Super Rant Rewatch – 2003’s X2 Is A Peak Blueprint For The X-Men’s MCU Future

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With the new Avengers movie coming out later this year, I’m planning to rewatch key films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other connected Marvel movies. This week, that means revisiting the 2003 film X2: X-Men United for my Super Rant Rewatch.

It’s amazing how well X2 still stands up today, and it’s interesting to consider how much it could influence the future of the X-Men, even 23 years later. Since many of the same actors who played these X-Men characters are now appearing in Avengers: Doomsday, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on X2 and what I found most important about it.

X2’s Core Themes Perfectly Capture The X-Men’s Biggest Struggles/Tensions

Watching X2: X-Men United again, I was struck not by the action or the characters who are now part of the MCU, but by the film’s central themes of conflict and political unrest surrounding mutants and how humans react to them.

Considering the original X-Men movies were among the first big superhero blockbusters, focusing on a more realistic approach was definitely the correct choice.

The very beginning of X2 immediately establishes Nightcrawler as a potential threat to national security, portraying mutants as dangerous (even though the government itself is manipulating and weaponizing them). His dramatic entrance – attacking the White House and almost harming the president – sets a high bar for any future mutant debut, though I’m eager to see how Doomsday measures up!

Brian Cox’s portrayal of William Stryker in the Weapon X program is a standout villain in the X-Men films, rivaling even Magneto. His danger to mutants is so great that it forces the X-Men and Magneto to reluctantly team up.

He doesn’t just use the government to go after mutants, setting the stage for widespread discrimination – it’s also revealed his actions stem from a personal place, as his own son is a mutant.

Stryker sees mutants as both potential weapons, like Wolverine, and a dangerous illness that needs to be eliminated. Through manipulation and by exploiting public and governmental anxieties about mutants, he almost manages to wipe them out entirely.

Superhero Policy, Registration, And Fear Feel Pretty Relevant In The MCU Right Now

X2 effectively showed that anti-mutant feelings didn’t suddenly explode into violence. Instead, it demonstrated a gradual build-up of hatred. Stryker skillfully manipulated events and gained support to start the conflict between mutants and humans – a war Magneto had long predicted would happen. He essentially initiated the hostilities.

Although the X-Men temporarily avoid a full-blown war, X2 clearly shows how difficult their struggle is, highlighting the constant arguments over how mutants should be treated – things like requiring them to register with the government or being held in containment facilities – even before the main villain, Stryker, began his plans.

The story’s ideas and conflicts are really interesting, and they remind me of things we’ve seen throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even in future projects like the one planned for 2026 before the Avengers: Doomsday movie.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe frequently features conflicts arising from attempts to control or regulate individuals with powers. Notable examples include the Sokovia Accords from Civil War, the anti-alien prejudice shown by the government in Secret Invasion, Mayor Fisk’s crackdown on vigilantes in Daredevil: Born Again, the Doorman Clause in Wonder Man which restricts the use of superpowers in Hollywood, and the increasing military presence within the MCU’s Department of Damage Control, now focused on monitoring those with powers.

Considering everything, I believe the X-Men and mutants won’t be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe without building on what’s already there. The MCU is well-positioned for their arrival because themes of fear and prejudice – common in X-Men stories – fit naturally into the existing narrative. The X-Men could even become a crucial turning point in the larger story the MCU has been telling.

Why X2 Should Be The MCU’s X-Men Blueprint After Secret Wars

If Marvel Studios aims to establish the X-Men as distinct from the Avengers—and it really needs to—the movie X2 provides a solid example of how to do it.

The themes and conflicts surrounding the X-Men and mutants are really compelling and enjoyable. They offer a unique opportunity for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to explore heroes who face struggles and prejudice that the Avengers haven’t experienced.

I consider X2 the strongest film in Fox’s original X-Men trilogy because it best showcases the serious struggles and dangers mutants face. Marvel should definitely take inspiration from this when they eventually reboot the X-Men after the Doomsday/Secret Wars storyline.

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2026-02-07 22:50