Ever since the Disney-Fox merger, Marvel fans have been furiously theorizing over how the X-Men could be folded into the MCU. Over the years, various possible openings — like Avengers: Endgame and WandaVision — have proven to be false leads, but the latest ideas fans have developed on the topic suggest that a combination of concepts from Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may have paved the way for mutantkind in the MCU.
Redditor Andyp5999 took to the MCUTheories subreddit to pitch their theory on the X-Men’s arrival. In short, it goes that the Time Variance Authority have been pruning mutants from the Sacred Timeline, which is why there have never been any on Earth-616 to date. However, with Kang the Conqueror now in charge of the TVA and the timeline irrevocably fractured, mutants may start to emerge throughout the history. Here’s how the theorist puts it:
An alternate explanation was offered in the comments by user WendelllTStamps, who similarly thinks that Kang has something to do with the coming of mutants. In this theory, however, it’s also linked into Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, and the High Evolutionary, who is thought to be the villain of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Another idea that several folks in the replies agreed upon was that an incursion may occur. As explained in Doctor Strange 2, an incursion is what happens when two universes collide, something that was teased to be happening to 616 in the aforementioned movie. This would be one of the simplest ways of introducing the X-Men into the fray.
Some think this could be made canon in the potential Secret Wars adaptation that everyone’s talking about.
Different fans think it might be a blend of the TVA theory and the incursion idea.
Seeing as Patrick Stewart’s Professor X appeared in Doctor Strange 2, we’re definitely getting closer to meeting mutants in the MCU. We know Deadpool 3 is coming, although probably not before 2024 at the earliest. But will we really have to wait that long for the X-Men or could we begin to see the formation of the former Fox heroes in Loki season two?