Like a lot of people who grew up dreaming of telekinesis, laser eyes, and Patrick Stewart whispering in our minds, I’ve been waiting for the X-Men to finally show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And now that we’re finally crawling toward that mutant-filled inevitability, I can’t stop thinking about how Kevin Feige and his Marvel wizards are going to pull this off.
The most popular theory floating around the internet is the multiverse dump truck method. You know the one: the X-Men are from some other dimension, and one day—plop—they just land in the MCU like your cousin showing up unannounced with a suitcase and a mysterious backstory. That explanation works. It’s simple. It accounts for why the Avengers never mentioned Wolverine or why Storm didn’t bring the thunder during Endgame. But it’s also kind of… lazy? And worse—completely void of the creative spark we’ve come to expect from Marvel when they’re not making Eternals.
So here’s a better idea: what if the X-Men have been here the whole time?
Let’s be real—have you ever watched a Marvel movie and thought, “Wow, they sure mentioned every single known character in this universe!” Of course you haven’t. That would make Thor: The Dark World four hours long and ten times more confusing. Marvel doesn’t bring up characters unless they’re relevant to the plot. There are plenty of shows and films where nobody even utters the name “Tony Stark,” despite the guy leaving behind enough tech and trauma to warrant his own DSM classification.
So what if the X-Men simply haven’t been relevant yet?
Back in 2008’s Iron Man, there was no mention of Bruce Banner, no talk of Captain America, no Infinity Stones—just Tony Stark, some weapons-grade sass, and the world’s most terrifying PowerPoint presentation. That film was so self-contained it almost felt like it could happen in our world… if Elon Musk wasn’t a dipshit scum bag. And yet, years later, we learned that all the cosmic weirdness was already happening in the background. It just hadn’t crashed into Tony’s life yet.
Apply that logic to the X-Men: if the Avengers haven’t interacted with mutants, maybe it’s because they haven’t needed to.
Sure, people love to say that the mutant gene will be born from Infinity Stone fallout or multiversal chaos. And hey, that could still happen. But let’s not ignore the simpler, and arguably cooler, idea: the X-Men have always been here. Operating in the shadows. Solving their own problems. Using a combination of telepathy, secret bases, and probably some extremely questionable S.H.I.E.L.D. paperwork to stay under the radar.
Need examples? We didn’t know the Sorcerer Supreme existed until Doctor Strange took us on an ayahuasca trip through time and space. Hell, Strange was first mentioned in passing by a Hydra crony in Winter Soldier. The Eternals were on Earth for thousands of years, and nobody noticed because they were basically cosmic wallflowers. Even the Ten Rings operated in secret for centuries, only showing up when Shang-Chi punched his way into the spotlight.
And while we’re on the subject—Daredevil and Spider-Man exist in the same city, breathe the same air, and probably order from the same pizza joint, but we just saw them share the screen in No Way Home. Even though Matt Murdock has been catching bricks and beating up criminals for years, Spidey had no clue. Why? Because until then, it didn’t matter. Daredevil wasn’t on Spider-Man’s radar.
So picture this: Charles Xavier and his team of X-Men have been out there the whole time. Maybe they’ve been stopping mutant threats behind the scenes. Maybe Chuck has been using that shiny bald dome of his to keep the public blissfully unaware with mind wipes every time they stop Magneto from destroying the Statue of Liberty. Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. struck a deal to let them handle their own problems in exchange for complete radio silence.
Or, it could be that mutants are just exceptionally rare. So rare, they don’t really show up on every corner to do street magic off Broadway and Main. I mean, you don’t see a celebrity walking their dog every day, do you? Same thing. Sort of. But not really.
Still skeptical? Then let’s go cosmic with it. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we saw Professor X in Earth-838. That means the X-Men canonically exist in the multiverse. And if Marvel’s multiverse logic is consistent, that means a version of every person exists in every universe (except for America Chavez, who’s special like that). So a version of the X-Men must exist in the main MCU timeline. They’re just off-screen. For now.
TL;DR:
The X-Men have always existed in the MCU. The audience just hasn’t been invited to their part of the playground yet. And if Marvel plays their cards right, their long-awaited introduction won’t feel like a cosmic accident—it’ll feel like destiny.
Or at the very least, a mutant mind-wipe.
