A new report claimed that Marvel Studios has already chosen three exciting (yet dangerous) villains for the MCU's Mutant (X-Men) Saga, and all of them are compelling antagonists. As the Multiverse Saga winds down with the impending arrivals of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the attention will soon shift to the Mutant Saga. Aside from the highly anticipated debut of the X-Men, the upcoming saga will also introduce a wide array of villains (some of which, like Apocalypse and Sabretooth, the MCU needs to redeem). Ahead of the saga's debut, a new report narrows down which key villains will be introduced first.
The Cosmic Circus shared in a report that Marvel Studios will reportedly utilize three X-Men villains, namely Bolivar Trask, Sentinels, and Nathaniel Essex (aka Mr. Sinister), as recurring villains in "mutant-centric" projects as a way to convince the general public that mutants (and other superpowered individuals) need to be feared. This is rumored to be part of the Department of Damage Control's grand plan to "secure federal funding [and] continue its experiments" on these individuals.
While these three X-Men villains were already pushed to the forefront in previous Marvel projects (may it be live-action or animated), the prestige of seeing them in a shared universe alongside other major heroes is an exciting prospect for these characters.
Bolivar Trask is a human scientist who created the mutant-killing Sentinels. Although a live-action version of the character (portrayed by Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage) appeared in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, Trask's arrival in the MCU allows a fresh start for the villain. Trask views mutants as an existential threat to humanity, and this belief closely aligns with the Mutant Saga's ultimate conflict, as stated in the report.
Meanwhile, the Sentinels are the massive, adaptive robots programmed by Trask to kill mutants. What makes these machines dangerous and unpredictable is the fact that they can evolve into numerous variants and easily adapt to any situation. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the MCU could easily incorporate it into the Sentinel-infused stories in the Mutant Saga to add a deeper meaning and better reflect what's happening in the real world.
Nathaniel Essex (Mr. Sinister) has an unhinged obsession with creating the perfect mutants, and his desire to do so fits in the grand scheme of things in the Mutant Saga. Alongside his vast array of experimentations, Mr. Sinister is a dangerous foe to the X-Men because he is basically an immortal infused with superhuman abilities. Mr. Sinister is also a villain who loves to pull the strings behind the scenes, and a shocker could reveal that he might be behind the evil intentions of the Department of Damage Control.
The Mutant Saga is set to be the next significant era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, largely focusing on the X-Men and their enemies. The X-Men reboot film is expected to kick off the Mutant Saga, and the film will be directed by Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier.
Which Other X-Men Villains Could Appear in The Mutant Saga?
The library of characters under the X-Men umbrella of stories offers a wide range of possibilities regarding which villain could appear in the Mutant Saga. For starters, Magneto is expected to headline the long list of villains who will show up, considering that his budding rivalry with Charles Xavier essentially defines the X-Men franchise.
Given Magneto's expected inclusion, other members of his Brotherhood of Mutants could eventually show up, such as the shapeshifting Mystique, Emma Frost, Toad, and Blob. Allowing the Brotherhood to take the spotlight in the Mutant Saga and win some of their encounters with the X-Men would reinvent the MCU because seeing a full-blown villain team embrace moral ambiguity would eventually spearhead a compelling arc for them in the future.
Another well-known X-Men villain who could show up is Sebastian Shaw, a mutant who can absorb energy and transform it into his raw strength. Shaw's ties to the Hellfire Club could lead to the introduction of the villainous mutant team hellbent on world domination.
If the MCU wants to raise the bar, the Mutant Saga could head to Savage Land and introduce Sauron, a mutant pterodactyl capable of absorbing one's life force.
Whatever the case, the X-Men have a vast library of characters waiting to be introduced, and the MCU could utilize them in a way that would elevate their cohesive storytelling.
