Marvel fans have been waiting years for many big answers about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the biggest one of all has been when we will see the X-Men making their MCU debut. Now, thanks to the latest round of release date announcements from Disney and Marvel Studios, we may finally have that start date.
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Today, Disney-Marvel announced that it will have three new movie projects on the release schedule for 2028 – one in February, one in May, and one in November – a typical year for MCU movies. But, given the massive implications of what the year 2028 means for the MCU, there’s fair reason to expect that the X-Men are coming.
Beginning of a New MCU
The current MCU Multiverse Saga storyline hasn’t been the biggest success, but the end is now in sight. Avengers: Doomsday arrives in May of 2026; Avengers: Secret Wars follows in May of 2027, and will be the culminating chapter of the Multiverse Saga. Fans know that Marvel’s Secret Wars events (different Marvel realities colliding in a brutal battle royale for survival) always end with one major event: a universal reset and a new remixed reality – which is exactly how they expect Phase Six of the franchise to end. If that happens in 2027, then 2028 will mark the start of Phase Seven – and a whole new MCU.
Some fans have been waiting for this MCU soft reboot to happen ever since Secret Wars was confirmed to be in development – mainly the ones who haven’t enjoyed what the Multiverse Saga has offered. Phase Seven of the MCU is the place and time where most fans estimate we’ll see the X-Men Universe fully integrated into the MCU – even if some legacy characters (Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds Deadpool, other Fox-Marvel veterans) get final appearances in Secret Wars.
Why X-Men Is A Good Bet For Marvel’s 2028 Releases
Even if one or more of the 2028 release date slots are sequels (Doctor Strange 3, Shang-Chi 2), it seems more than likely that Marvel Studios would also want to push forward with big new IP debuts. X-Men and Young Avengers are arguably the two biggest new franchises coming in Phase Seven, so it’s a smart bet that at least one of them is coming in 2028 – and leading with the new X-Men brand is probably the best way to spark new interest in the MCU.
There’s a major caveat to all this: Marvel Studios has any number of ways to introduce the X-Men Universe into the MCU, and a straight-up X-Men movie may not be it. There are other character franchises and Marvel storylines that could begin to pepper in X-Men characters before the team debuts – there are also Marvel story arcs (Krakoa) to mine for ways to simply establish the X-Men and mutants as being on a literal island, to be referenced and featured in cameos in other projects before getting their own franchise relaunch.
That said, the success of Disney-Marvel’s X-Men ’97 animated series proves the franchise name still has mainstream appeal. Given Marvel Studios’ new strategy (big blockbusters, premium brand characters, and franchises), why not mark the fresh start with a big “X”?
Go HERE for the full breakdown of new Marvel movie release dates.
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