Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe got an early Christmas present when it was announced
in December 2017 that Disney would be acquiring a large portion of Fox - including the movie
rights to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four.
With the dream of the a unified MCU finally on the verge of becoming reality, here's a
look at all the best Marvel characters Disney is getting from Fox.
Wolverine and The X-Men
Obviously, the biggest question for fans is what Marvel will do with Fox's massive X-Men
franchise, which has so far produced three solo Wolverine films as well as six X-Men
movies, with a seventh on the way in 2018.
Merging the X-Men franchise with the MCU would be a massive undertaking.
Should they recast the roles and reboot the X-men entirely?
Or should they use the X-Men franchise's frequent timeline shifts and retcons to simply add
the whole existing X-men universe to the MCU?
If you thought understanding the X-Men films was difficult before, get ready for a wild
ride.
Will Wolverine make the leap?
"I go where I wanna go."
The Fantastic Four
Even though they've appeared in four movies to date, the Fantastic Four have never truly
"worked" onscreen.
So for fans, the most exciting thing about the Disney-Fox merger is the possibility that
we'll finally get a good Fantastic Four movie.
So far, they've been, well…
"Two guys, a girl, and a thing nobody wanted."
At their heart, the Fantastic Four aren't superheroes, they're adventurers, using science
and superpowers to explore other dimensions, other realities, and the unknown depths of
our universe.
Films like Thor, The Guardians of the Galaxy, and Doctor Strange have introduced some of
the weirder corners of the MCU to fans - but it's the Fantastic Four who are best designed
to explore them.
We can't wait!
Galactus
"I am Galactus!
The be all and end all of the universe!"
The biggest and baddest villain in the Marvel universe, Galactus literally eats planets
for breakfast.
So fans were terribly disappointed when Fox wasted him in Fantastic Four: Rise of the
Silver Surfer by showing him as just an angry space cloud instead of the world-devouring
giant from the comics.
Of course, Galactus never goes anywhere alone, and his coming to Disney also means that Marvel
Studios has the rights to all his heralds—not just the Silver Surfer, but others including
the loyal Air-Walker, the villainous Morg, the adventurous Nova, and the ambitious Terrax.
Once Thanos is through as a threat, don't be surprised if you start hearing rumblings
of Galactus as the next big bad worthy of a franchise-spanning team-up.
Silver Surfer
Speaking of the sentinel of the spaceways, the Silver Surfer didn't exactly blow people
away when he made his big screen debut in 2006.
But his tragic story of sacrifice and loss, where he gives up his freedom to save humanity,
is timeless.
Add in his iconic design, and you have a character with the potential to become a breakout star
in the MCU.
Deadpool
Fans have to be salivating at the idea of Deadpool joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Some of the funniest jokes in the surprise 2016 smash hit film involved Ryan Reynolds
playing off of the strait laced X-Men.
"It's a big house.
It's funny that I only ever see two of you.
It's like the studio couldn't afford another x-man."
Now imagine what he'll be able to do when he gets to run into characters like Dr. Strange,
Tony Stark, or even Spider-Man?
We can't wait to hear the one-liners fly.
Legion
It's safe to say that nobody outside of hardcore comic book fans had ever heard of the character
Legion until FX debuted the critically acclaimed TV series starring Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens.
Now, though, the character provides some intriguing possibilities thanks to his connection to
the X-Men universe through deadbeat dad Professor Xavier.
And his reality-warping powers could be a handy way to easily write him into any franchise
the honchos at Marvel Studios want.
The possibilities are endless - and intriguing.
The New Mutants
The next generation of students at Charles Xavier's school for gifted cannon fodder,
the New Mutants are finally coming to the big screen in 2018 with a horror tinged adaptation
of the classic Demon Bear storyline.
While the film only focuses on a handful of characters, including Magik, Wolfsbane, Cannonball,
Sunspot, and Mirage, the New Mutants lineup also includes a number of other fan favorites,
like Karma, Warlock, and Magma.
Traditionally aimed at a slightly younger demographic than X-Men, it will be interesting
to see how - or if - the New Mutants fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Alpha Flight
In February 2017, X-Men producer Simon Kinberg made reference to an in-the-works "X-Flight"
movie, which many took to be referring to a new version of the never-before-adapted
team Alpha Flight.
Formed by the Canadian government with the help of Wolverine, Alpha Flight has strong
ties to the X-Men universe while still maintaining its own identity thanks to unique and offbeat
characters like Shaman, Puck, Northstar, Snowbird, and Sasquatch.
In a world where the Guardians of the Galaxy have become household names, with a little
tender loving care from Marvel Studios, Alpha Flight could become the next big thing.
Dr. Doom
One of the most awesome developments from the Disney-Fox deal doesn't involve the heroes
it brings into the MCU, but rather the villains—and no Marvel Comics villain is more thoroughly
iconic than Doctor Doom.
While Doom is mostly known for his eternal rivalry with the Fantastic Four, the ruler
of Latveria has also gone toe-to-toe with just about everyone else in the MCU.
So far, fans haven't been thrilled with the way he's been portrayed in the Fox movies,
so a Doom that actually lives up to the character's great legacy in the comics would be a very
welcome change.
And if you think otherwise…
"You're wrong!"
Kang the Conqueror
He's considered to be the Avengers' ultimate archenemy, battling Earth's Mightiest Heroes
dozens of times over the decades.
But thanks to a quirk in their licensing deal, the movie rights for Kang were apparently
shipped over to Fox along with the Fantastic Four, meaning the Avengers were left without
their greatest foe.
Now, though, it's possible that the time traveling warlord Kang, who has conquered countless
empires throughout history, will finally get to set his sights on the 21st century MCU.
All we can say is, it's about time!
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