The MCU X-Men Needs Specific Kinds Of Mutants
With the X-Men on their way to the MCU, there’s one specific kind of mutant Disney needs to highlight: those with visible mutations. Characters who can’t hide their identity are central to the metaphor that makes that entire side of the Marvel universe work. As a fan, I also want to see more visually interesting characters in the universe in general.
Hollywood Mutants
Under Fox, the X-Men featured very few visible mutants, favoring characters like Wolverine, Magneto, and Charles Xavier, who look like regular humans. Except for Nightcrawler and Beast, characters without the ability to hide their mutations were either villains or secondary characters. The MCU needs to avoid repeating that mistake.
Mutants Have To Be Immediatly Identifiable
It’s common knowledge that Marvel’s mutants serve a metaphorical function, standing in for victims of discrimination. Characters with mutations that are immediately identifiable are needed if that metaphor is going to apply to people with visible disabilities and those who experience racism. As the faces of that metaphor, the MCU’s X-Men needs characters who can’t hide their mutations behind a pair of sunglasses or a trench coat.
Sticking Out In A World Of Superpowers
In a world like the MCU, where superpowers are a commonly accepted norm, it doesn’t make sense for mutants to be despised unless some of them are considered monstrous in appearance. The X-Men need characters people would recoil from based on sight alone, who can serve as in-universe lightning rods for wider anti-mutant sentiment. If those characters aren’t at the forefront for the audience, the metaphor begins to fall apart.
Fan Favorites From The Comics
Fortunately for the MCU, there are plenty of beloved mutants with visible mutations in X-Men comics. Characters like Glob Herman, whose skeletal system is visible inside his translucent body, and Eye Boy, whose body is covered in additional eyes, are fan favorites I would love to see on the big screen. There’s also The Morlocks, an underground society of mutants who have to hide because of their appearances, which could make a splash with characters like Marrow in their ranks.
A Bigger Role For The Few Fox Introduced
Giving already popular X-Men who are visible mutants a bigger role could also work for the MCU. Nightcrawler is a fan favorite who had great moments in the Fox movies but was never allowed to be the swashbuckling hero he is in the comics. Beast is also a well-known character who has been a member of multiple teams, including The Avengers, which could make him a great character to use as a bridge between teams.
More Visibly Interesting Characters
Introducing mutants into the MCU is also a great opportunity to create a more visually interesting universe. Of the 15 characters who have been the official Avengers in the universe, only The Hulk, Vision, Rocket Racoon, and Nebula look like something other than a normal person. The X-Men could stand out as a team by featuring a much wider array of physical characteristics.
As much as I love characters like Storm and Kitty Pryde, I will be disappointed if there aren’t any visible mutants on the MCU’s X-Men roster. For a team all about diversity and inclusion in a world that’s hostile towards them, it would be a huge mistake to center only the conventional-looking characters. It would also be a waste of Marvel’s most interesting character designs.
