Phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in full swing, and as a result, the massive, interconnected franchise continues to expand at a rapid pace. In the past year alone, MCU devotees have found new faces like Yelena Belova, Shang-Chi, and Kate Bishop.
There are, however, many other heroes that many are still waiting to see the light of day, and the X-Men certainly top the list. While Marvel Studios has yet to reveal how the famous characters will be included, one number of high-profile creatives (such as the creator of Deapool) have commented on their eventual introductions. Longtime producer Simon Kinberg is the latest to step in and seems to have a pretty good attitude about Marvel gaining control of mutants.
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For years, Charles Xavier and his cohorts lived at Fox alongside other comic book properties like the Fantastic Four. But both franchises would finally go to Marvel Studios following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019. During the summer of the same year, Marvel boss Kevin Feige alluded to plans for mutants. Like fans, Simon Kinberg doesn't know specifics, but he has a lot of faith in Feige:
“The honest answer is: I have no idea. And the other answer is, Kevin [Feige] knows what he's doing with the MCU. I would say he is the greatest producer in the history of cinema. Truly. I mean, if you look at everything in terms of quality and in terms of obviously commercial success, there's no question that the latter is true. So I don't know.”
It's hard to argue with Simon Kinberg's comments about Marvel's CCO, as he definitely helped put the MCU on the map. Since 2008, Stan Lee's man, formerly referred to as "Fearless Feige" has overseen the release of 27 films and five television shows, which have been overwhelmingly well received by audiences. He has also shown that he is a capable storyteller who makes astute decisions.
Simon Kinberg has also had his fair share of success with the X-Men franchise. While a number of later episodes haven't connected with fans, movies like X2, Days of Future Past and Logan are still held in high regard.
Through his work, Kinberg has also collaborated with a great cast, made up of stars like Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry and Patrick Stewart. The producer has nothing but love for the actors, but how would he feel about them reprising their roles for the new film series? Well, in the same interview with IGN, he shared his thoughts:
“I love these actors. I love them as human beings and I love them as characters. So obviously there's a part of me that would be incredibly nostalgic and excited to see them. And I certainly can't imagine anyone else playing Wolverine, but I also can't imagine anyone else playing James Bond. And I think there's an aspect of some of these characters where, like, there's a lot of great Hamlets over time. And I think even Hugh felt that with the end of Logan.”
Fans seem to be confused as to whether they'd like to see the old actors brought back. Likewise, the stars themselves provided a variety of responses about the possibility of a return. Franchise veteran Halle Berry, for example, is open to reprising her role as Storm, while Kelsey Grammer is also excited about the possibility of playing Beast again.
Hugh Jackman has been adamant that his time as Wolverine is up, regardless of the multiverse or Ryan Reynolds' pleas. On that note, X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn hinted at some actors who could don the adamantium claws next.
It will likely be a while before Marvel Studios officially announces its plans for the iconic characters. While the wait might be tough for some, it's good to see the company is taking its time to settle things down. In the meantime, fans can continue to speculate about the mutants' eventual role and check out their past cinematic exploits by watching the X-Men movies on Disney+.
