Marvel’s X-Men Reboot Is All the Better Without Wolverine, And the MCU Needs a Break

After years of waiting, we are finally at a place where the X-Men are lined up to officially debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first tease came at the end of Ms. Marvel when mutants were mentioned, which was followed up by Professor X and Beast appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels, respectively. Sadie Sink’s debut as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day was the biggest step forward, especially now that the main cast for the eventual X-Men film has been announced. One name absent from the list of characters, at least so far, is Wolverine, which might seem odd to people. The character is synonymous with the X-Men, and he’s easily the most popular member of the team. Leaving Wolverine out might seem like a mistake on paper, but I think it’s actually the best course of action for the MCU.

Wolverine made his MCU debut in Deadpool & Wolverine, with Hugh Jackman reprising the role that he first played nearly 25 years prior. It was great to see him there, and the door seems open for him to return, but the MCU needs to go a different route. Jackman’s age doesn’t line up with the rest of the new cast, and honestly, it’s time for a change no matter how much we all love him in the role.

Less Wolverine Means More Shine For Other X-Men

Since the first Fox movie, X-Men, in 2000, Wolverine has been at the forefront of the franchise. It’s understandable that the studio went that route since he’s wildly popular and Jackman’s performance was so universally acclaimed. However, that’s exactly why the MCU needs to avoid bringing in Wolverine immediately. He’s such a huge character that he overshadows pretty much everyone around him. The main story of most X-Men films, from X-Men: The Last Stand to X-Men: Days of Future Past, centered around him, and the MCU needs to avoid that.

The X-Men are a fantastic team with some of the most interesting characters that Marvel has ever created. It’s about time they got the respect and admiration they deserve, which is hard to do when the story is so often Wolverine’s show. Characters like Rogue, Gambit, Beast, and others were never truly given proper development in the films. That’s not totally the fault of Wolverine, but with so much focus on him, other characters fall by the wayside, which is not what the MCU needs.

Two characters who do get shafted due to Wolverine are Jean Grey and Cyclops. In the Fox films, they’re basically just the people in a love triangle with Wolverine. Jean Grey should be one of the most interesting parts of an X-Men story, which hasn’t been the case in movies so far. Jean’s introduction in Spider-Man: Brand New Day sets the stage to change that. Meanwhile, part of the reason people dislike Cyclops is that he’s always at odds with Wolverine. He’s great in X-Men ’97, where he has his own story and isn’t tied to his issues with Logan.

The MCU’s X-Men Need To Feel Fresh

Over the past 25 years, we have seen seven X-Men films about the team, three standalone Wolverine movies, and projects that are loosely connected like Deadpool and The New Mutants. The MCU needs to come out with a fresh take on these characters, and one way to do that is to postpone the arrival of Wolverine. He’s such a focal point that so many of his greatest stories, whether it’s as Old Man Logan, his travels to Japan, or his love triangle with Scott and Jean, have been told.

Instead of retelling something along those lines, the MCU can start anew. Jean’s origin story changes in Spider-Man: Brand New Day already feel fresh. The mutant inhibitor that was introduced also poses an interesting story for Cyclops, given how he often doesn’t want to have his abilities. Having Emma Frost around with characters like Cyclops, Jean, and Rogue is also different, as she previously only appeared in the ’60s with a younger Professor X and Magneto. Bringing in Wolverine could feel all too familiar.

What the MCU should instead do is make sure we get ample time to care about Jean, Scott, Emma, Rogue, and whoever else is in the cast. They can get a movie to themselves where we can come to love them. Then, maybe in the post-credits scene, they can tease the impending arrival of Wolverine. This way, when Wolverine does show up, we already have a touchstone to the existing characters and can care about them as much as we will for the most popular part of the franchise.

I Need the MCU X-Men to Avoid These Two Marvel Storylines For At Least a Decade