Warning: contains spoilers forPsylocke#1!
TheX-Menare soon to join the MCU, and they are using the same formula that made theAvengersa box office success. After Disney acquired 20th Century Fox’s assets in 2019, X-Men’s arrival in the MCU became inevitable.While Disney has announced no concrete plans for a newX-Menfilm,Psylocke#1 has created a blueprint for exactly how to introduce the Children of the Atom to the MCU.
Psylocke#1 is written by Alyssa Wong and drawn by Vincenzo Carratú. Psylocke arrives at the Factory, the X-Men’s new headquarters in Alaska. Psylocke mentions she had been in Palmdale, and when Kid Omega asks why, the action suddenly flashed back to a few hours prior. Fans learnPsylocke was in Palmdale rescuing the daughter of a mutant-hating politician. She has been taken hostage, andPsylocke effortlessly takes outthe kidnappers with her Psychic Knife. Psylocke then reunites father and daughter. Back in the present, she tells Kid Omega she was in Palmdale doing “nothing important.”
The X-Men Are On Their Way to the MCU
Yet How Will Marvel Establish the X-Men Credibly?
TheX-Men’s impending MCU debut comes on the heels of a new era in the franchise, titledFrom the Ashes.After the fall of Krakoa, Earth’s mutants were once again scattered across the globe, finding themselves the targets of fear and prejudice. In some ways, the X-Men’s new direction could be seen as “preparing the way” for them in the MCU. The X-Men’s Krakoan era, while critically acclaimed, would most likely not have translated well to the MCU. TheFrom the Ashes-era X-Men are farmore palatable for movie screens.
The X-Men are a massive presence in the Marvel Universe, forcing the MCU writers to find plausible ways to explain where they have been.
Thequestion the MCU now faces is how to establish the X-Men in a credible fashion, especially since they have been absent from it so far.The X-Men are a massive presence in the Marvel Universe, forcing the MCU writers to find plausible ways to explain where they have been. So far, the primary MCU Earth is experiencing an outbreak of mutations. Kamala Khan was revealed to be a mutant in theMs. Marvelseries, and Namor have appeared as well. Furthermore, the Beast, played by Kelsey Grammer, showed up inThe Marvels’post-credit scene.
Marvel Needs to Take it Slow in Introducing the X-Men to the MCU
X-Men Is Feeling Bleaker Than Ever, and One Hero’s Heartbreaking Confession Just Proved It
The X-Men have endured countless tragedies, & every step forward seems to be followed by punishment, trapping them in a cycle that needs to be broken.
IfKevin Feige and the MCU creative personnel are looking for another way of introducing the X-Men, they could look toPsylocke#1. The titular heroine is not only a member of the X-Men, but also does mercenary work on the side.Psylocke#1 reveals she keeps the two separate. Just like Ms. Marvel is a mutant working solo, Psylocke and others could be independent operators at this point as well. It also helps that Psylocke’s rescue of the politician’s daughter echoes Black Widow’s first scene in 2012’sAvengersmovie.
The next Marvel movie to hit theaters will beCaptain America: New World Order
Marvel seems to be heading in a similar direction by introducing the X-Men to the MCU. As Marvel and Disney built towards the firstAvengersmovie, they rolled the principal players out one by one, giving them solo movies before finally bringing them together. This then freed theAvengerscreative team to tell their story without wasting time on exposition. If Marvel continues to seed theX-Menin a similar fashion, and follow the approach inPsylocke#1, then the mutants will be box office champs, just like theAvengers.
