20th Century StudiosMarvel’s Cinematic Universe has been in trouble for some time, but if anything holds the key to the saga’s redemption, it’s the X-Men. Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige has a soft spot for the mutant team: not only is he a fan of their comic book adventures, but his first-ever job on a Marvel production came with X-Men in 2000. He’s been working hard to bring mutantkind from the Fox Universe and into the MCU ever since, and his plans for an X-Men reboot, directed by Thunderbolts filmmaker Jake Schreier, are finally taking shape. Before that reset, however, the original X-Men will return for one last hurrah in Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, Secret Wars.As nice as it’ll be to see the team reunited in the MCU, it feels counterintuitive to Feige’s other plans. Fox’s X-Men Universe effectively came to an end in 2019 with Dark Phoenix, but with cameo after cameo since, the MCU has had trouble letting go of the mutants fans know and love. Not even Deadpool & Wolverine, presented as the true closing of a chapter, delivered the definitive end it promised. Instead, Marvel pushed back the expiration date once more, despite fears that yet another X-Men reunion would undermine plans for a much-needed reboot. Feige intends to have his cake and eat it, too: Secret Wars will deliver both a reunion and a reset, not just for the X-Men, but for every character in Marvel’s vast multiverse.Say goodbye to the original X-Men — for real this time. | 20th Century StudiosIn a wide-ranging interview ahead of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Feige addressed some burning questions about the state of the MCU. While the franchise still has a way to go before reclaiming its lost glory, Feige sees Secret Wars as an opportunity to wrap up loose ends and restart with a clean slate.“You can look at the Secret Wars comics for where that takes you — it very, very much sets us up for the future,” Feige said. He’s not wrong: in Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars, Marvel’s multiverse is destroyed, with two disparate timelines (the “main” universe and the “Ultimate” universe) colliding in an incursion. Remnants of past worlds are reconciled in a realm called Battleworld before the Fantastic Four essentially remake the multiverse anew. Feige intends to do something similar with the MCU’s adaptation of Secret Wars. “We’re utilizing that [story] not just to round out the stories we’ve been telling post-Endgame,” he continued. “Secret Wars is [also] about beginnings.” Crucially, though, Feige hesitates to call this plan a reboot, saying, “reset, singular timeline — we’re thinking along those lines.” Apparently, “X-Men is where that will happen next.”After Secret Wars, Marvel may be free to recast anyone, including the Avengers. | Marvel StudiosSecret Wars will create a new, clean, singular MCU timeline, and from there, Feige confirms that a new X-Men team will emerge. New actors will take over for Schreier’s X-Men remake, replacing fan favorites like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and, perhaps most crucially, Hugh Jackman. Marvel won’t stop there, as the reset Secret Wars provides will also open the door for departed characters — like Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, or Natasha Romanoff — to return in new forms. Feige indicated that the OG Avengers could eventually be recast, even if Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans left major shoes to fill. “I think it’s hard for anybody to do that when an actor has done such a great role,” Feige said of recasting. Still, “Amy Pascal and David Heyman are now searching for a new James Bond... David [Corenswet], the new Superman — he was awesome.”Marvel’s competitors have never been afraid of recasting. Now, after a few years of spinning its wheels, Marvel doesn’t seem afraid either.