Even as Avengers: Doomsday will take fans on a nostalgic trip through time as Fox’s original X-Men get to shine one last time, Marvel Studios is preparing an all-new, all-different take on the mutant heroes. Kevin Feige has made no secret of the fact that “having the X-Men back” is “one of those dreams come true” for him and he’s also made it clear that once the Multiverse Saga comes to a close, the X-Men will take center stage in the studio’s plans, which currently extends out to 2032.
The whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men.
-Kevin Feige
Jake Schreier‘s youth-focused X-Men film is expected to kick off the Marvel Mutant era in 2028 but it sounds as though the studio is so confident in the drawing power of the characters acquired from 20th Century Studios in 2019 that work has begun on several other projects as well.
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, “Marvel is developing a Wolverine project and multiple mutant-focused projects for the next saga, not just an X-Men reboot.”
Though rumors swirled following his return to the character in Deadpool & Wolverine that Hugh Jackman would continue to portray Wolverine in 2028 and beyond, more recent rumblings indicate that the star may step aside…again…with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars serving as his swan songs. While it’s no surprise that Marvel Studios would be developing a Wolverine project, any actor other than Jackman that takes on the role will have to win fans over. However, keeping an aged Jackaman on as Logan, no matter how beloved his portrayal has been, is not exactly congruent with the studio’s plans for a young X-Men cast.
As comic readers know, there have been various and very, very different versions of these characters over the decades. It would be fun to explore different ones someday down the line. Again, we don’t have immediate plans by any means. But in the decades to come, I think it’s inevitable. If that happens, it would have to be a very different and bold reinterpretation of [the character] because no one will be as great as Hugh Jackman at doing his version of Wolverine.
-Kevin Feige
As for the other projects in development, Richtman’s report didn’t contain specifics though there’s no shortage of characters and teams that never saw the screen under Fox who would make for compelling films and series. In the past, Feige’s interest in Alpha Flight, the Starjammers and the Shi’ar has been reported and any or all of those may be among the ideas percolating at Marvel Studios. And of course, X-Force, X-Factor, Generation X and on and on and on…
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