Marvel Studios' stars set to return in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday, which means Doomsday and Secret Wars will act as a final farewell to this iconic line-up before the MCU reinvents the X-Men team. Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot 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 the MCU setting can make the X-Men even more exciting and 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's X-Men: Days of Future Past to be the strongest team-up movie in Fox's X-Men franchise, X-Men: First Class is certainly up there as one of the best. Matthew Vaughn's 2011 prequel is the third-highest-rated X-Men movie on Rotten Tomatoes, falling behind 2017's Logan and Days of Future Past with an 86% approval rating. If Marvel Studios is reinventing the X-Men team with a younger roster, X-Men: First Class would 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.
X-Men Franchise Movie |
Year |
Tomatometer |
Popcornmeter |
|---|---|---|---|
X-Men |
2000 |
82% |
83% |
X2: X-Men United |
2003 |
85% |
85% |
X-Men: The Last Stand |
2006 |
56% |
61% |
X-Men Origins: Wolverine |
2009 |
37% |
58% |
X-Men: First Class |
2011 |
86% |
87% |
The Wolverine |
2013 |
71% |
69% |
X-Men: Days of Future Past |
2014 |
90% |
91% |
Deadpool |
2016 |
85% |
90% |
X-Men: Apocalypse |
2016 |
47% |
65% |
Logan |
2017 |
93% |
91% |
Deadpool 2 |
2018 |
84% |
85% |
Dark Phoenix |
2019 |
22% |
64% |
The New Mutants |
2020 |
36% |
55% |
Inspired by the X-Men's Marvel Comics roots in the 1960s, X-Men: First Class breathed new life into Fox's mutant team, and explained some of the history between Professor X and Magneto that was only hinted at by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. First Class packed 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 of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, First Class was an excellent addition to the X-Men franchise.
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 new mutant in 2026's Spider-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 of X-Men: First Class. Introducing a young team in First Class worked well, as we got to watch them at the very start of their hero journeys.
MCU's First 3 X-Men Movie Actors Are Being Considered According To Marvel Report
The Marvel Cinematic Universe may be getting closer to finding its first set of X-Men movie reboot actors based on a new 2025 report about the film.
X-Men: First Class' fast pace kept the action moving forward well, while its 1960s setting helped to fill in gaps in the X-Men franchise's history. The same could be done in the MCU with Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot. More than that, however, First Class included some incredible performances from the likes of James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence, so it's paramount that Marvel Studios casts equally talented stars. While there's a lot to love in First 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 Class was a brilliant addition to Fox's X-Men franchise, 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 a comic-accurate roster for the X-Men's first team in live-action, as the founding in Marvel Comics were Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel and Beast. Fox also failed to put the mutants it did bring together in First Class into 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 founding X-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's X-Men reboot the best mutant-centric movie ever.
