Marvel is one of the largest and most influential content producers in the world. Born as Marvel Comics, and creator of a group of endearing characters and some of the most famous superheroes in the world in the graphic world of comics, In the last decade and a half, it fully committed to developing its Cinematographic Universe (known as MCU for its acronym in English), which became a worldwide phenomenon. After the recent drop in their proposals, they appealed to a crossover with the world of the popular “X-Men” to revive the notoriety of the brand.
Since the release of the first “Iron Man” in 2008, the company has released 33 films, and has at least seven others in production or development. The films correspond successively to “Phases” of the great narrative of the universe, in which the different superheroes forge their own stories, and then join their peers, generally around the challenge of defeating a great villain (such as the destructive and feared case Thanos).
However, Since the end of Phase Three, Marvel Studios’ proposal has been on the decline. From forging outstanding box office hits around the world, raising hundreds of billions of dollars (only “Avengers: Endgame,” which closed that stage with decisive outcomes for the great narrative, amassed 850 million), and even achieving a nomination for the Oscar for Best Picture with “Black Panther” in 2019, the most recent installments of the MCU were failures with audiences and critics.
The last event was “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, in 2021 (in the middle of Phase Four), which became the second highest grossing in the company’s history. However, all the films in Phase Five, inaugurated in 2023, did not achieve the expected repercussions: “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, “Guardians of the Galaxy 3” and “The Marvels” performed well below expectations in theaters, and also garnered little or no enthusiasm from fans of the universe.
In recent months, Some lights turned on on Marvel’s horizon, but hand in hand with a hitherto parallel story: the X-Men. But the imminent virtuous fusion has a history of necessarily separating paths. The renowned mutant heroes already came with their own built world: although the characters of course have their origin in Marvel Comics, since the 2000s they had their film saga with the rights purchased exclusively by Twentieth Century Fox. In other words, Marvel Studios could not have the elements of that part of the story to incorporate into your MCU.
“Deadpool and Wolverine”
For this reason, Fox developed on its own an entire series of X-Men films, and the character Deadpool (a fun and irreverent anti-hero, one of the public and box office favorites), played by Ryan Reynolds. Until In 2019, Disney, in association with Marvel, bought Fox and everything finally came under the same creative umbrella.
Embed – Deadpool & Wolverine | Official Trailer | Bent
So it was that little by little, X-Men characters began appearing in the MCU. The first time was when in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, actor Patrick Stewart appeared in the shoes of the famous Professor X. Finally, the crossover (or crossover) reached its maximum expression since the merger of companies: the film starring “Deadpool and Wolverine” (possibly the most famous X-Men, played more than twenty years ago by Hugh Jackman) became the big bet of the MCU for 2024.
The official landing of these figures in the Marvel movies was so anticipated that the premiere of its trailer broke records and was seen by tens of millions of people around the world. since its premiere last week. In this new installment, scheduled to be released in July of this year, it will propose a kind of “buddy movie” dynamic (a dissimilar duo with a common goal), where Wolverine will have to unite his seriousness and darkness with the total volatility of Wade (Deadpool).
As anticipated, the film will also feature Colossus, Yukio and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, other members of the X-Men who appeared in previous installments of “Deadpool” and who will join the MCU.
Prestigious animation with Argentine presence
In addition to “Deadpool and Wolverine”, Marvel made another big bet on the “X-Men” universe this 2024, to once again give signs of quality to the brand. On March 20, “X-Men 97’” premiered on Disney+, an animated series that revisits its legendary predecessor from the nineties.
With irresistible vintage style, the character design is in charge of the Argentine illustrator Amelia Vidal, who received multiple praise in the world’s media for her work on the graphic presentation of the characters. In addition, the proposal became a favorite of the public, who showed their enthusiasm on networks and on open criticism sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, where they gave it 98% approval.
The series releases one episode per week (every Friday), and each time it gets better reviews. Some American media specialized in popular culture assured that “the first work of Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ after claiming their rights back is exquisite,” and that “it marks an excellent beginning for the era of mutants in the Cinematic Universe.” “Marvel.”
“X-Men 97” continues the plot of “X-Men”, originally broadcast between 1992 and 1997. In this proposal, the team of mutants must face new dangers after the departure of their leader and founder, Charles Xavier. Classic characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, and Wolverine himself must adjust to this new reality without Professor X.
According to its own creators, this series is not part of the MCU and is located outside the Timeline that guides and unites all live-action (non-animated) films. It is related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe through the existence of multiverses (and its centrality in the plot), but otherwise it focuses on continuing the plot of the nineties series and with all those that had crossovers with it, like the 1994 “Spider-Man.”
