The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to go mutant crazy, and that’s a great thing. The X-Men have created their mini-Marvel Universe, and bringing that to the MCU opens the floodgates for all manner of amazing heroes, villains, and supporting characters. The MCU has introduced some pretty powerful characters to moviegoers, but bringing in the mutants is going to allow them to introduce characters that are more powerful than anything they have right now.
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These characters have abilities that can boggle the mind, but their power isn’t the only draw. Many of the best ultra-powerful mutants are more than just powerhouses, they are compelling characters in their own right and open up the MCU to great new stories.
These powerful X-Men characters will bring a lot to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the MCU needs them sooner rather than later.
5. Iceman
Iceman was part of the first class of the X-Men in the comics and was also in the OG X-Men movies made by 20th Century Fox. Iceman being in the MCU seems like a no-brainer, but Marvel Studios needs to embrace the more powerful, well-rounded version of Iceman from the comics. Iceman’s ice powers have grown to godlike levels, allowing him to create constructs that can move on their own. He’s even been able to freeze the fires of Hell itself, a feat that has never been pulled off before.
Iceman’s growth as a character also makes him perfect for his own project. Bobby Drake’s powers have grown as he’s dealt with his own baggage and accepted himself as both a mutant and a gay man. The MCU starting with a young, closeted Iceman with low-level powers, and watching him grow over the course of the X-Men movies, accepting himself and becoming more powerful, is an amazing character arc the MCU needs. Iceman is a wonderful character – his powers would look great on the big screen, his personality and humor fit into the quippy MCU mold, and his journey as a person makes him one of the most “real” and relevant X-Men out there.
4. Magik
Magik is somewhat familiar to non-comic superhero fans, as she starred in The New Mutants and has been in video games like Midnight Sons and the current blockbuster, Marvel Rivals. Of course, that movie is one of the more infamous flops of the end of the Fox era, but that failure doesn’t mean that Magik should be left behind. Magik is the younger sister of Colossus, and her mutant powers allow her to teleport anywhere in space or time. She was stolen as a child by the demon lord Belasco and brought to the demon realm of Limbo, where she became a powerful magic user in her own right, mastering combat magic and hand-to-hand fighting, and becoming Lord of Limbo for a time. She’s been killed and resurrected and has become one of the most popular X-Men.
Magik is on an upswing, and the best way to take advantage of that is by bringing her into the MCU. Magik’s time in Limbo – a hellish, demon-filled dimension where time flows differently – opens up some amazing superhero horror stories for the MCU (especially if Marvel Studios decides to adapt her 1980s miniseries). Magik’s magic powers would also allow her to crossover with Doctor Strange, something that has happened in the comics. The MCU’s mysticism isn’t as great as it is in the comics, and Magik can help bring it to greater prominence. She’s a fun character with a distinct look and is perfect for the MCU. Marvel Studios just needs to park of truck of money on Anya Taylor-Joy’s lawn and get her to come back to the role of Illyana Rasputin.
Captain Britain
The Braddocks are an important mutant family. Oldest brother Jamie’s mutant powers gave him control over reality, something that drove him mad. The youngest sister Elizabeth is a powerful telepath and is known to fans as Psylocke, the longtime member of the X-Men. Brian was born without powers but eventually would gain the power of Captain Britain: superhuman strength, durability, and flight. He became part of the multiversal Captain Britain Corps, protecting the British Isles from all kinds of threats, and leading the British mutant team, Excalibur.
Related: Two X-Men Are Having a Fight to the Death (And It All Ties Back to Krakoa)
Captain Britain is a great character for the MCU because he opens up a lot of doors. The Captain Britain Corps is one of the more underrated parts of the Marvel Multiverse and something that the MCU could use in all kinds of interesting ways. He’s related to the magical side of the Marvel Universe, as Merlin is a huge part of the history of the Captain Britain Corps. Many have fancasted Henry Cavill as Captain Britain because of the similarities between Captain Britain and Superman, which would be another plus for the franchise. The fact that Captain Britain is a magical mantle also means that other characters can take it up, as happened in the comics with Elizabeth taking her brother’s place as the protector of Britain. Captain Britain is perfect for the modern MCU – and a great way to give UK fans and their fantasy lore/history a nod.
Legion
Legion was a beloved X-Men TV show – a mind-bending exploration of Legion/David Haller. Legion is an extremely important character in the X-Men mythos: He’s the son of Charles Xavier and Gabrielle Haller, a Jewish woman that Xavier met while in Israel around the same time that he made friends with Magneto. David was born years later and eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia, years before Xavier opened his school and formed the X-Men. David was also a mutant, and each of his personalities had a different psychic power. David takes after his father and is one of the most powerful mutants on the face of the Earth, with his mental illness making him extremely dangerous.
Legion’s existence was one of the first indications that Xavier wasn’t the perfect person he seemed to be, but rather a flawed man who was willing to leave a woman and a child behind to pursue his dream. This is very important for MCU fans to understand, and Legion allows them to see that. Beyond that, Legion’s just a great character. He’s a powerful antagonist who has grown and changed as he’s learned to deal with his mental conditions and powers, eventually even making peace with his father and finding love with the precognitive mutant, Blindfold. Legion’s character journey makes him one of the more intriguing and powerful mutants, shows the flaws of Charles Xavier, and opens up the possibility of adapting the greatest Marvel multiverse stories ever – The Age of Apocalypse.
Proteus
Proteus shows off the dark side of mutation. Kevin MacTaggert is the son of Xavier’s ally Moira MacTaggert – a version of whom appeared in the Fox X-Men movies – and his mutant awakening gave him high-level reality-altering abilities. However, these powers had a very detrimental effect on his body, and Moira, an evolutionary biologist in the comics, had to come up with a way to inhibit his powers to keep him alive. Kevin would escape and learn that he could possess new bodies, which would also burn out as he used his powers. Moira called Xavier, Xavier brought the X-Men, and eventually, Colossus ended up killing Proteus, whose only weakness was metal. This was a major event in X-Men history, but it wouldn’t be the end of Proteus.
Proteus has returned many times over the years. His powers had driven him mad until the Krakoa Era, when he became an important part of the mutant resurrection protocols and had access to cloned bodies, alleviating the stress of his powers. Proteus is an amazing villain, one whose power level puts him in the upper echelons of the Marvel Universe. His story is something of a tragedy, a child whose powers drove him to hate himself and everyone around him. He’s the epitome of the dark side of mutant abilities and opens up some great avenues for stories.
Are there any more X-Men characters you want to make sure are in the MCU?
