Summary
In the coming years, theMCUwill finally bring the X-Men into the main universe that the Avengers reside in. The X-Men and mutants as a whole have been teased for a while, with the likes of Ms. Marvel and Namor being named as some of the first mutants in theMCU.Even recent films like Deadpool & Wolverinesaw the mutants of the FOX universe make their way into anMCUstory, albeit through a multiverse-spanning tale and the void, where all variants and pruned characters end up. Yet the anticipation of the full X-Men team has been ongoing for years, and promises from Kevin Feige himself have led to questions about what story would bring the mutants into theMCU. Perhaps the infamousMessiah Complexstory would be the perfect jumpstart for the mutants of theMCU.
Nothing is certain as the multiverse continues to be the main story being told throughout theMarvel Cinematic Universe, but exploring a story in which mutants emerge from the shadows after losing nearly everything to find the first mutant born baby in years would be an incredible way to bring these fantastic characters to life. The story would jumpstart the direction the X-Men comics took for years afterward, and essentially create a fresh start for the mutant heroes who remained.Perhaps theMCUshouldfinally adaptThe Messiah Complexstoryline and start a new era of mutant heroes in theMarvel Cinematic Universe.
The Messiah Complex, EXPLAINED
The events ofThe Messiah Complexare heavy indeed, following the events of stories likeHouse of M, (an alternate reality created from the fractured mind of the Scarlet Witch), andDecimation(the result ofScarlet Witch using her reality-altering powersto reduce the mutant population). After suffering the loss of powers, allies, and members of their species as a whole, the X-Men get word that a powerful mutant was born in Alaska, leading Cyclops to take over the team from Professor X and lead a squadron to investigate.
When they arrive, they find the child missing, and the bodies of enemies like the Purifiers and the Mauraders in the child’s place. Investigating the scene, the X-Men begin a fight on multiple fronts. The powerful monster known as Predator X begins its hunt to devour and end the mutant child, who William Stryker believes will become the mutant antichrist. Multiple Man is sent to two different timelines in which the mutant child has created, one in which the child is responsible for millions of deaths, and another in which it unites man and mutantkind forever.Another team is sent to find Rogue, who is being kept comatose and held by the Mauraders, while Rictor, another X-Men member who lost his powers on M-Day, is sent to go undercover with the Purifiers to discover the baby’s location.
Theplot thickens when it is discovered Cabletook the baby, looking to protect the future mutant messiah, while Bishop goes back in time to hunt Cable and the baby, who helped create his hellish future. In their fight, however, the Mauraders ambush them and take the baby to Muir Island, led by Gambit and Mystique (disguised as Mister Sinister). Mystique wants to use the baby to heal Rogue, but Gambit refuses, not wanting to risk the child. The X-Men arrive, along with Bishop, Cable, and Predator X, who Wolverine is forced to take out. Cyclops eventually agrees to let his son Cable take the baby with him, to protect the child at all costs. This leads to a lifelong fight with Bishop to protect the child, who will eventually become Hope Summers, a powerful mutant and messiah to the mutant world.
Why The Messiah Complex Works for the MCU
The Messiah Complexis definitely an epic saga spanning multiple timelines, realities, and a complicated time in the story of the mutant civilization. With mutants not really having made a presence in theMCU, could it be that some event led to the mutant population being decimated, and forced to live in the shadows? Perhaps there is some sort of event that puts the mutants on the radar of the government, andthe X-Men emergewhen a new and powerful mutant child is born.
Whether Josh Brolin’s Cable from theDeadpool 2film or a new actor comes in, exploring Cable’s fight to protect the future of mutants everywhere in contrast to Bishop’s fight to stop the threat he believes Hope represents would make for a great thriller and the perfect wayto introduce the X-Meninto theMCU. With Hope Summers representing the reemergence of mutants, and her becoming the central figure of the popular storyAvengers vs X-Men, exploring what is essentially Hope’s origin story and introducing one of the major conflicts that the X-Men face, anti-mutant human protesters and hate groups, would be the best way to bring the X-Men into theMCUonce and for all.
MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
