Deadpool and Other Fox Marvel Properties Control Reportedly Given to Kevin Feige

Amidst rumors Fox Studios boss Emma Watts was leaving Fox/Disney for a competing studio, it appears creative control over Deadpool and the entire library of X-Men characters has officially been given to Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige. In a new report by Deadline, it's suggested Watts had been planning to dip once creative control was handed over — that was, of course, until the Fox exec was giving oversight of James Cameron's Avatar franchise.

Because of the Avatar concession, it appears all parties are happy with the current arrangement, something likely to excite most fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since the Fox/Disney merger officially closed earlier this spring, fans have been anxious to see mutants join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At Marvel's massive Phase 4 slate dump at Comic-Con, no X-Men-based properties were announced, though Feige did tease the addition of both the Fantastic Four and mutants before too long.

In an interview earlier this year, Feige himself admitted he was "extremely excited" to bring both the X-Men and Fantastic Four to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying he strived to bring them up to a "level that they deserve."

"I'm extremely excited about those characters and about bringing Marvel's First Family up to the platform and the level that they deserve," Feige said.

"The truth is, I'm excited for all of them. I'm excited, and it's not just the marquee names you know — there are hundreds of names on those documents, on those agreements," Feige said at the Golden Globes. "And the fact that Marvel is as close as we may ever get now to having access to all of the characters, is something I've been dreaming about for my almost 20 years at Marvel. And it's very exciting."

Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in spring 2021, Loki in spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If? In summer 2021, Hawkeye in fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021.

Which X-Men property do you think will be the first to debut in the MCU? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt!