Mutants. The sole mention of the word brings chills down the spines of many MCU fans out there. For years, they have longed for the mutants to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It wasn't until Disney bought 20th Century Fox that they finally reunited all their Marvel assets under a single roof, with a few setbacks along the way. Most of the first X-Men anthology cast was still under contract for any planned sequels.

With Marvel Studios planning to get their X-Universe up and running from the ground up, the studio had to wait until contracts expired to pick who to retain and who to recast. Time has passed since the acquisition, and we already have glimpses of the future regarding mutants in the MCU. Kamala Khan has been revealed to be one in Ms. Marvel, changing her origins as she was initially an Inhuman in the books. Namor has been revealed as the first of its kind in Wakanda Forever.

The X-Men are coming, but it's not a matter of "when." It's instead an issue of "how." Going by the classic narrative Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created would be a tired trope. Mutants have always been a secluded minority prosecuted for being perceived as genetic aberrations by their fellow men. It's a powerful standpoint and makes for incredible tales, but it's been explored to death in many TV shows, the previous X-Men anthology, and the comics for nearly 60 years.

A Fresh New Take on Mutant Presence in the MCU

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20th Century Fox

With the success of the Marvel Studios films, there is no doubt that the X-Men will eventually make their way into the MCU. But the question remains: how should they be introduced? One answer lies in the recent X-Men comics, specifically the Krakoan era that began with the House of X/Powers of X miniseries from the mind of writer extraordinaire Johnathan Hickman. It's a recent chapter in X-Men that redefines what it means to be a mutant in the Marvel Universe.

It all begins with the concept of Krakoa, a sentient island home to all mutants, with a new society built on new social rules and protocols governing the mutant society. Mutants must learn to integrate into a culture already pushed to the brink by the presence of Asgardians, Inhumans, and other super-powered beings. These ideas and themes would be a perfect way to introduce the X-Men to the MCU and explore the complex issues that come with being a mutant in a world full of heroes.

Are The Eternals the Key to Introducing Mutants?

the Eternals and the X-Men
Marvel Studios / Fox

How will mutants come to be in the MCU? There are two paths to explore. We have seen how Namor was born a mutant thanks to the presence of Vibranium in his tribe and how the substance helped them evolve from land dwellers to marine beings. However, another path could be explored thanks to the film Eternals. After the film's events, it’s more than clear that The Eternals are not precisely heroes or villains. They have a universal function to fulfill. Some of them choose to follow it, while others can rebel against it.

In Eternals, they don't shy away from making controversial decisions. Phastos introduced humanity to nuclear energy but later regretted his decision. Ikaris was dead-set on fulfilling his role to help in the birth of new Celestials, even if he had to kill his teammates. What's been done by the other Eternals during their tenure on Earth? Druig was already experimenting with isolated societies in the film. He could easily have spiked the human genome to make mutants a reality with the help of Cersi.

Related: Kevin Feige Addresses Namor's Mutant Future in the MCU

More Than a Single Character, An Entire Species

The X-Men in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics

Everything is free in the land of speculation, but introducing mutants into the MCU calls for something unique. While the previous X-Men films have focused on portraying mutants as a persecuted minority, the Krakoan era flips the script. It presents mutants as a powerful and self-sufficient society. In this new era, mutants have united under the banner of Krakoa and have established their nation-state. They have created their own culture, language, and economy and have developed new technologies and abilities that set them apart from humanity.

The Krakoan era doesn't shy away from the challenges of being a mutant. While mutants have their nation, they are still a minority in a world that fears and hates them. The X-Men must constantly defend Krakoa from external threats, and their mutant society has to navigate a world that views them as dangerous and unpredictable. Such a new perspective would allow the MCU to explore the X-Men from a different angle and present them as a fully realized society with their customs and traditions.

This tension between a mutant society and the rest of the world would be a compelling theme for the MCU to explore, especially since they already have established that the world's powers want to get a hold of rogue nations such as Wakanda. Another critical aspect of the Krakoan era is the idea of mutant identity. Mutants are defined not just by their powers but by their place within mutant society. They are encouraged to embrace their mutant heritage and to contribute to the community. This new emphasis on community and identity could be a powerful way for the MCU to explore mutants' sense of pertinence in the world.

X-Men: Representatives of The Mutant Society

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Marvel Comics

The concept of Krakoa could be used to explore the boundaries between nature and technology and the morality of being a mutant with resources to fix what humans deem unfixable, such as death. This idea is significantly explored with a mutant group called the Five, who can resurrect dead mutants. Rather than simply presenting the X-Men as a group of superheroes, the MCU could explore what it means to be a mutant and how that identity shapes a world that often views superheroes as saviors.

This kind of power would be a game-changer in the MCU and could lead to some genuinely unique storylines, especially when exploring the fates of characters who have sacrificed to save the planet or villains who want to get a hold of these secrets. The Krakoan era also integrates the concept of machinery and human technology as the ultimate threat to mutant existence, something already explored in X-Men: Days of the Future Past.

Can Marvel Introduce X-Men Without Retcons?

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Fox

There are currently some challenges to introducing the X-Men into the MCU. For one, the current X-Men films are not connected to the existing continuity of the franchise. Since Marvel Studios seems keen on bringing certain players from the previous franchise, such as Evan Peters, Ryan Reynolds, and Hugh Jackman, the studio would need to retcon many things to bring the mutants into the shared universe without falling for lazy narratives.

Related: X-Men Villains We Need to See in Marvel's Cinematic Universe

The Krakoan era, a relatively recent concept, can help introduce mutants in a brand-new light, making the X-Men more accessible without the baggage of previous entries while keeping some popular players around. It would be nice to see Michael Fassbender reprise his role as Magneto or James McAvoy as a young Professor X. There's room to make all that happen again without retreading past storylines and regurgitating old concepts.