So far, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been as unstoppable as a juggernaut.
Of course, that has to be spelled with a lowercase "j," because the X-Men villain Juggernaut
is one of many characters Marvel Studios doesn't currently own the rights to.
Losing Juggernaut isn't a big deal, but there are some major superheroes Marvel Studios
desperately wishes they could include in their films.
Here's a look at some of the big name superheroes Marvel Studios can't use.
Professor X
Professor Charles Xavier is one of Marvel's biggest characters, but thanks to the success
of 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise, he's off limits to Marvel Studios for the foreseeable
future.
Which is too bad, because in the comics, he plays a much larger role than simply mentoring
the X-Men.
As a member of Marvel's Illuminati, he helps shape events that affect the entire world,
and he's been known to help out the Avengers from time to time as well.
Not to mention all the times his goals come into conflict with the plans of the other
superheroes, or when he straight up becomes a villain.
Alas, unless Hugh Jackman can jump back in time and change some key contract deals, it
looks like Xavier will never be able to play in the MCU sandbox.
Deadpool
Marvel has been in a weird position for years now.
Naturally, the company wants movies featuring its characters to succeed and become popular.
But in order to get the rights back, they actually need those films to flop — which
would compel the rights-holders to sell those characters back — without permanently damaging
the brand.
That's how they eventually brought Punisher, Ghost Rider, and Daredevil back into the Marvel
Studios fold.
Oh, god.
But any hopes of getting Deadpool back were dashed in 2016 when Fox's cheeky R-rated superhero
comedy starring Ryan Reynolds became an international blockbuster.
Interestingly, one of the best aspects of the movie was his hilarious interplay with
members of the X-Men.
Imagine if he were in the MCU, and could riff with Iron Man, Captain America, and the rest
of the Avengers, not to mention Spider-Man.
You'll have to imagine it, though, because Fox made so much money off Deadpool there's
little chance you'll see him anywhere near Marvel Studios for years to come.
"Whoo!
Superhero landing!"
Wolverine
The whole fate of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Fox's X-Men franchise turned
on a whim of fate involving a very unlikely figure: actor Dougray Scott.
Most fans probably don't recall, but when the first X-Men film was gearing up for filming
in the late '90s, it was Scott who was actually cast as Wolverine, not Hugh Jackman.
Unfortunately for him, he had a schedule conflict with Mission: Impossible 2 and had to drop
out of the film, leading Fox to instead offer up the role to Hugh Jackman.
We'll never know what might have happened if Scott had played Wolverine, but we do know
that the X-Men franchise has ridden the back of Jackman's stardom for the past two decades.
Logan is Jackman's ninth film as Wolverine, and if he is to believed, it will be his last.
But even if he never suits up as Wolverine again, his legacy is secure.
And part of that legacy is the fact that his massive popularity has ensured that pretty
much none of the characters in the X-Men universe will be returning to Marvel Studios any time
soon.
Mister Fantastic
Dr. Reed Richards is a man of science.
So he doesn't believe in superstition, but it certainly seems like some kind of curse
has fallen on the cinematic Fantastic Four.
After two relatively lackluster films from Fox, the team received a cinematic reboot
in 2015 that was both a critical and commercial bomb.
That film's failure fueled rumors that Fox and Marvel had secretly cut a deal to return
the Fantastic Four's film rights to Marvel Studios.
Both sides deny this happened, but you can't blame fans for dreaming.
After all, Mister Fantastic has played a key role in almost every single major Marvel Comics
event ever, and is a natural counterpart to MCU big brains Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.
And considering Fox clearly doesn't know how to handle the character, getting him back
where he belongs just makes sense.
Silver Surfer
As filmgoers saw in the Fantastic Four sequel, the Silver Surfer is an alien who was empowered
by the world-eating Galactus, but rebelled and chose to become a hero.
He's a perfect fit for the MCU's cosmic side, possibly fighting alongside the Guardians
of the Galaxy against threats such as Thanos or Ronan.
Or he would be, if Marvel Studios could use him.
But since they can't, there will simply be a surfboard shaped hole in space where he
should be.
Bummer.
The rest of the X-Men and the FF
Wolverine, Professor X, and Mister Fantastic might be the biggest characters Fox has the
rights to, but of course there are dozens if not hundreds more.
The rest of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four would certainly fit in perfectly in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe alongside teams like The Avengers, the Defenders, and The Guardians
of the Galaxy, and something like the Infinity War event would be the perfect place to bring
everyone together.
But as long as Fox is able to keep making money with its X-Men films, though, it's unlikely
Marvel Studios will get the chance to play with their own toys.
And that means the biggest losers aren't the folks at either Fox or Marvel, but the fans.
"I'm pretty grossed out."
Thanks for watching!
Click the Looper icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!