Perhaps outclassed only by the Fantastic Four in the realm of anticipation is the Marvel Cinematic Universe debut of the X-Men. Indeed, with Hugh Jackman set to reprise his role of Wolverine in the upcoming Deadpool 3, and more and more mutants such as Namor and Kamala Khan entering the fray, it’s only a matter of time before Professor Xavier’s colorful cast of students are given custody of Kevin Feige’s spotlight.
But, outside of the Marvel Studios-produced revival of the X-Men animated series (titled X-Men ’97), we’ve heard nary a peep or a whisper about them outside of Jen Walters’ cheeky attempt to pull us some info in the She-Hulk finale. But, this is Marvel we’re talking about, and if any fandom is capable of jumping an entire arsenal of guns for the sake of daydreaming, it’s this one.
This time, a group of r/marvelstudios frequenters have taken to entertaining the idea of an X-Men spinoff series, in which the X-Mansion’s younger inhabitants navigate the perils and wonders of being superpowered high school students. We saw what Netflix was able to do with the teen drama genre thanks to Wednesday, so perhaps it wouldn’t be in Marvel’s poorest interest to give it a whirl.
Of course, you can’t say the word “teen drama” without attracting at least a hefty handful of naysayers who want their costumed superhero stories, rife with sentient capes and technocratic ant societies, to be taken as seriously as possible.
Personally, we’d love to see a world where Jubilee, Spyke, Iceman, and Shadowcat get up to some cheeky shenanigans in the X-Mansion with their fellow classmates, but it might be best to wait until the more senior members have made their MCU splash before getting too attached to the idea.
Luckily, that particular appetite will be given some attention sooner rather than later, as X-Men ’97 is set to debut on Disney Plus in the fall season later this year.