men film, revealing who could lead this latest iteration of the comic book team. Speaking during a recent Q&A with readers, The Cosmis Circus' Alex Perez admitted that he heard the Marvel Studios reboot will see "Cyclops and Jean Grey as co-leaders of the team."
He continued, listing names like Angel, Beast, Gambit, Rogue, and Nightcrawler as other potential members to round out the MCU's first X-Men crew, notably leaving out major players from past movies centered on the mutants like Wolverine:
Dom D: "Hi Alex and Lizzie, hope you both are doing well! Have you heard anything regarding some of the mutant characters who could be a focus on in the next saga? There’s been some rumblings recently that Cyclops could be one of them."
Alex Perez: "Cyclops and Jean Grey as co-leaders of the team. I’ve heard other names like Angel, Beast, Gambit, Rogue, and Nightcrawler could be a part of it."
It had previously been reported that Cyclops and the Summers family as a whole would play a significant role in whatever Marvel Studios had planned for the X-Men. To that, Perez answered another question, revealing characters like Cyclops' son from the future, Cable, are on the table, but wanted fans to be mindful that Schreier's X-Men film will be "starting out in the very early days" of the team:
Ratchet1490: "If Cyclops and the Summers family are getting a particular focus in the next X-Men saga, might we see Cable again."
Alex Perez: "They’re all fair game, but we’re starting out in the very early days with the X-Men roster they’ve got planned."
The MCU X-Men reboot movie has not yet been dated, but it has been hinted that it will come not too soon after the end of the ongoing Multiverse Saga (which is set to conclude in December 2027 with Avengers: Secret Wars). This new X-Men film will follow a wholly new take on the iconic team, with fans getting one last goodbye to the past on-screen versions of the characters thanks to some Multiversal shenanigans in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
Why Cyclops and Jean Grey Are Perfect X-Men Movie Leads
Fans who are familiar with the X-Men team only from its on-screen appearances in the Fox films will likely be confused to hear that Scott Summers (aka Cyclops) and Jean Grey will lead the MCU's X-Men plans.
In those classic Marvel movies, it was Hugh Jackman's Wolverine through whom most of the story was told. So, why would Marvel Studios opt to upset the apple cart by changing things?
Well, as it turns out, Cyclops and Jean Grey are actually perfect to lead their own X-Men story, without even an appearance from Wolverine, if the studio were to be so bold.
As Perez teased, the new MCU reboot will recount the early days of the X-Men team. Perhaps, this first film will follow the formation of the X-Men, with Charles Xavier recruiting young mutants like Scott and Jean and turning them into full-fledged heroes.
In the comics, these two are often depicted as the two longest-standing members of the X-Men team. They also happen to have a long-running romance in the comics.
The first era of the MCU X-Men has the chance to tell a beautiful coming-of-age love story between the two young heroes, following them from their first meeting to their leadership of the mutant team. Then, years down the line, the series can introduce its own Wolverine to complicate that seemingly perfect romance.
Plus, if the rumors are true and Marvel wants Hugh Jackman to stick around a bit longer to do his own thing as the claw-bearing scrapper, this allows that to work in perfectly, with Jackman's Wolvie being entirely separate from the MCU's young X-Men plans, before casting its own Logan once Jackman is truly done.
