What Marvel’s X-Men Line Up Could Look Like In The MCU

Industry insider Alex Perez has revealed information about the X-Men and how they might appear in the MCU going forward. While it is known that Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars after it are going to focus on Fox’s version of the X-Men, Perez suggests that Marvel is going to look at a younger cast to play the X-Men, such that it can craft a narrative where the members of the team come of age. During an April Q&A, as revealed by Cosmic Circus, Alex Perez said:

“The rumor that they want the original 5 X-Men as core members is true. But it isn’t anything even remotely close to a lineup as big as X-Men 97. I think it’s the core 5 with 3 more. And they are not including Logan in this lineup.“

It is likely that the X-Men that the Marvel Cinematic Universe wants to focus on will be a mixture of the original team, the Second Genesis, and Giant-Sized X-Men, which included some of the staples of the team. While this might not include some of the newer, more popular characters like Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, or X-23, an estimation of what the team might look like could be made.

The exclusion of Logan is interesting, but given that he is supposed to be an older character anyway, it makes sense to keep him away from the team until they are much older. Further, tying Wolverine in with characters like Deadpool has worked brilliantly for the MCU, and it is likely that the MCU is going to continue doing that.

1 Cyclops Was A Born Leader For The X-Men

Part of the X-Men since its inception, you simply cannot have an X-Men team without Cyclops on it. This is especially true when introducing the team in a new context. Marvel, according to Perez, has suggested that they want to frame the core five X-Men in a coming-of-age story over the years, which seems like a similar plan to the new timeline that the Fox universe was following, with Sophie Turner as Jean Grey and Tye Sheridan as Cyclops. Needless to say, Cyclops is going to be a core member of this team, along with the rest of his compatriots.

2 Jean Grey Is The Heart of the X-Men (And A Powerhouse, Too)

It remains to be seen if Marvel can finally get Marvel Girl to catch on, or whether she is going to remain Jean Grey. Given that Jean Grey and Cyclops are going to be young and part of a ‘coming of age story’, it makes sense that Wolverine is being kept out of the picture. However, Jean Grey would be one of the most powerful characters to be on the roster, even before she becomes a host for the Phoenix. Keeping her on the team would definitely make sense, and it would also open up the team to some iconic X-Men storylines.

3 Iceman Got A Lot Of Love in Fox’s X-Men

Fox’s run with X-Men saw a lot of characters shine. Kitty Pryde, Storm, and Wolverine were all characters that went on to resonate with audiences. Iceman managed to be a breakout hit, too, with his story being a very clear metaphor for LGBTQ storylines that are seen in other media. Bobby Drake also got a lot of time to shine in Days of Future Past, albeit briefly, but proved that despite not having a large role in the current series, he still remains a fan favorite character, worthy of inclusion.

4 Angel Is An Important Player In Key Stories

Angel might have also fallen off the radar as more characters from the X-Men franchise began to resonate with fans. The one claim to fame that Angel has is his time as Apocalypse’s horseman. While the Fox version of the character had a minuscule role, there is a lot of room for him to explore in the new MCU. Of course, if Marvel is to focus on the core five X-Men, Angel is also going to be front and center, but it remains to be seen how Marvel executes the character differently from its predecessors.

5 Beast is An X-Men Mainstay In Major Iterations

Rounding out the core team, Beast is a part of the X-Men who has been a mainstay of the team through multiple iterations. Much like Scott and Jean, most versions of the X-Men use the character to establish the timeline of the film. It remains to be seen if the X-Men that Marvel is assembling will depict the character as the blue-furred version or the original version of Hank McCoy, where he has large feet and hands, rather than a secondary, blue-furred mutation.

6 Colossus Is A Fan-Favorite Mutant

Given that there are going to be at least three characters that are going to be part of the X-Men from the get-go, it makes sense to look to Giant-Size X-Men for inspiration. Thanks to X-2 and Deadpool after it, Colossus has become a very popular character among fans, and would be a perfect fit for the team as well. Given that the X-Men, aside from Hank, usually lack a physical tank, Piotr Rasputin would not only be a great addition to the crew, but would also open up the cast to some iconic stories.

7 Storm Will Bring One Of The Strongest Mutants To The Team

The inclusion of Storm as one of the additional three members makes a lot of sense. One of the strongest hitters of the team, her addition to the group will also bring a lot of diversity of thought to the team of superheroes. Another important character when it comes to dealing with Apocalypse (not in the comics, but increasingly in adaptations), Storm would serve the team greatly, especially in the absence of other hitters like Wolverine.

8 Nightcrawler Could Enhance The Themes X-Men As A Whole Explores

Putting Nightcrawler on the same team as Angel would allow the X-Men to explore a lot of stories with much more nuance. Specifically, the storyline that comes to mind is God Loves, Man Kills, where Reverend William Stryker specifically points to Nightcrawler when decrying mutants as non-humans. Having Kurt Wagner join the team from the get-go would be a great exercise in using some visually impressive powers, ones that can evolve when characters like Jubilee and Psylocke come into the picture.

Character	Past Live Action Actors
Cyclops	James Marsden Tye Sheridan
Jean Grey	Famke Janssen Sophie Turner
Iceman	Shawn Ashmore
Beast	Kelsey Grammer Nicholas Hoult
Angel	Ben Foster Ben Hardy
Colossus	Donald MacKinnon (cameo) Daniel Cudmore Andre Tricoteux and T.J. Storm (stunts on Deadpool) Stefan Kapičić.(voice on Deadpool)
Storm	Halle Berry Alexandra Shipp
Nightcrawler	Alan Cumming Kodi Smit-McPhee

Who do you think should be a part of the core group of Marvel’s merry mutants? Let us know in the comments!