X-Men '97's Professor X, Magneto and Bastion

Marvel’s triumphant X-Men ’97 has demonstrated perfectly how the MCU’s X-Men movie should handle its villains. X-Men ’97 season 1 revived the beloved 1990s X-Men: The Animated Series, and received widespread acclaim. One especially effective aspect was the way it managed its villains – a lesson that Marvel would be wise to remember for its live-action MCU X-Men movie.

The MCU’s X-Men movie has been planned since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, concluding Fox’s X-Men timeline and regaining movie rights to the characters. Since then, mutants have begun appearing in the MCU, most notably Beast in The Marvels​​​​​​. As Marvel begins planning how to introduce the mighty mutant heroes, it should consider how 2024’s immensely successful X-Men ’97 addressed classic X-Men villains.

X-Men 97 Offered An Important Villain Lesson For The MCU

Bastion holding the inhibiting device meant to stop him in X-Men '97 season 1 episode 10

Bastion proved to be an incredible villain in X-Men ’97, proving that audiences don’t necessarily need villains they are familiar with for them to succeed. Bastion was revealed in the latter half of X-Men ’97 as the villainous mastermind behind the entire season. Bringing Bastion to life for the first time on film or TV, this pervasive nature was extremely effective and greatly contributed to the show’s popularity.

Bastion’s success in X-Men ’97 demonstrates that Marvel should choose an unexplored villain from the X-Men pantheon for its live-action movie. While it would be tempting to attempt to repeat the success of previous X-Men movie villains like Magneto, or the Sentinels, using a fresh foe would be much more captivating and would push the narratives into lesser-explored areas. Certainly, certain characters who dominated the franchise should be used more sparingly.

The MCU’s X-Men Reboot Needs More Than Magneto As The Villain Again

Michael Fassbender as Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) holding his hand up

The MCU’s X-Men reboot offers a golden opportunity to diversify its roster of antagonists, moving beyond the perennial focus on Magneto. Magneto, portrayed masterfully by Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender, has been the cornerstone villain in both the original X-Men trilogy and the prequel movies. However, his repeated centrality risks overshadowing the multitude of adversaries available in the X-Men universe.

Magneto’s ideological clash with Professor Xavier in the original trilogy provided a compelling narrative, leaving little room for other villains to shine. Even in the prequels, where the backdrop of historical events and Magneto’s complex motivations were explored, he remained integral to each major plot. The MCU timeline should explore the depth of the X-Men’s rogues’ gallery to refresh the franchise.

Villains like Mister Sinister, with his obsession with genetic manipulation, or The Shadow King, with his psychic powers and ties to the astral plane, are ideal choices who could pose a formidable threat. These characters can introduce fresh conflicts and elevate the narrative beyond the mutant-versus-human paradigm. By focusing on a broader range of villains, the MCU can offer new challenges for the X-Men, exploring different aspects of their abilities and philosophies, and ensuring that Magneto’s presence in X-Men, when included, remains powerful and not overused, much in the same way X-Men ’97 managed this feat.