The politics of the X-Men have always been an integral part of the comic book characters’ millieu.
Ryan Coogler gave one of the best Marvel films with the Chadwick Boseman starrer Black Panther. The film also starred Michael B. Jordan and was one of the greatest hits of the MCU. It was also the first and only MCU film to be nominated for Best Picture and even won the Oscar for Best Original Score, Costume Design, and Production Design.
The filmmaker returned to the franchise with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and is also reportedly on board to direct Black Panther 3. According to an industry insider, the filmmaker is also eyed by Marvel to helm the franchise’s X-Men reboot, which might be a great decision as he is known for having strong political stances in his films, which would be perfect for an X-Men film.
Ryan Coogler Rumored To Be Eyed For X-Men Reboot
Ryan Coogler shot to worldwide fame when he helmed the MCU film Black Panther. He had previously directed the acclaimed drama Fruitvale Station and the Rocky spinoff Creed before he was selected to handle the first live-action solo film of the iconic Marvel character. The film was a huge hit, earning $1.3 billion at the box office (via Box Office Mojo).
The film also had a huge cultural impact for having a Black superhero in the center and headlining a major film franchise. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, making it the first Marvel film to achieve the feat. It also dealt with many issues such as colonization, indigenous culture, civil rights, and more.
Coogler returned to the franchise with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which saw the absence of late actor Chadwick Boseman. The film was appreciated for its depiction of grief and also won the Oscar for Best Costume Design. According to the X (formerly Twitter) profile MyTimeToShineHello, the filmmaker has been confirmed to direct Black Panther 3.
The industry insider also mentioned that the filmmaker was being eyed to helm the live-action X-Men reboot for the MCU. After Disney acquired Fox Studios in 2019, Marvel has been planning the inclusion of mutants in the MCU and the characters will be making their official debut with the upcoming film Deadpool & Wolverine.
Ryan Coogler Is The Perfect Director To Tackle The Social Issues Of X-Men
Ryan Coogler in the official Black Panther interview
The X-Men films and the source material itself have always been political. The concepts of mutants and their treatment in the real world have been regarded as an allegory of the way the LGBTQIA+ community has been treated in society. The ideological debate between Magneto and Professor X, who represent two sides of the mutant debate can be seen as a debate about the forever marginalized.
Ryan Coogler has never shied away from making political commentaries in his films. Be it his feature-length debut with Fruitvale Station which follows the last day in the life of Oscar Grant, a victim of a shooting by a BART police officer, or his Marvel blockbuster Black Panther, he makes sure to speak about real-world issues through the fictional worlds.
A still from Black Panther
According to Complex, Coogler navigated a fine line in directing Black Panther. This blockbuster superhero film spoke about the differences in issues among Africans and African Americans, colonialism, Afrofuturism, and more. The antagonist of the film, Killmonger, represents an extreme side of the problem. Hence, Coogler could be the perfect person to bring a nuanced perspective and properly tackle the political stances of X-Men.
The Disney Plus series X-Men ‘97, created and written by Beau DeMayo has been lauded for its tackling of political messaging in the X-Men. Many fans want the writer to return for subsequent seasons and for the live-action reboot. With the news of Ryan Coogler’s inclusion, fans also seem to be pleased with the decision.
Be it Beau DeMayo or Ryan Coogler, the filmmaker who will handle the X-Men reboot should not shy away from its political themes as that was one of the reasons why the IP has such a strong fanbase.
