There are many members of the X-Men who deserve a solo movie if the Marvel Cinematic Universe chooses to go that way for the mutant team. Mutants have started to appear in the MCU over the past few years. That relates to both characters from Fox’s X-Men movies appearing through the multiverse, as well as the reveal of characters native to the MCU that possess the mutant gene.

Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, is one of the latter, even leading to Kamala becoming a mutant in the comics in a synergy play. Work on the MCU’s X-Men movie is starting to pick up, with the writer of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes attached to pen the movie’s script. After Deadpool & Wolverine‘s record-breaking success, more mutants could get their chance to shine in solo movies, and some would fit that Avengers-like initiative better than others.

10 Nightcrawler

A Darker Type Of Marvel Story

Nightcrawler has not done much in live-action, and Kurt Wagner has enough compelling storylines in the comics to make for an interesting solo film in the MCU. There is a lot that can be done with Nightcrawler, as the hero is one of the X-Men’s most kind-hearted members, has visually appealing powers, and his design could lead to a story of suffering persecution in the MCU.

A Nightcrawler solo movie could work out perfectly with two time periods. It could show Kurt’s circus background, how he ended up killing his own adoptive brother, and his demonic look later leading to him being hunted. The movie could be darker than most MCU fare, exploring more psychological elements with an R rating that allowed Marvel to present more mature storytelling and violent, bloody fights that use Nightcrawler’s abilities to the fullest.

9 Bishop

The MCU Could Explore A Different Time Period

Bishop is a mutant that can show a different side of the MCU. The reason for that is the character comes from the future. In Marvel Comics, Bishop was born in the 21st Century in an alternate future. The dystopic world that Bishop lives in is even less kind to mutants than the present timeline of the X-Men comics. He grew up in a concentration camp.

Bishop would eventually come live in the time of the X-Men, becoming part of the mutant team. The character has barely made a dent yet in live-action, with the full potential of his stories still in need of being explored. A solo movie for Bishop could happen after the team is set up, exploring a possible MCU future and serving as a bridge between the first X-Men movie and a sequel.

8 Kitty Pryde

The X-Men’s Spider-Man-Like Hero

Kitty Pryde has enormous potential for the MCU. The character could serve more or less as the audience’s point of view into the world of the X-Men. Kitty possesses the same kind of dorky, bubbly personality that MCU fan-favorite characters like Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel have become beloved for. Kitty Pryde has the kind of energy that can carry a solo movie with ease.

In the comics, Kitty was the youngest member to become part of the X-Men, which could also play out in the MCU.

The MCU’s X-Men team could be a mix of experienced heroes and younger characters. That way, perhaps Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, or a new actor, and Dafne Keen’s X-23 could both be in it. In the comics, Kitty was the youngest member to become part of the X-Men, which could also play out in the MCU. Her solo movie could introduce one of the team’s biggest foes, Emma Frost, who tried to recruit her to her academy in the comics and then kidnapped some of the X-Men.

7 Beast

The Character’s Canceled Movie Could Be Revived

Beast has had his fair share of appearances in the Fox X-Men movies. Interestingly, he is one of the mutants who have already shown up in the MCU. Kelsey Grammer returned as a version of Beast in The Marvels. That tease could lead to a role for Beast in a future Multiverse Saga project, or perhaps even signal that the MCU has big plans for the character when they reboot the X-Men.

Before Marvel Studios got the X-Men movie rights back when Disney bought Fox, a Beast solo movie had been planned. X-Men: Fear the Beast would have followed Nicholas Hoult’s version of the character, with Hank McCoy fighting the villain Wendigo, helped by Wolverine. The canceled movie would have been an exciting entry for the character, with a serum leading to the more powerful Mega-Beast. A version of this story could be how the MCU expands Beast’s arc.

6 Rogue

Anna Marie’s Tragic Past And Powers Could Come To The Forefront

Marvel Studios has already released a project fully focused on the most famous mutant team. Disney+’s X-Men ’97 did a wonderful job of bringing many classic comic book stories to life in animated form for old and new fans alike. One of the characters who has benefited the most from the show is Rogue, who played a major role in X-Men ’97.

