Kevin Feige Teases When the MCU’s X-MEN Reboot Will Arrive and It Could Launch Marvel’s Next Era
Marvel Studios is getting ready to bring the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a big way, and while fans are still waiting for an official release date, Kevin Feige may have just given us the biggest clue yet about when the long-awaited reboot will finally hit theaters.
With plenty of excitement surrounding the return of familiar mutant faces in Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel is also building toward something much bigger. A brand-new version of the X-Men is on the way, and the team could become the foundation of the MCU's next chapter.
During an appearance at the Shanghai Expo (via Avengers Updates), Feige looked ahead at Marvel's upcoming slate and shared where the X-Men fit into the studio's future plans.
“I can’t wait for all of you to see Avengers: Doomsday, we have a movie after that called Avengers: Secret Wars, and after that the mutants are coming and the X-Men are coming and that’s been a dream of mine. I started with the X-Men many, many years ago and to bring a new version into the MCU is going to be very exciting.”
While this wasn't presented as an official Marvel Studios announcement, the timing of Feige's comments certainly stands out. If the plan is for the X-Men reboot to arrive immediately after Avengers: Secret Wars, it would line up with the long-running belief that Marvel's next saga will revolve around mutants.
Rather than slowly introducing mutant characters over several years, Marvel could kick off its next era with a fresh team audiences can immediately invest in. With Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier attached to direct the movie, Marvel appears to be aiming for a younger cast capable of carrying the franchise for years to come.
Of course, that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from running wild. Casting speculation has been nonstop, and fans have spent months trying to predict when the movie will land. So far, though, Marvel hasn't confirmed any of those reports.
Looking at Disney's current calendar, there are three untitled Marvel release dates reserved for 2028: May 5, July 28, and December 15. If the X-Men really are next in line after Secret Wars, the May 5 slot feels like a strong possibility.
Marvel has made a habit of launching its biggest movies at the start of the summer blockbuster season, and an MCU X-Men reboot would certainly be a huge way to kick off a brand-new saga. It would also be a nice nod to the Fox era, as six of the original X-Men films debuted during the month of May.
Still, it's worth remembering that Feige wasn't unveiling Marvel's official roadmap. He simply confirmed that the mutants are arriving after Avengers: Secret Wars.
Marvel also has plenty of other projects moving through development, including Black Panther 3, a possible Thunderbolts sequel, additional Spider-Man films, and several others that haven't been officially revealed.
That means the studio's 2028 lineup is still very much in flux. With San Diego Comic-Con on the horizon, many fans are hoping Marvel Studios will finally pull back the curtain during its Hall H presentation.
Avengers: Doomsday will certainly dominate the spotlight, but Marvel has a history of teasing what's waiting just around the corner.
For Feige, bringing the X-Men into the MCU is also something personal. His first producing credit came on Fox's original X-Men back in 2000, the movie that helped reshape superhero films and paved the way for the comic book movie boom that followed.
Now, more than 25 years later, he gets the opportunity to introduce an entirely new generation to Marvel's iconic mutant heroes under one cinematic roof.
If this really is the beginning of the MCU's Mutant Saga, there's a lot riding on this reboot, and it certainly sounds like Feige is determined to make sure the X-Men return in a way that's worthy of their legacy.