Many have wondered what will become of X-Men following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Over the course of two decades, mutants were explored in various movies and solo films such as Deadpool and The Wolverine, as well as spin-offs such as the troubled New Mutants. Giant Freakin Robot reports that Marvel could be using the same strategy that helped make Avengers a huge success by introducing X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) via solo projects.
The first rumor surrounds weather manipulator Storm, who has been portrayed in the X-Men films by Halle Barry and Alexandra Shipp. It is believed that the role would be recast again, but nothing has been confirmed yet. There is a huge amount of material to draw upon for her character from the comics.
The next rumored solo project involves Rogue, who has been played by Anna Paquin. Rogue has had a long history, from gaining her power of flight by absorbing Ms. Marvel, being used as a mutant battery by Magneto in the first film, and having a longstanding romance with Gambit. Her project could reintroduce the latter, whose solo movie failed to develop.
Marvel’s Storm and Marvel’s Rogue would mirror what Kevin Feige did with the MCU. Many doubted his plan could work, but billions of dollars later, its success has driven others to emulate it. This would also allow greater character development not often available within main movies.