Will X-Men Join The Marvel Cinematic Universe In ‘Avengers: Endgame’?

As of Wednesday, Disney officially owns Fox’s Marvel properties. For comic book fans, that means the X-Men can finally join the Avengers, but that’s not going to happen in “Avengers: Endgame.”

While the Disney-Fox merger was first revealed over a year ago, Disney didn’t officially own Fox properties until Wednesday. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo revealed that the final cut of “Endgame” was locked in earlier this month. That means that “Avengers: Endgame,” out April 26, was wrapped before Marvel Studios had access to the mutants.

So when will the X-Men characters start showing up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? According to the Hollywood Reporter, it could take a few years. “Black Widow” and “The Eternals” will most likely film this year, and “Shang-Chi” could also start production. Sequels are also a priority with “Doctor Strange,” “Black Panther” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” follow-ups in the works. Though mutants could come in as early as 2021, even that seems early.

Apparently, there are still some logistics that need to be worked out too. Disney has to figure out how it wants to handle deals with “X-Men” filmmakers that are already in place. Some producers may have to be credited regardless of their involvement while others might be bought out, THR reports.

In late December, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige said that he hadn’t even started figuring out how the X-Men would join the MCU. However, he has acknowledged that the possibilities that come with Fox’s Marvel properties are thrilling. Before heading Marvel Studios, Feige was a producer on the original “X-Men” movie trilogy.

“The truth is, I’m excited for all of them. I’m excited, and it’s not just the marquee names you know — there are hundreds of names on those documents, on those agreements,” Feige told MTV News in January. “The fact that Marvel is as close as we may ever get now to having access to all the characters is something I’ve been dreaming about for my almost 20 years at Marvel, and it’s very exciting.”