Return of The X

Five years after the landmark deal to return the rights to all X-Men characters to Marvel, Disney is finally ready to bring mutants to the forefront of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Since the universally panned New Mutants placed the final nail in 20th Century Fox's X-Men universe coffin, fans have been eagerly awaiting new material under the Disney Umbrella. Although Marvel has subtly hinted at including mutants in the MCU, 2024 will mark the first year of new material under the Disney umbrella with the release of a new animated version of X-Men 97 and the third installment in the Deadpool Franchise.

Despite helping to pave the way for the superhero genre, before the MCU was a thought, many of Fox's installments failed to meet audience expectations. Whether it was finding fault with storylines and casting decisions, or backstage drama with directors, Fox just could not find a steady streak with its movies. Even in the final film, New Mutants, poor reception was caused by various factors, including its troubled production, multiple delays, and lackluster execution of the storyline (Linkhttps://unorthodoxwisdom.blogspot.com/2020/01/new-mutants-old-problems.html).  

Since regaining the rights to the property, Marvel has been set on establishing its separate universe from Fox's previous films, while also allowing former actors to reprise roles. Already we've seen Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier and Kelsey Grammer's Beast, with Hugh Jackman joining Deadpool 3 as Wolverine next. Based on the first trailer, the film will serve as a bridge between Deadpool's new and reworked reality and the MCU, while helping to further introduce mutants.  

Marvel is wisely hitting all the correct nostalgia points as the company prepares to make mutants a mainstay in film and television under Disney. Aside from Deadpool & Wolverine, Disney is also releasing a continuation of the beloved 90s animated classic with X-Men '97. The former animated series ran from 1992-1997 and served as a generation's first introduction to characters and Marvel is likely hoping the new Disney series does the same in preparation for their formal introduction to the MCU.  

It seems that Marvel's decision to release a continuation of the 90's X-Men series is a strategic move. In the past, the animated series was canceled to pave the way for FOX's live-action debut, which drew criticism from audiences due to the differences in character adaptations, such as Anna Paquin's Rogue. However, this time around, Marvel appears to want to intentionally remind audiences of the essence of these characters, possibly in preparation for their own standalone Marvel film. 

X-Men '97 will premiere on the Disney + app on March 20th and resume where the series ended over 25 years ago, and Deadpool & Wolverine will have a theatrical release in theaters on July 26th.