As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues into its next phases, one franchise that’s getting a fuller investment is the X-Men. Between the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, the revival series X-Men ‘97 (Season 2 coming this summer), and members of the original Fox-verse X-Men being re-introduced in Avengers: Doomsday, the X-Men’s presence in the MCU is potentially as prominent as its expansive roster.
Because such prominence means they’re bound to hit the Reset button soon with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier being set to helm the reboot. While it’s still miles away, I’ve compiled a list of ten X-Men members who should join the MCU — ones who have yet to be adapted for the big screen. A wide-ranging lineup that is rich in all sorts of diversity, the X-Men is full of characters who haven’t even received the live-action treatment on television and, for this list, I wanted to spotlight some of them even if not all make the MCU jump.
10. Trinary (Shilpa Khatri)
Trinary is a character who was admittedly unfamiliar to me as I was crafting this list, partially because she was introduced in the X-Men: Red comic series eight years ago. However, when looking at her character origin and power set, she strikes me as someone with enough exciting potential.
A technopath who can control machines with her mind, Trinary had used her ability to hack into the bank accounts of the wealthiest CEOs in India, redistributing their wealth to women in her country seeking financial prosperity — an act that led to her capture and eventual rescue from the X-Men. Despite being a relatively new character, that’s still all the more reason to give this Robin Hood-esque heroine a live-action intro, to go beyond just familiar iconic names in the team’s rotating roster.
9. Armor (Hisako Ichiki)
Going beyond familiar names is one reason that Hisako Ichiki, who’s known as Armor, should also join the MCU. An underrated member who did have a central role in the series Marvel Anime: X-Men, Armor is a powerful mutant with the ability to create a psionic exoskeleton body armor. From being able to grow her armor’s size at will to superstrength, Armor’s gifts would allow her to serve as the mighty muscle of the group should she be included in the rebooted team.
8. Mimic (Calvin Montgomery Rankin)
Mimic, who had a short-lived run with the X-Men, is an interesting case. Not only is he the first member to be added to the team after the initial Core Five (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, Angel), but he proves that people can feel like outsiders even within marginalized communities.
Instead of the traditional mutant gene, his abilities that allow him to mimic the power set and knowledge of any mutant or individual he physically comes across were the result of a chemical experiment created by his scientist father. Ostracized by humans after his powers were discovered yet feeling estranged from mutantkind, Mimic is a man caught between two worlds. Whether he’s portrayed as an anti-hero or as a villain like in his initial intro, his arc would give the story potency if he’s brought in the rebooted film.
7. Prodigy (David Alleyne)
But in case Mimic doesn’t make the cut, or if his lack of heavy fanfare does become a deciding factor to him not joining, there’s another mutant with mimicry abilities to adapt: David Alleyne, a.k.a. Prodigy.
While Prodigy doesn’t possess power mimicry, he can still imitate the intelligence and physical skills of those he comes into close proximity with. As the old adage goes, “Knowledge is power.” Furthermore, as a bisexual person, his intro would be an opportunity for more LGBTQ+ representation in the MCU, proving that Marvel doesn’t have to stop at Phastos from Eternals or TV’s Agatha All Along. As you’ll see, Prodigy isn’t the only queer hero to make the list.
6. Sunfire (Shiro Yoshida)
When the X-Men roster first became more expansive in the comics in the 1970s, Sunfire was among the various new recruits who, according to co-writer Roy Thomas, were introduced as a way of making the team not only more inclusive but international as well.
Born to a mother who died from radiation poisoning resulting from exposure to the Hiroshima bomb, Sunfire was given the ability of both heated plasma emission and flight. He’s also proven himself as a hero torn between loyalty to his home country of Japan and willingness to aid the United States, a country that his UN ambassador father has been lenient on. Although his numerous stints with the X-Men have been historically sparse, his intro would be a way for the films to maintain the overall story’s prominent political context.
5. Boom Boom (Tabitha Smith)
Compared to the other names on this list, Tabitha Smith is a mutant with numerous codenames instead of one, ranging from Boomer to Meltdown — yet she has one explosively cool power. Gifted with the ability to mentally create yellow time bombs in any size she chooses, Tabitha Smith can use them to blind her enemies or create mass destruction.
Her role in the animated series X-Men: Evolution adds to her character appeal. Introduced in the second season, Smith is portrayed as a rebellious young mutant with a compelling arc from reckless recruit to member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to lone ranger. Smith was surely one of the show’s highlights and if portrayed on film with the same spunky personality, she’d be just as compelling.
4. Dust (Sooraya Qadir)
When it comes to religious representation, the X-Men franchise did emphasize on Nightcrawler’s devotion to his Catholic faith when he got his beloved big-screen intro in X2: X-Men United. The character of Sooraya Qadir, also known as Dust, getting introduced would be an opportunity to expand further on how mutanthood is a metaphor for religion in addition to race, gender, etc..
A devout Muslim from Afghanistan, Dust was gifted with the ability to turn herself into a sand-like substance. From immunity to magic and telepathy to being strong enough to rip the flesh from her enemies’ bones while in her sand form, Dust’s abilities make her a powerful team player. So far, when it comes to appearances in other X-Men media, she’s had only a small role on Wolverine and the X-Men plus a few video game appearances. But why not change that?
3. Northstar (Jean Paul-Beaubier)
Born with the ability to fly and run at superhuman speed and project light blasts, Northstar is an X-Man with a storied history. Besides his journey from being a member of the Canadian supergroup Alpha Flight to joining the X-Men, he’s also the first Marvel character to both come out as gay in the comics and have a same-sex wedding.
Realistically, the more prolific character Iceman — who had his own coming-out on the page, and technically on screen as well in the scene from X2: X-Men United where he ‘comes out’ as a mutant to his family — may get a likely reintroduction once the franchise reset button is hit. Still, the MCU should bring in the man who paved the way for mutants like him.
2. Husk (Paige Guthrie)
The sister of fellow X-Man Sam Guthrie, a.k.a. Cannonball, Husk has a pretty cool power set. The Kentucky-born mutant is gifted with the ability to shed her outer skin to reveal a different layer underneath made up of a different substance ranging from glass to metal to wood. Whether she’s given physical strength or using her layered skin as a form of camouflage, she’s surely a valuable group player.
Despite being a member of the X-Men subgroup known as Generation X, which was given its own TV movie in 1996, Husk wasn’t introduced because the effects on her power set were too expensive for the film’s low budget. But now that visual effects have thankfully become more advanced, the window for Husk to get her coveted screen moment should arrive.
1. Forge
Lastly is a character who’s appeared on almost every X-Men media except for the big screen. Despite being introduced in the comics back in the early 1980s, as well as appearing in every animated X-Men series and countless video games as both a playable and non-playable character, Forge has never received the silver screen treatment.
A war veteran and member of the Cheyenne nation, Forge is a mutant with what is described as a superhuman intuitive talent for creating mechanical devices. If there’s a device that pops up in his head, the outline to build it will suddenly form in his mind. Although he also possesses mystical abilities, Forge is more devoted to his uncanny technical skill, serving as a long-running asset for the team in the process.
Which X-Man do you want to see in the MCU? Let us know on Bluesky — the more obscure, the better!
If you haven't already, consider supporting worker-owned media by subscribing to Pop Heist. We are ad-free and operating outside the algorithm, so all dollars go directly to paying the staff members and writers who make articles like this one possible.
