Return of The X

Five years after the landmark deal to return the rights to all X-Men characters to Marvel, Disney is finally ready to bring mutants to the forefront of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Since the universally panned New Mutants placed the final nail in 20th Century Fox's X-Men universe coffin, fans have been eagerly awaiting new material under the Disney Umbrella. Although Marvel has subtly hinted at including mutants in the MCU, 2024 will mark the first year of new material under the Disney umbrella with the release of a new animated version of X-Men 97 and the third installment in the Deadpool Franchise.

Despite helping to pave the way for the superhero genre, before the MCU was a thought, many of Fox's installments failed to meet audience expectations. Whether it was finding fault with storylines and casting decisions, or backstage drama with directors, Fox just could not find a steady streak with its movies. Even in the final film, New Mutants, poor reception was caused by various factors, including its troubled production, multiple delays, and lackluster execution of the storyline (Linkhttps://unorthodoxwisdom.blogspot.com/2020/01/new-mutants-old-problems.html).  

Since regaining the rights to the property, Marvel has been set on establishing its separate universe from Fox's previous films, while also allowing former actors to reprise roles. Already we've seen Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier and Kelsey Grammer's Beast, with Hugh Jackman joining Deadpool 3 as Wolverine next. Based on the first trailer, the film will serve as a bridge between Deadpool's new and reworked reality and the MCU, while helping to further introduce mutants.  

Marvel is wisely hitting all the correct nostalgia points as the company prepares to make mutants a mainstay in film and television under Disney. Aside from Deadpool & Wolverine, Disney is also releasing a continuation of the beloved 90s animated classic with X-Men '97. The former animated series ran from 1992-1997 and served as a generation's first introduction to characters and Marvel is likely hoping the new Disney series does the same in preparation for their formal introduction to the MCU.  

It seems that Marvel's decision to release a continuation of the 90's X-Men series is a strategic move. In the past, the animated series was canceled to pave the way for FOX's live-action debut, which drew criticism from audiences due to the differences in character adaptations, such as Anna Paquin's Rogue. However, this time around, Marvel appears to want to intentionally remind audiences of the essence of these characters, possibly in preparation for their own standalone Marvel film. 

X-Men '97 will premiere on the Disney + app on March 20th and resume where the series ended over 25 years ago, and Deadpool & Wolverine will have a theatrical release in theaters on July 26th.   

  

New Mutants, Old Problems

Will New Mutants save the X-Men franchise?

Finally, after a 2 year delay, Fox's last vision of its former X-Men property has an official release date for the long awaited superhero adventure New Mutants. Based on the popular comic series of the same name, the film will serve as a superhero coming of age, and horror mashup. However, judging from the delays and reshoots many fear that the film will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor Dark Phoenix, doomed before ever hitting theaters. With so much already set against it, will New Mutants be a successful film or will it be the final nail in the coffin for the franchise?

Originally set to have debuted in 2018, the film fell into development hell when Fox wasn't happy with the first trailer released, leading to massive reshoots. Things seemed to be back on track until Fox's acquisition by Disney which furthur delayed the movie release. As with Dark Phoenix before it, the constant delays makes audiences skeptical that the movie is even worth seeing, increasing the odds that the it will fare better on DVD than in actual theaters. There's also the obstacle of the film's casting. Ever since the casting decisions were announced, fans of the New Mutants comic were quick to voice their disappointment with the casting of the character Sunspot, who will be portrayed by actor Henry Zaga. Along with the casting of Alice Braga as Cecelia Reyes, both casting decisions raising legitimate claims of whitewashing. 

If the producers hadn't noticed racism tends to turn audiences away however, there still remains the possibility the film will be a critical success. Thanks to the Fox and Disney merger, New Mutants will be a part of the MCU. The potential for an explanation for how mutants will be introduced and incorporated into the universe may be enough to get theater seats filled. If the movie does well it may be the start of a new series of films eventually leading up the the young mutants making their way to the ranks of the X-Men. And then there's the character Magik who has has been a fan favorite in comics ever since her introduction, so fans are excited to finally see the live action debut. Most notably, featuring a powerful character like Magik can also contribute to further building this new universe. The new mutants can lead to the introduction of the X-Men, and Magik being a frequent collaborator of Dr. Strange can branch the team fully into the MCU.

New Mutants hits theaters April 13. Enjoy the trailer below and let me know what you think.