Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige Makes Appearance at X-Men Hellfire Gala

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige made his Marvel Comics debut today at the X-Men's Hellfire Gala. The Hellfire Gala is a major mutant celebration in which the residents of Krakoa invited a few human celebrities to take part. Though unannounced, it turns out that one of those celebrities was Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige. In the issue, Feige gets Cyclops's attention by asking the mutant hero to tell his story. That gives Cyclops (and, through him, X-Men writer and "Head of X" Jonathan Hickman) the opportunity to wax poetic about what the X-Men mean to him, explaining to Feige that the X-Men are dreamers.

It's a moment loaded with metatextual meaning. Ever since Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, thus putting the X-Men back under the same roof as the rest of Marvel's intellectual property, fans have wondered when and how the X-Men will make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.

This moment feels like a wink and nod to that situation, with Feige literally going to the source to get inspiration. It may even be inspired by Feige becoming the Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Comics, in addition to his film and television responsibilities, in 2019.

Publicly, Feige has acknowledged that the X-Men's MCU introduction is still a work in progress. "You know how much I love the X-Men. I already said that's where I started. I can't tell you anything before we actually announced it, but rest assured, the discussions have been long and ongoing internally," he told Screen Rant earlier this year.

In 2019, Feige told io9, "It'll be a while. It's all just beginning and the five-year plan that we've been working on, we were working on before any of that was set. So really it's much more, for us, less about specifics of when and where [the X-Men will appear] right now and more just the comfort factor and how nice it is that they're home. That they're all back. But it will be a very long time."

What do you think of Kevin Feige's appearance at the Hellfire Gala? Let us know in the comments. X-Men #21 is on sale now.

• X-Men #21
• APR210768
• (W) Jonathan Hickman (A) Russell Dauterman, More (CA) Leinil Francis Yu
• THE HEROES OF KRAKOA DEBUT!
• It's a changing if the guard as the first X-Men team of Krakoa debuts! One era ends as a new one begins, and the handoff happens here.
• 32 PGS./Rated T+
• In Shops: Jun 09, 2021
• SRP: $3.99

Photo by Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images