The Marvels Suggests A Strange Plan For The MCU's X-Men – But What Happens Next?
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for "The Marvels."
"The Marvels" has finally arrived, and it may well be the last Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to grace our screens for a good while. "Deadpool 3" is next up but, due to the historic Screen Actors Guild strike (which finally just ended), it lost its release date. That means the adventures of Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan will have to hold us over for a little while. Fortunately, for Marvel fans, the movie left us with much to discuss — particularly that wild mid-credits scene. You wanted the X-Men? We're getting the X-Men.
Without doing a full deep dive into the scene itself, rather briefly, it involves Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) waking up in another dimension where she meets someone who looks very much like her mom — once again played by Lashana Lynch — but who is not actually her mom. Then, none other than the blue-furred Beast, the beloved member of the X-Men, walks in, voiced by Kelsey Grammer. While it's not Grammer in make-up this time around, the actor is reprising his role from 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand" with a fully CGI version of the character explaining to Monica that she has found herself in another dimension. Lynch's character doesn't know who Monica is, and the implication is that she is a mutant as well, wearing the suit adorned by the superhero known as Binary. Professor X is also mentioned, and Beast eventually leaves to go talk to him off-screen.
Very little is explained but we are in the midst of what Marvel Studios has dubbed the Multiverse Saga, so multiversal shenanigans are to be expected. What's crystal clear now, though, is that the plan is to bring back more of the cast from the original "X-Men" movies, seemingly before 2011's "X-Men: First Class," which brought in younger actors to pick up the mantle for a handful of prequel movies before the Disney/Fox deal was completed in 2019. Thanks to that deal, the mutants are in the hands of Disney and Marvel Studios. Four years later, the MCU is finally making use of the characters – and familiar faces are seemingly the plan. At least for now.
The X-Men of the past (but not too far in the past)
It was always presumed that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige would reboot the "X-Men" franchise within the MCU. That would mean casting new actors to put new stamps on characters like Charles Xavier and Wolverine, among others. We know that Marvel is looking to hire a writer for a new "X-Men" movie, so eventually, that may happen. But for the time being, the plan appears to be to bring Fox's version of the universe into the MCU's larger multiverse so that we can have one last hoorah with the versions of these characters that date back more than 20 years.
We've already seen other examples of this in the MCU. Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Professor X in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," albeit a different version of the character from elsewhere in the multiverse. We also know that Hugh Jackman is coming back as Wolverine yet again in next year's "Deadpool 3," even though he died during the events of "Logan." For now, the Multiverse Saga's version of the mutants will be versions that audiences are familiar with. But there is no chance this will be the long-term plan.
One very telling part of the credits scene is the fact that Beast was done entirely in CGI, as opposed to the practical makeup effects work that was employed to turn Grammer into the character in "The Last Stand." But that was nearly 20 years ago, and it's likely that Grammer isn't up to doing what would be required of him to physically take on the role in his late 60s. He was much younger when he first took on the role, and therein lies the most interesting part of this somewhat odd strategy.
None of the actors who played these roles in the original "X-Men" films are getting any younger. I am certainly not trying to sound agist, but Patrick Stewart is 83 years old. Kelsey Grammer is 68. If they want to bring Ian McKellen back as Magneto, they need to consider the fact that he's 84. Surely, utilizing this version of the X-Men is not a long term plan.
This is all about Secret Wars
This can only be about a victory lap for the actors who helped make the Marvel brand what it is today, much like bringing back Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
What's the endgame here? Seemingly, this is all leading to "Avengers: Secret Wars," which is pegged as the big finale for Marvel's Multiverse Saga, much in the same way that 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" was the conclusion of the Infinity Saga. Though nothing is confirmed, it's very much believed that the movie will see lots of the various Marvel universes converging, which could open the door for virtually any actor from the past to come back for one last ride. The other common theory is that "Secret Wars" will pave the way for a soft reboot of the MCU, at which time Marvel Studios could sort of reset the continuity. That would be the perfect time to bring in a new X-Men team.
But before that happens, there's an opportunity for the old-timers to have one last go-around. In some ways, that does make sense, as confusing as it all might be for the average viewer. There's no sense in risking the fate of a new franchise that Feige and Disney hope can go on for years, particularly a franchise as important as the "X-Men." If "Secret Wars" really is going to blow up the timeline, why rush the new cast out before that happens? Use it as an opportunity for a massive nostalgia play – maybe even bring people back from the dead - and then hit the reset button.
Do people actually have nostalgia for Grammer's version of Beast? That's another conversation entirely, but either way, the MCU is betting big on the idea that audiences will be happy to see old heroes from other universes mingling with the heroes who have been leading the way more recently.
"The Marvels" is in theaters now.