Disney's Hollywood dominance will soon expand, and with it, Marvel's reign over the superhero genre.
Comcast announced that it was backing out of its bid for Fox assets on Thursday, leaving the door wide open for Disney to finally acquire the Fox film studio and other assets for $71.3 billion.
There are a lot of questions that arise from this merger, notably how it will affect the Hollywood and box-office landscapes. But it also means big things for the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe, which now has a chance to incorporate Fox-owned properties into the franchise.
Characters like the X-Men, Wolverine, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four will be at Marvel's disposal once the deal is finalized. Disney CEO Bob Iger has said that the MCU may try a "new franchise beyond 'Avengers'" in the future, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige called next year's "Avengers 4" a "conclusion."
On top of that, veteran actors of the franchise like Chris Evans, who plays Captain America, have teased that they are ready to retire after "Avengers 4.""Avengers: Infinity War" set up a reunion between the original Avengers in the sequel, and I've written about why that could mean some of those characters' last hurrah.
With all of that in mind, Disney's merger comes at a perfect time if the MCU is planning to head in a new direction after "Avengers 4," but it could also have huge ramifications for all of the characters involved.
Below are 11 heroes, villains, and events that could be introduced to the MCU after the Disney/Fox merger, and what it could mean for the franchise:
X-Men
The "X-Men" franchise is nearly two decades old, and has more films scheduled for release next year. But both "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" and "The New Mutants" were pushed back, which might signal trouble. The timeline of the franchise has also become a convoluted mess, so it might be the perfect time for Disney to swoop in.
While the franchise has generated successful entries recently, such as "Deadpool" and "Logan," those movies were loosely connected to the larger universe, either mocking it or ignoring it.
It's impressive that the X-Men movies have been able to succeed, for the most part, the last 18 years and counting. But the Disney/Fox merger would mean the characters could be introduced into the MCU and given new life. If Disney wants to focus on another franchise beyond Avengers, then the X-Men is the logical next step.
The MCU has already introduced characters tied to both the X-Men and Avengers' history in the comic books with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver — it just couldn't refer to them as mutants. Now the franchise might be able to use that word, which would open up many story options, particularly with Scarlet Witch.
Wolverine
The most popular X-Man, Wolverine was played for 17 years by Hugh Jackman. It might be hard for audiences to get used to another actor in the role if Marvel were to re-introduce the character.
In fact, it might be wise to not introduce him at all. Wolverine was always the backbone of the "X-Men" movies, but with the support of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the X-Men may not necessarily need its star player. The MCU has managed to make lesser-known characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange popular among general audiences, and with the added benefit of already being a popular franchise, the rest of the X-Men could have their chance to shine.
If the MCU were to introduce Wolverine, though, perhaps the character could be more involved with the Avengers than the X-Men. Even though the MCU may focus on another franchise in the future, Iger also said that that wouldn't mean the end of "Avengers" movies. In the comics, Wolverine is a member of the New Avengers, a team that forms after the original Avengers disband. If the MCU is going to focus on its newer characters after "Avengers 4"— like Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Captain Marvel — then this wouldn't be too far out.
Magneto
In the comics, Scarlet Witch is the daughter of Magneto. Since Magneto was owned by Fox, Marvel hasn't included this storyline in the MCU, and we know little about Scarlet Witch's past other than she was experimented on by Nazi scientists and given her powers through an Infinity Stone.
But what if that's not the whole story? Introducing Magneto in the MCU would open up possibilities for Scarlet Witch beyond her minimal role thus far.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider