At the D23 Expo this past weekend, Marvel announced what many fans have been anticipating—an official X-Men movie, which will open in theaters on May 5, 2028. Marvel also announced the director and an initial cast list. The actors and actresses are all relatively young and untested, which is more exciting than if they were a bunch of established A-listers. Clearly, Marvel wants actors who will age into their Mutant Saga roles in the years ahead.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, out in theaters now, served as a stealth introduction to the Mutant Saga and the larger X-Men mythos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We met Jean Grey, one of the most powerful, omega-level mutants in Marvel lore, and we saw the power—and destruction—that she was capable of. We see the fear in the people around her, and we know how that fear will inevitably manifest in the years to come.
[Ed Note: Spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day from here on out. Proceed with caution!]
Where is this narrative headed? Here is everything we know so far about the MCU's incoming Mutant Saga.
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What is the Mutant Saga?
Marvel releases its movies in phases: Phase 1, for example, consists of six movies: Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and The Avengers (2012). Combine three Phases (approximately ten years worth of movies and TV shows), and you get a Saga—an arching, complete narrative that involves all of the heroes from its respective three phases. Marvel's first Saga was the Infinity Saga, which centered on Thanos' hunt for the Infinity Stones. The studio's second Saga is the Multiverse Saga, which features the discovery of alternate realities and the consequences of altering time. The Multiverse Saga will end with Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027.
What happens after that will be the Mutant Saga (Phases 7, 8, and 9), featuring the public discovery of mutants and the X-Men. It'll be a fresh start after two decades of Avengers-centered media.
But don’t we already have the X-Men?
Yes, but those are the 20th Century Fox X-Men, not the Disney/Marvel Studios X-Men. Patrick Stewart, who played Charles Xavier in those films, is 86 years old. Ian McKellen, who played Magneto, is 87. Even Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), ageless as he is, turns 58 in October. The new X-Men squad will be a younger crew played by younger actors—a reboot of the franchise within the MCU.
The Birth of the DODC
Interestingly, Marvel planted the seeds for the Mutant Saga all the way back in Phase 2, during Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). After the Battle of New York, Tony Stark and the federal government co-founded the Department of Damage Control to organize the cleanup of the city. Unfortunately, as with most things Stark-related, his innovations and contributions are corrupted and expanded beyond their original scope.
Militarizing the DODC
After Tony's death, bad actors took over the DODC. In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)—after Mysterio reveals Spider-Man's secret identity to the world—it's the DODC that drags Peter and his friends and family in for questioning. They also photograph and confiscate E.D.I.T.H., the Stark glasses that grant their user the ability to spy on, track, or call down a drone strike on any person.
How did the DODC have the unilateral power to do any of this? The organization certainly outgrew its original purpose of cleaning up messes; it is now investigating and prosecuting them.
Drone Application
The next time we see the DODC is in the TV series Ms. Marvel (2022), where several DODC drones track and chase Kamala in an alleyway sequence. The DODC has escalated its tactics to violence. Not only that, but the department seems to have reprogrammed the E.D.I.T.H drones to do its hostile bidding.
This is a common theme in X-Men lore—that out of fear and bigotry towards mutants, humans will use extrajudicial surveillance and aggression against them. We're witnessing a rise of governmental tyranny in quiet, steady increments.
Kamala Khan is a mutant
In the final episode of Ms. Marvel, Bruno reveals to Kamala that she's a mutant, making her the first official mutant in the MCU. The reveal was accompanied by a musical cue from the early '90s X-Men animated series.
Unfortunately, since that reveal, we haven't seen much of Kamala. She co-starred in The Marvels (2019), and we found out that she's starting the Young Avengers initiative during the end credits sequence of that movie. But since then, nothing. It would be nice if they brought her back for the Mutant Saga. The Marvels wasn't a successful film, but that certainly wasn't Iman Vellani's fault.
Namor is a mutant
In the comics, Namor (who makes its MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)) is known as 'The First Mutant,' because he was the first official one to appear in print. In Wakanda: Forever, he directly tells Shuri that he is a mutant, which means that mutation is not a new phenomenon. Mutants have existed for centuries, perhaps in hiding or in too small numbers to properly account for.
