Marvel Comics’ X-Men relaunch could well have shown how to integrate mutants into the MCU. This year, Disney finally completed their proposed purchase of Fox, and as a result it’s only a matter of time before mutants make their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has already suggested the studio has figured out how to make this dream a reality, and needless to say audiences are thrilled at the possibilities.

The MCU has always loosely drawn inspiration from the comics, meaning many mutant lovers are casting their eyes to Jonathan Hickman’s high-profile relaunch of the X-Men comics. Unfortunately, on the face of it, it would be quite difficult for Marvel to adapt this particular story. It leans heavily upon decades of X-Men continuity, while simultaneously conducting a none-too-subtle reinterpretation of it. The X-Men mythology would need to be firmly embedded in the MCU to make House of X and Powers of X work in this particular shared universe.

But that doesn’t mean the MCU need to ignore it completely. In fact, subtle details in Tini Howard and Marcus To’s Excalibur have rewritten the history of the mutant race - and made it much easier to bring the X-Men into the MCU.

The History of the Mutant Race Has Been Rewritten

X-Men comics have traditionally portrayed mutants as the inevitable next step of human evolution, which was potentially initiated by elevated global levels of radiation due to nuclear testing in the 20th century. A handful of ancient mutants, such as Apocalypse and Selene, are thus viewed as evolutionary “precursors.” But Excalibur has pivoted neatly away from this interpretation of mutant history, instead revealing that there have always been mutants. Morgan Le Fey, a sorceress who hails from the sixth century AD, calls mutants “witchbreed” - consequently conflating many reports of the supernatural with mutants. This appears to suggest that the history of anti-magic violence - from the Valais witch trials of the 15th century to French legends like the Beast of Gévaudan - was partly directed against mutants.

Excalibur #4 went one step further, revealing that the ancient British druids were actually a community of mutants with a genetic disposition towards the same power. This correlates perfectly with elements from the much-derided Chuck Austen run, which revealed similar mutant communities that had developed within Hebrew society, the angelic Cheyarafim and the demonic Neyaphem. The clear implication is that mutants have always existed, but that the gene responsible for mutation manifests in different ways in each genetic group. Mutants have now become more common due to exponential population growth over the 20th century, while increased migration over the last couple of centuries has led to ever more unique expressions of the mutant gene as different genetic heritages mixed. Naturally, it’s possible that this has been exacerbated by the elevated radiation levels that sometimes earn the X-Men their name “Children of the Atom.”

Mutants Could Have Always Existed In The MCU

Using this interpretation of mutant history, it wouldn’t be difficult for Marvel Studios to write mutants into the history of the MCU. Mutants could have been there, with the mutant gene expressing in specific ways in each ethnic area, thus leading to geographically constrained myths and legends. Tales of druids, werewolves, and sorcerers could secretly explain the history of the mutant race, with isolated communities of mutants hiding themselves away from the world - just like the druids in Excalibur #4.

While mutants could still traditionally have been few and far between, it’s possible organisations like SHIELD have always been aware of their existence. Ant-Man & the Wasp confirmed that SHIELD has been using so-called “enhanced” assets for a lot longer than had previously been believed to be the case. This corresponds neatly with Agents of SHIELD, which revealed that SHIELD had long secretly kept a so-called “Gifted Index” to allow them to monitor super-powered people across the globe. SHIELD could unwittingly have been keeping tabs on mutants for decades - and even recruiting them as agents. Again, just like the comics, mutants could have become more common throughout the 20th century - but here’s where Marvel Studios could switch things up a little.

Avengers: Endgame Could Have Triggered A Mutant Boom

According to Avengers: Endgame, when Thanos snapped his fingers “Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions.” This statement corresponds with Brandon T. Snider’s MCU novel The Cosmic Quest Volume 2: Aftermath, which revealed that every use of an Infinity Stone had bombarded the planet with mysterious forces that physicists were calling “Ghost Particles.” The snap must have been the greatest of these energy surges - and, five years later, there was another equivalent burst of Ghost Particles on Earth when the Hulk reversed the snap. In the comics, elevated background levels of radiation have been linked to the triggering of latent mutant genes worldwide; but could the Ghost Particles be the reason for them in the MCU? This would correspond with Hydra’s use of the Mind Stone to trigger the powers of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver; the Marvel Studios Visual Dictionary has already hinted that the Infinity Stone triggered something “latent” within those two, rather than granting them super-powers itself.

Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that Avengers: Endgame subtly hinted at a global migration in the years after Thanos’ initial snap. The grief-stricken survivors sought company and companionship in their suffering, and thus seem to have congregated together in towns and cities, settling around symbols such as the Statue of Liberty. It’s likely that this would have been the greatest mass migration in history, driven in part by need due to the destabilizing of the global economy and food systems, and in part by shared psychological pain. It’s entirely reasonable to assume that many individuals met people they’d never otherwise have encountered, and either fell in love or hooked up. Genes would have mixed like never before, with potentially-triggered X-genes blending.

Marvel Comics’ current pseudo-scientific explanation for the rise of mutants fits perfectly into the MCU, while only the most subtle of changes is needed to explain why mutants would become more common in the years after Thanos’ snap. If this is the case, there’s nothing to stop the MCU incorporating mutants into its history - perhaps through characters like Ursa Major, who could easily fit with Black Widow - and then revealing a boom in mutant numbers that leads to the formation of the X-Men.

More: Marvel Is Sabotaging Their Own X-Men Relaunch

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