Fox’s X-Men franchise was far from perfect, but it did yield a handful of great movies across its 20-year existence, as well as turning countless mutants into household names. Sadly, one who ended up left on the sidelines was Edi Gathegi’s Darwin, and some fans still aren’t over his demise in First Class over a decade ago.
Imbued with the powers of “reactive evolution”, Darwin can essentially adapt to any environment or situation he’s placed in, rendering him virtually indestructible and unkillable. Of course, that didn’t turn out to be the case in his feature film debut when he was wiped off the face of the earth with little resistance, something Gathegi still refuses to let lie.
In an interview with Inverse, not only did the actor reiterate his belief that there was so much more to be done with Darwin in the X-Men franchise, but he also put forth an explanation and potential pitch for a multiversal Marvel Cinematic Universe return.
“They didn’t take advantage of everything that character has to offer. Sure, the character dies in the comics. He disintegrates fighting the Hulk. But because he’s so powerful, he transports himself into space and then he regenerates and comes back. The character cannot be killed. I just thought it was a missed opportunity not to utilize him more. I think [the multiverse is] a good idea. Or, rather, let me rephrase that. I think that would be a good idea.”
If Patrick Stewart can show up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Evan Peters can sort-of cameo as Pietro Maximoff in WandaVision, then we definitely can’t rule out a Darwin comeback further down the line as the X-Men and alternate realities bed into the MCU.