Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot would be better without one of the franchise's most iconic characters

The X-Men characters have been owned by 20th Century Fox for over 20 years, and in that time, the studio has produced several X-Men films, some of which were among the best of the genre and some of which were detrimental to it. Because the rights were held by Fox, Marvel Studios was unable to use the mutants in their wildly successful shared universe. However, following a merger between Disney and Fox in 2019, Marvel Studios finally got the The X-Men film rights, paving the way for exciting possibilities for its long-running franchise. X-Men '97 It was Marvel Studios' first real mutant project since the beginning and Deadpool and Wolverine marked the first entry on the big screen. After years of plotting, Marvel Studios is finally ready to explore the mutant in a whole new light that fans have been wanting for years.

X-Men '97 AND Deadpool and Wolverine provided a glimpse of what Marvel Studios is capable of with mutants, but the studio's planned reboot will be its true vision. The X-Men reboot is in early development with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Serpents writer Michael Lesslie working on the script. Marvel Studios has a lot of big projects in the works, but its X-Men movie could be the biggest, as it can pave the way for the future of the MCU. There have been minimal details surrounding the reboot since its early days on the project, yet it has long been rumored that Wolverine will not be a part of the film. While Wolverine is perhaps one of the most famous members of the X-Men, it would be wise for Marvel Studios' reboot to exclude him from the outset.

Wolverine was not part of the original X-Men team

• The first issue of The X-Men arrived in September 1963 from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
• Lein Wein and John Romita created Wolverine, who first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #180, published in October 1974.

The MCU has introduced many new characters to audiences, but the studio has also successfully rebooted them after past attempts. Marvel Studios' approach to character reboots has worked well when the studio has returned to its comic book roots. For Spider-Man, that meant taking Peter Parker back to high school and exploring the concept of a superpowered teenager to the fullest. With Fantastic Four: First StepsMarvel Studios pays homage to the characters’ comic book origins by wrapping the film in a ’60s aesthetic. Going back to basics seems like the likely direction Marvel Studios will take with the X-Men.

The X-Men lineup has changed constantly over the years, and Marvel Studios has the opportunity to mix and match the characters they want to use. Since Marvel Studios has already looked back at the early days of these heroes, this could easily lead to the rebooted team incorporating the roster that appeared in the first issue of X-Men, which did not involve Wolverine. Instead, the next Marvel Studios film could feature the the original five members, which included Cyclops, Angel, Best, Iceman, and Jean Grey.

Other X-Men characters deserve the spotlight

The X-Men Movies with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine Appearances
The X-Men
X2: X-Men Assemble
X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men: First Class
The Wolverine
X-Men: Days of Future Past
X-Men: Apocalypse
Logan
Deadpool and Wolverine

From the beginning, Wolverine has been the focal point of Fox's X-Men franchise, and that has extended into the MCU with Hugh Jackman's monumental run as the character continued into Deadpool and Wolverine. Placing Wolverine at the center of the X-Men franchise was an obvious move, given that he is one of the most popular Marvel characters ever. However, Marvel Studios will need to do something different with the X-Men for the MCU, and one easy way to do that is to focus on other characters who deserve a chance to shine.

“Well, it's that phrase we use a lot at Marvel, which is 'It's an embarrassment of riches. And there's a lot of great
The X-Men
characters in the
Deadpool and Wolverine
movies. There are a lot of great
The X-Men
characters in all Fox versions of the
The X-Men
movies. And there are a lot of great ones
The X-Men
characters that have never made it to the big screen. So I think, as we always try to do, as we did when we made the deal with Sony for
Spiderman
You'll probably see a mix of characters you've seen before and characters you've never seen before.” — Kevin Feige on Marvel Studios' plan for the X-Men in the MCU.

Cyclops is always the first to come to mind, as his live-action interpretations have disappointed many familiar with the comics. Taking the focus away from Wolverine for the X-Men reboot would quickly make him feel fresh and follow the same path as the MCU's Spider-Man trilogy, which focused on new villains early on. Wolverine certainly has more stories to tell now that he's part of the MCU, but he can also support his own separate franchise. Not to mention that Jackman still plays that character and Marvel Studios might want to change the actor in the future. Wolverine's exclusion from the X-Men reboot allows Marvel Studios to continue using his beloved version while also creating a new Logan, rather than immediately inserting him into the new film.

Past X-Men projects prove that there's no need to focus on Wolverine

• X-Men: First Class featured a lineup that included Mystique, Banshee, Beast, Angel Salvadore, Havok and Darwin.
• Marvel Studios Animation X-Men '97 It was a direct continuation of the 90s animated series and will continue for at least two more seasons.

While Wolverine has been a highlight of Fox's run, a few films prove that an X-Men movie can be successful without him. Matthew Vaughn X-Men: First Class immediately comes to mind as a film that focuses more on the relationship between Professor X and Magneto rather than Wolverine. Of course, Wolverine appears in the film only in a cameo, but is not a determining element of the narrative.

by Marvel Studios X-Men '97 also features Wolverine, but the character in particular takes a back seat for most of the season to focus on characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Gambit, Rogue and Jubilee. X-Men '97 It's one of Marvel Studios' most well-received projects to date, and the animated series was incredibly refreshing as it explored comic book characters that haven't received the proper treatment on the big screen. X-Men: First Class AND X-Men '97 they have the perfect model for what Marvel Studios can do with the property without its most important character being at the center of the story.

Marvel Studios’ X-Men reboot is undoubtedly one of the most important and anticipated projects in store for the future. The X-Men have a rich comic book history that supports an entire universe filled with rich characters ready to earn their place on the big screen. Wolverine has been the face of the X-Men franchise for over 20 years and for good reason, but a reboot needs a fresh approach. Marvel Studios will likely avoid an X-Men origin story since First class has taken care of that story, and that means he should also keep Wolverine away to promise audiences a fresh take.

This also gives Jackman time to play in the MCU a little longer and gives him one more send-off before introducing one of the toughest recasts for a superhero character ever. Wolverine should have a place in Marvel Studios’ X-Men reboot at some point in the future, but leaving him out of the first film is an easy way to add something new to a franchise that audiences have had a relationship with for years. There’s a long history of X-Men stories that Marvel Studios can draw from to inspire a new approach. The Batman finally explored the detective side of the character. Since the X-Men are a team-up, Marvel Studios has the opportunity to introduce new takes on characters not as popular as Wolverine and make them household names like they have done with many other characters that have been part of the MCU before.