Wolverine, Ursa Major, Madripoor and other possibilities
There have been a handful of references to mutants outside of these main ones (Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) gets an asterisk because neither character is native to the MCU, nor original to its Earth-616 timeline. The same is true for Professor X in Multiverse of Madness (2022)).
Ursa Major makes a brief cameo in Black Widow (2021). The city of Madripoor, which has strong connections to mutantkind in the comics, makes its debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). And the namesake of Wonder Man (2026) is likely a mutant, as his powers developed during adolescence.
Brand New Day introduces Jean Grey
That brings us to Brand New Day, which introduces us to Jean Grey. We learn that she and her sister, Sarah Grey, are both mutants with psychic powers. Jean is still very young and hasn't yet met Professor X or any of the other X-Men. But because Spider-Man taught her the value of “found family”—of trusting and getting close to people who understand you—she's now primed to do so. The next time we see her, she'll hopefully be on a better path.
Dehumanizing collars
Peter creates an inhibitor chip to suppress his mutated spider powers. DODC later weaponizes this technology to control Jean—just as they reappropriated the Stark drones to hunt down superpowered individuals. Could the DODC be the equivalent of Trask Industries in the MCU? Could the dreaded Sentinels be on the horizon? We'll have to wait and see.
X-Men release date and director
The X-Men reboot is set to release on May 5, 2028. It will be directed by Jake Schreier, who also directed Thunderbolts*.
Sadie Sink is Jean Grey
Sadie Sink is Jean Grey, and she debuted as the character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Her mutant powers are psychic, and she can perform telepathy and telekinesis. Sink is best known for playing Max Mayfield in Netflix's Stranger Things.
Kit Connor is Scott Summers / Cyclops
Kit Connor is Scott Summers aka Cyclops, who is the de facto leader of the X-Men in the comics. His superpower is concussive energy blasts that he emits from his eyes and controls with a ruby-quartz visor. Connor is best known as the co-lead of Netflix's rom-drama series Heartstopper.
Samara Weaving is Emma Frost
Samara Weaving is Emma Frost, a telepath with the power to turn her skin diamond-hard. Frost has a redemptive arc; she started as a supervillain before eventually becoming a superhero. Weaving is best known as the heroic lead in the Ready or Not franchise and the lead villain in the Babysitter horror films.
Christopher Abbott is Charles Xavier
Christopher Abbott will play Charles Xavier, a telepath who leads and serves as a father figure to the X-Men. Abbott got his big break in the HBO series Girls, and he recently appeared in the horror film Wolf Man.
Maya Boyd is Storm
Maya Boyd will take on the role of Storm, who has the power to control the weather and shoot lightning from her fingertips. The majority of Boyd's acting experience is in theater, and she made her Broadway debut playing Juliet Capulet in the Tony-nominated musical & Juliet.
Inde Navarrette is Rogue
Inde Navarrette will take on the role of Rogue, a mutant who has the power to drain a person's life force by simply touching them. Navarrette is having a breakout year, with a genre-defining performance as Nikki in the horror film Obsession.
Adam Driver is Mister Sinister
And lastly, Marvel announced that Adam Driver will play Mister Sinister, a genetic-scientist supervillain who wants to experiment on mutants to create a race of elite beings. Driver broke out on Girls, but he is most famous for playing Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. His role as the co-lead in the romantic-drama film Marriage Story earned him an Oscar nomination.
What’s next?
Avengers: Doomsday will feature the 20th Century Fox X-Men, including Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Beast (Kelsey Grammer), Cyclops (James Marsden), Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), and Magneto (Ian McKellen). But this is likely the last time we will see most of them on film. Rumor has it that Secret Wars will create a single, unified timeline, allowing a new team of X-Men to take the helm.
As for how that will roll out? We'll find out more after Secret Wars. Aside from that and Doomsday, there are no other MCU films in production. But clearly, there's a strong foundation to build on, and the future looks bright and exciting.
