MCU’s X-Men Reboot Needs to Ditch This Tired Trend

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It has been reported that Jake Schreier, who directed Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts, is being considered to direct their upcoming X-Men feature. This brings us closer to seeing a new chapter in the world of mutant films. This news comes a year after Michael Lesslie was hired to write the script for the project and shortly after rumors that Kevin Feige has a 10-year plan for how the X-Men will be utilized in the MCU. It appears that ambitious plans are being made for these characters, going beyond just Deadpool, Wolverine, or reprising classic X-Men characters for Avengers: Doomsday.

Although Marvel’s X-Men reboot will build upon 20 years of X-Men titles from 20th Century Fox, there is still much room for improvement in the legacy of X-Men cinema. One particularly significant way this upcoming MCU movie could surpass its predecessors is by giving women mutant characters a leading role, as they have been overlooked for too long in the franchise.

X-Men Movies Have Been Dominated By Male Leaders

Initially, when people criticized the MCU for not having many female superheroes due to its film rights with 20th Century Fox, they pointed out that this studio owned the rights to several powerful women Marvel characters. However, even though Marvel Studios couldn’t use characters like Kitty Pryde and Storm during this period, the X-Men movies produced by Fox didn’t do much better in terms of gender representation. Out of 13 films, only one, “The New Mutants,” had a female lead character. The rest primarily centered on male figures such as Charles Xavier, Wolverine, and Deadpool.

In this narrative, female characters have often been overlooked or given less importance compared to their male counterparts. For instance, Kitty Pryde’s significant role in the “Days of Future Past” comic was reduced in the film version to increase Wolverine’s screen time. The movie “Dark Phoenix,” which appeared to focus on Jean Grey and her transformation into darkness, had Grey spending a large portion of the final act unconscious inside a train car. Beloved female mutants like Jubilee and Dazzler have been underutilized in recent installments of this saga, while “Deadpool 2” notably killed off its most prominent woman character from the first movie.

In a troubling pattern, even The New Mutants, with Dani Moonstar/Mirage (Blu Hunt) as the main character, persisted with this issue. Regrettably, the film’s first woman of color in the lead role frequently encountered racist slurs from Illyana Rasputin/Magik (Anya Taylor-Joy). Additionally, just like the original X-Men film, which initially established Anna Paquin’s Rogue as our guide, she later transformed into a damsel-in-distress who relied on the predominantly male X-Men to rescue her. Despite significant female roles in the Fox X-Men series, dissatisfaction remained a constant theme.

It’s incredibly puzzling to see these films neglecting well-developed characters like Storm, considering how deeply fleshed out they are in the comics and other X-Men adaptations. Despite having significant screen time, characters such as Storm, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Emma Frost, and many more lady mutants seem to be underutilized by this franchise. Icons like Jubilee, Dazzler, and Blink, among others, are barely present. This pattern highlights areas where the MCU X-Men movies could surpass their predecessors in character development.

Marvel’s Female X-Men Deserve Their Chance To Shine

It’s crucial for Jake Schreier and Michael Lesslie, if they want to make this upcoming X-Men film successful, to prioritize Ororo Munroe/Storm as the main character. They should also ensure that other female mutants play significant roles. By focusing on women mutants in a way not seen in the previous 13 movies, particularly outside of the “New Mutants,” they can offer something fresh and unique to audiences. This freshness won’t only be about gender representation, but also about introducing mutants who have not yet been explored in big-screen adaptations.

Instead of hoping that viewers crave more Xavier and Magneto stories, the MCU’s first X-Men solo movie focusing on Storm, Kitty Pryde, Dazzler, and other female mutants would add a fresh twist to the production. Adopting faithful comic book interpretations of characters like Dazzler would also set this film apart from previous X-Men movies. Those earlier films shied away from comic book accuracy, even making jokes about “yellow spandex.” In this new phase, Storm and her companions could embody their exaggerated comic counterparts without reservation.

Including perspectives from underrepresented genders, particularly those who also face other forms of discrimination, could enhance the symbolic impact of the X-Men. The original X-Men films presented potent scenes depicting mutants as a reflection of oppressed communities such as the LGBTQIA+ group. Nevertheless, they were often constrained by the fact that their main characters were primarily cisgender white men. This makes it challenging to effectively portray mutants as embodying marginalized experiences when the franchise’s key figures are Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds.

Highlighting a multitude of female mutant characters could breathe life into the symbolic essence of the X-Men on the big screen more powerfully than ever before. By allocating possible screen time for the formation and solidarity among women mutants such as Storm, Jean Grey, Dazzler, and others, we can vividly depict how shared bonds help alleviate the hardship of longstanding societal oppression. This is an aspect that the original X-Men series often found challenging to fully portray due to its focus on male protagonists and leaders. It’s high time for this trend to change. Here’s hoping director Jake Schreier understands what the modern X-Men movies require most – a commitment to showcasing the most renowned mutants from the comics.

Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters, X-Men is now streaming on Disney+.

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2025-05-18 03:10