Marvel Comics has introduced countless mutant teams over the years, each with its own personality, agenda, rivalries, and storylines. With the X-Men finally making their way into the MCU, the timing couldn’t be better to spotlight other mutant squads that would be just as good for Phase 7. Not to take away from the iconic X-Men fans have seen over the years, but with an extensive rap sheet of X-Men movies, audiences have seen the team in and out, making this the perfect time to switch things up.
The Marvel library is filled with other teams that could hold equal weight, bringing their own lore, rivalries, and power sets into the spotlight. This also gives Marvel the chance to showcase fresh and interesting characters, expanding the MCU’s mutant story beyond the familiar faces. Whether it’s heroes fighting for coexistence or villains chasing dominance, these mutant teams could give the MCU the shake-up it needs after the X-Men get their reboot in the MCU.
10 Mutant Teams Marvel Could Introduce in MCU Phase 7 Beyond the X-Men
The Exiles
As the name implies, the Exiles are a group of refugees with a fascinating multiversal twist. They’re not just refugees but survivors from alternate Earths who slipped through the cracks of reality. Each member was pulled away moments before a catastrophic accident or death that would have erased them forever.
The Exiles are on a mission across various realities to repair broken timelines as seen in Deadpool & Wolverine). This makes the Exiles one of the most intriguing missing pieces that would perfectly fit into Marvel’s Multiversal Saga. The team typically includes Blink, Mimic, Thunderbird, Morph, Magnus, and Nocturne. Their journey has even led them to cross paths with mutants like Wanda Maximoff, Professor X, and Magneto.
Excalibur
Excalibur is a team of mutants and a version of the X-Men based in the United Kingdom. Sponsored by the government, this UK team protects the country from many threats, from traditional to extraterrestrial and supernatural.
Notable members include Brian Braddock, better known as Captain Britain. The lineup also featured Brian's wife, Meggan, Dane Whitman (Black Knight), Linda McQuillan (Captain UK), Bran Braddock (Crusader X), Brian’s sister, Betsy, and James Cremens (Sir Benedict).
This would be the perfect opportunity to finally bring back characters like Captain Britain, who has been mentioned, and others teased in the MCU, especially Dane Whitman’s Black Knight, last seen in the post-credits scene of Eternals.
Morlocks
A group of mutants who felt discarded retreated to the underground tunnels beneath New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, forming the large mutant community known as the Morlocks. These tunnels were originally constructed in the 1950s by the United States but were later abandoned. Callisto discovered the tunnels and made them his home.
Shortly after, with the help of Caliban, they gathered other mutants, forming the underground population known as Morlocks. The Morlocks survived on stolen furnishings, food, clothing, and other necessities of life. Additionally, for posterity, they sometimes stole children, as many Morlocks were sterile.
Marauders
The Marauders are a group of powered mercenaries working for the villain Mister Sinister. Driven by his obsession with genetics and mutation, Sinister assembled the Marauders as his strike force, carrying out brutal missions and hunting down mutants whenever it suited his agenda.
He also clashed with the Morlocks, whom he accused of diluting the mutant gene pool. This storyline could set up a thrilling mutant vs. mutant conflict if adapted into the MCU. This twist will highlight the Morlocks' rivalry with surface society and introduce unique mutant rivalry and a larger pool of mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
New Mutants
Created by Chris Claremont, the New Mutants were brought together by Professor Xavier after the death of the X-Men. However, unlike the X-Men, who were trained to be battle-ready, the New Mutants were more like students taken under Xavier's wing.
With a total roster of approximately 35 characters, including notable names such as Illyana Rasputina, Max Eisenhardt, Katherine Pryde, Charles Xavier, and lesser-known figures like Mondo, the New Mutants offer diversity, interesting stories, and rivalries, all wrapped up in the complexities of teenage drama and adolescence.
While the initial adaptation of the New Mutants in 2020 was a bust, the MCU has ample potential to create another successful franchise for the new generation.
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
Not many evil groups clearly own their evilness, but the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants does. Though Magneto often mistreated his followers, mutants like Elixir, Exodus, Marrow, Toad, and Carmella Unuscione still rallied under his cause, fighting for mutant dominance over humans, whether through subjugation or outright eradication.
Over the years, the Brotherhood went through several incarnations, led by figures like Mystique and Toad, with members such as Blob, the Scarlet Witch, and Mastermind joining along the way. A version of the Brotherhood also appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand, featuring Juggernaut, Toad, and even Jean Grey.
X-Force
X-Force was an outlaw mutant team usually led and trained by the extremist Cable. The X-Force team in the MCU would be a perfect opportunity to give lesser-known Marvel comic mutants with interesting powers and abilities a chance to shine. This team would stand out even more because of its diversity and wide range of characters.
The mutant squad comprises some of the most potent mutants, from mercenaries to gladiators, with Cable’s strike force taking a more aggressive approach to protecting mutantkind.
Over the years, X-Force has also teamed up with heroes like Spider-Man and Siryn, while facing off against groups such as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Masque’s Morlocks, the X-Men, and X-Factor, bringing even more mutants, clashes, and action into the mix.
Hellions
The Hellions were a team of teenage mutants recruited by Emma Frost at her private school, where they received academic instruction and training in using their powers. Like Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, the Hellions carried a bit more edge, bringing a spicier, anti-hero vibe to their story.
Unlike the X-Men, this group of young mutants was darker and more twisted. The Hellions represented an angrier version of the X-Men, with Cyclops assembling a mutant black-ops squad that included King Bedlam, Jesse Bedlam, Boom-Boom, Fantomex, and the teleporting Locusta, tasked with doing the X-Men’s dirty work.
Besides Emma Frost and Cyclops, several versions of the Hellions are led by other interesting mutants, including Mister Sinister and King Bedlam. Most recently, in X-Men (2024) #10 by Jed MacKay and Netho Diaz, the Hellions appeared again, creating dangerous challenges for the young heroes of the New Mutants and X-Force.
Acolytes
Just as Professor X has mentored groups of mutants, the Acolytes fully embrace Magneto's teachings. Depending on the day, their motivation could be anything from protecting mutantkind to outright mutant domination (at any cost).
Through different publications, the Acolytes have been led by or aligned with powerful characters such as Exodus, Fabian Cortez, and Amelia Voght, with Magneto often serving as their central figure. Known for their unwavering loyalty to Magneto and extremist views, the Acolytes stand as one of the most dangerous mutant factions in Marvel history.
X-Factor
X-Factor is another team born from Professor X’s dream of creating a world where mutants and humans could coexist. In some incarnations, humans tried to use the team of mutants. Still, instead of capturing or imprisoning other mutants, X-Factor often focused on rescuing young mutants to protect and train them.
Federal agent Valerie Cooper even assembled one version of the team under the leadership of Havok to battle Mr. Sinister. With Havok as leader, this government-backed mutant squad included Polaris, Madrox the Multiple Man, Strong Guy, Quicksilver, and Wolfsbane.
Bringing X-Factor into the MCU would allow for exploring government-mutant relations and introduce a lineup of powerful, lesser-seen mutants who could challenge both the X-Men and the Brotherhood.