With the series, Marvel showed that it can handle Rogue far better than the Fox X-Men movies ever did. The character was the emotional core of X-Men ’97, and she could serve a similar role in the live-action X-Men reboot. Prior to the movie’s release, a Rogue solo film could delve into her tragic backstory with her parents, her connection to Magneto, and more. Subsequent films could touch on Rogue’s powers and how they affect her on a personal level.

5 Jean Grey

The Phoenix Force Could Finally Shine

Jean Grey is one of the most important members of the X-Men, be it in the comics or other media. The character’s biggest arc, the Dark Phoenix Saga, has been botched twice in live-action, which is a shocking feat. The MCU might refrain from attempting to tell that story again in an X-Men movie, but perhaps a solo trilogy could be just what the event needs to finally be done right.

Both X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Dark Phoenix attempted to adapt the Dark Phoenix Saga in live-action but failed.

A series of Jean Grey movies exploring the Phoenix Force, the Shi’ar, the Hellfire Club, and more could help finally do right by the Dark Phoenix Saga. By giving the character a franchise of her own, Marvel would also guarantee that the MCU will be different from the Fox X-Men universe, where Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was clearly above all others in terms of importance.

4 Storm

The Hero Could Unite Different Corners Of The MCU

Storm is another female member of the X-Men who has the potential to lead a movie series in the MCU. A possible first film for Ororo could focus on her upbringing. The character had a past as a thief in the comics, later having her life change when her powers manifested and others began seeing Storm as a goddess. A prequel to the X-Men could explore what made Storm change and become a hero.

With her backstory out of the way, Storm, who is perhaps the most popular female member of the team, could have adventures in another corner of the MCU. In the comics, Storm has married Black Panther and ruled Wakanda by his side. An aged-up version of Prince Toussaint, T’Challa’s son in the MCU, or a new actor as T’Challa could appear in a Storm solo movie and lead to their marriage in the MCU, uniting different corners of the franchise.

3 Cyclops

The Leader Of The Team Needs To Shine

One of the X-Men characters that Marvel Studios most desperately needs to get right is Cyclops. Scott Summers is known to be the field leader of the team, but both James Marsden’s version of Cyclops in the original X-Men movies and Tye Sheridan’s got very little to do in the role. Thankfully, Marvel Studios’ X-Men ’97 presented the best version of Cyclops in years, showing Marvel President Kevin Feige should know what to do with the hero.

As the field leader of the X-Men, Cyclops emerges as one of the most important characters in the franchise and one who could anchor a solo movie. The Summers family has many complicated members and intricate relationships in the comics. The MCU could tap into that potential with a Cyclops solo movie that focuses on Scott’s estranged relationship with his father, his volatile brothers, and more.

2 Gambit

Remy LeBeau’s Solo Movie Is A Popular Request At The Moment

Gambit has nearly made it to the top of the list due to the immense support there currently is for a solo movie for the character to be made by Marvel Studios. That all comes from the overwhelmingly positive reception to Channing Tatum’s Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine. Tatum was cast as Remy LeBeau a decade before his MCU debut. Sadly, the mutant’s planned solo movie would spend years in development hell before being canceled.

However, Ryan Reynolds and Marvel decided to allow Tatum to fulfill his superhero dream, playing Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine. The character became one of the movie’s best elements, and Tatum has said that he is having talks to get a Gambit solo film made. The original version of the project would have been a love story, and the MCU could use that idea for the X-Men reboot, with a Gambit movie series that starts with the character’s past and adds Rogue and her relationship with Remy for a sequel.

1 Wolverine

The Most Popular Member Of The X-Men

Finally, Wolverine is the X-Men character who deserves a solo movie the most. While Logan has already had a solo trilogy and appeared in X-Men movies and Deadpool & Wolverine, Hugh Jackman’s take on the character remains as popular as ever. As the most famous mutant, a Wolverine solo movie could start a new major franchise for the MCU. It could feature one of two paths.

Either Jackman stays on and continues having adventures in the MCU, perhaps with Dafne Keen’s X-23, or Marvel uses the Wolverine solo movie series to set up a new actor in the role. Having Wolverine lead his own franchise could also be a way for Marvel to give fans how much they expect from Logan, while also reducing his role in X-Men movies to let others shine, making every X-Men member more or less as important as the rest during the team’s outings.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies