I love Fox’s X-Men movies, but I’ve let them go—and the MCU should have done the same
So, the Avengers: Doomsday cast. How are we all feeling? A few surprises, some welcome returns, a startling lack of female characters, and a shocking number of former mutants. This movie could either become the pinnacle of the superhero niche or crash and burn. At this point, I honestly have no idea, and I’m trying to keep my expectations as low as possible.
Don’t get me wrong, I desperately want this to be good. I would give anything to feel as hyped about Doomsday as I did about Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. That was on a whole other level. However, while I am currently obsessing over Marvel’s more grounded, street-level output (Daredevil: Born Again is a gem and I’m genuinely excited for Thunderbolts*) the idea of returning to the mess of the Multiverse is frankly, quite exhausting, especially now that we know just how many of Fox’s X-Men characters will be a part of the incursion-infested circus.
Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Kelsey Grammar, Alan Cumming (Alan Cumming?!), Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, and even Channing freakin’ Tatum have been confirmed for the cast, and something tells me there’s more news to come. A Gabmit who was never more than a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine over Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine or Halle Berry’s Storm? Let’s be real.
That’s the thing, though. Why do any of them need to come back at all? I know, I know, nostalgia = big box office numbers (supposedly, anyway), and yes, the Multiverse exists, so all of this is technically possible without breaking canon. Great! I’m just not sold, though.
Listen, did I enjoy Deadpool & Wolverine for what it was? Absolutely. It genuinely made me laugh, and I was having a very terrible week when it came out, so I will always remember that it cheered me up. But it felt like such a great send-off for this world—this blissfully separate, somewhat self-contained world—that I just don’t know if I can muster up the enthusiasm to cheer for these versions of the characters again. I’m not even sure I’ll care if they make me watch them all die. Their story is over for me at this point. I want something new.
I completely understand Marvel’s desire to utilize the X-Men mythos. It’s fascinating, political, and extremely profitable. I was hoping, though—perhaps against my better judgment—that we’d get to meet a new version of the X-Men team this time around. I want Doomsday to provide us with something fresh. I want new interpretations and new actors. I was so encouraged when the rumors were floating around about Taron Egerton taking on Wolverine, for instance. One of the reasons Fox’s prequel trilogy worked so well is because it brought in a stellar new cast to embody familiar characters. Recasting can work and is, in some cases, the better option.
Bringing back the old guard just feels needlessly complicated. If the Fantastic Four can get a makeover, why can’t the X-Men? I’m assuming that Marvel will, at some point after the credits have rolled on Doomsday, introduce its version of the mutant supergroup. Will it be too late by then? Will they forever be living in the shadows of overused greats? That doesn’t seem fair. These characters (and the audience) deserve more.
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