Marvel Studios' upcomingX-Menreboot has the perfect opportunity to copy 20th Century Fox’s strongestX-Menmovie, but make it even better in the ever-expanding world of theMCU. Marvel recently confirmed several of Fox’s classicX-Menstars set to return in 2026’sAvengers: Doomsday, which meansDoomsdayandSecret Warswill act as a final farewell to this iconic line-up before the MCU reinvents the X-Men team. Marvel Studios’X-Menreboot is in active development, and casting speculation has recently started stirring, raising anticipation for the new MCU team.
Casting rumors and unconfirmed reports seem to hint at Marvel casting a younger roster of mutants for theMCU’s upcomingX-Menreboot, which is being written byThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesscribe Michael Lesslie.The prospect of a younger group of heroes coming together as the MCU’s X-Men team calls back to 2011’sX-Men: First Class, arguably Fox’s strongest team-up movie in the two-decade-longX-Menfranchise. Marvel Studios would benefit from copyingFirst Class, but the team’s newMCU setting can make the X-Men even more excitingand comic-accurate.
X-Men: First Class Is One Of The Best Movies In Fox’s X-Men Franchise
X-Men: First Class Acted As A Prequel To The Original Trilogy
While many consider 2014’sX-Men: Days of Future Pastto be the strongest team-up movie in Fox’sX-Menfranchise,X-Men: First Classis certainly up there as one of the best. Matthew Vaughn’s 2011 prequel is the third-highest-ratedX-Menmovie onRotten Tomatoes, falling behind 2017’sLoganandDays of Future Pastwith an 86% approval rating.If Marvel Studios is reinventing the X-Men team with a younger roster,X-Men: First Classwould be a fantastic point of reference, as we were taken back to the X-Men’s formation in the 1960s with a young version of the original cast.
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Inspired by the X-Men’s Marvel Comics roots in the 1960s,X-Men: First Classbreathed new life into Fox’s mutant team, and explained some of the history between Professor X and Magneto that was only hinted at byPatrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.First Classpacked a punch with some brilliant moments of drama and comedy, a fast pace that kept us on our toes, a believable and powerful villain in Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw and some incredible visual effects.After the original trilogy and the disappointment ofX-Men Origins: Wolverine, First Classwas an excellent addition to theX-Menfranchise.
Marvel Studios’ X-Men Reboot Would Benefit From Copying First Class’ Strongest Elements
There’s A Lot To Love In X-Men: First Class
Recent speculation has suggested that the likes of Sadie Sink, Harris Dickinson and Julia Butters are being considered for major X-Men roles, with Sink perhaps debuting as a newmutant in 2026’sSpider-Man: Brand New Day. While the casting of a younger Jean Grey, Scott Summers, Kitty Pryde and more hasn’t yet been confirmed,the idea that a younger roster of X-Men will debut in the MCU is reminiscent ofX-Men: First Class. Introducing a young team inFirst Classworked well, as we got to watch them at the very start of their hero journeys.
X-Men: First Class’fast pace kept the action moving forward well, while its 1960s setting helped to fill ingaps in theX-Menfranchise’s history. The same could be done in the MCU with Marvel Studios’X-Menreboot. More than that, however,First Classincluded some incredible performances from the likes of James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence, soit’s paramount that Marvel Studios casts equally talented stars. While there’s a lot to love inFirst Class, the 2011 movie isn’t without its flaws, and Marvel Studios now has the chance to fix these problems.
The MCU’s X-Men Can Still Be Better Than First Class’ Original X-Men Team
X-Men: First Class Still Wasn’t Perfect, So The MCU Can Do Better
X-Men: First Classwas a brilliant addition to Fox’sX-Menfranchise, but it still fell victim to some of the studio’s biggest mistakes with the iconic Marvel Comics mutant team. Most notably, Fox failed to bring together acomic-accurate roster for the X-Men’s first teamin live-action, as the founding members in Marvel Comics were Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel and Beast.Fox also failed to put the mutants it did bring together inFirst Classinto their comic-accurate superhero costumes, though the yellow suits did reflect the costumes from the team’s first adventure from 1963.
Marvel Studios has the perfect opportunity to form a much more faithful foundingX-Men team in the MCU, and the possible castings of Jean Grey and Scott Summers' Cyclops have raised hopes that this could come to fruition.Marvel can also better integrate the X-Men into a world already inhabited by superheroes, which will reflect their Marvel Comics history far more. Professor X should be the team’s mentor, and Magneto their best and longest-running villain, rather than an immediate member of the team. Making these changes may make the MCU’sX-Menreboot the best mutant-centric movie ever.
