A Down Under Theory for Bringing the X-Men into the MCU

Forgive me, nerds, for I have sinned. I don’t asked to be absolved from my misdeeds, only given a chance to be heard.

You see, I confess that I’ve been baselessly speculating on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Granted, not everyone wants to hear my theories on the future of the MCU. In fact, I was at a hoppin’ holiday party the other day and everyone was discussing their love of the movie Cats, when I bought up the future of the MCU.

They muscled me out of the conversation, closed the gap, and left me standing on my own. I had to call a Lyft to get home. Whatever, it’s cool.

OK, I made that story up, but I still would love to share a theory on how the X-Men might officially join the MCU. Spoiler: It focuses on Australia.

First, some Marvel comic book history.

In 1987, a bunch of intersecting storylines from Uncanny X-Men, The New Mutants and X-Factor converged in a fight against a demon and the battle was televised around the world.

Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Longshot, Rogue, Dazzler, Psylocke, Havok and Cyclops’ then-wife Madeline Pryor sacrificed themselves to save humanity. It was called the Fall of the Mutants.

As far as the world was concerned, the X-Men were dead. The entire world had just watched them die on TV after all. However, the goddess Roma, touched by selflessness of the X-Men, restored them to life. In addition, she made them invisible to all forms of surveillance except for plain sight.

With the entire world believing them to be dead, the X-Men took over an old foe’s headquarters in Australia where–with the help of the mutant Gateway–they could teleport anywhere to help mutants in need.

I’m going to ask you to squint a little bit because there are some problems out of the gateway. First, Roma doesn’t currently exist in the MCU and it’s unlikely she’ll be introduced. Her reality warping power-set will need to come from another character.

Second, no one is suggesting that the MCU is bringing the Fall of the Mutants storyline to the screen. I’m suggesting instead: What if something or someone has been keeping the presence of mutants hidden all this time?

Now, stick with me: What if the Scarlet Witch with her reality warping powers has been keeping the presence of mutants hidden?

How the theory could work in the MCU: Wanda’s powers have been vaguely explained in the MCU. And it is entirely understandable that she’d have repressed trauma from the results of Avengers: Age of Ultron, both from the loss of her brother as well as the traumatic act of her experimental “creation” in that film.

Sure, Roma doesn’t exist but what if Wanda has been rendering mutants invisible to the rest of the world’s eye all the way back to the events of Age of Ultron? It’s not at all implausible. And it’s a nice little nod to “No More Mutants,” don’t you think?

Meanwhile, the curtain could fall on the whole “hidden in plain sight” angle of the Australia years of the X-Men when Wanda’s trauma is addressed, perhaps first introduced in WandaVision, then further fleshed out in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The team of the Australia-era X-Men–Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Longshot, Rogue, Dazzler, Psylocke, and Havok–would be a pretty great lineup to introduce into the MCU, although plenty of liberties could be taken.

As a bonus, Jubilee was introduced during this era, when she hitched a ride back to Australia from a So Cal mall and squatted at the X-Men HQ. She’d be a delightful add to the MCU, as would Gateway.

So, what if it turns out that Kevin Feige doesn’t introduce the X-Men this way? Should I explode from embarrassment? Or maybe implode from the weight of my shame? Ah, well, maybe the embarrassment and shame, both equal and opposite forces, simply cancel one another out and I’ll just exist in the 616 as is?