Marvel‘s new release debuts the perfect villain for the MCU to unite two of the biggest superhero movies from the comic book giant: the X-Men and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel has several powerful teams in the comics, and many of them have already been brought to life in the MCU movie timeline, ranging from the Avengers to the Defenders and more.
Every corner of the MCU has the potential to have its own star-studded team of heroes. Some of those on the way include the Young Avengers — which could also be called the Champions — the X-Men — through both the return of Fox’s original X-Men as part of Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast and the MCU version of the team — the Midnight Suns, and more.
The MCU is such a well-crafted shared universe that teams that were not even that big of a deal in the comics have managed to grow in importance in live-action. Probably the most famous such case is that of how James Gunn popularized the Guardians of the Galaxy, who were obscure cosmic heroes. Now, we could see that team and the X-Men team up soon.
After all, the MCU X-Men movie is in development, and Rocket Raccoon has assembled a new Guardians of the Galaxy team. All that rests is for the former to debut after 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars and a threat that could unite them to rise. Disney+’s ongoing Marvel series X-Men ’97 might not be set in the MCU, but its latest episode suggests how that crossover could happen.
X-Men ’97’s The Brood Emerges As A Frightening Cosmic Threat
Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for X-Men ’97 season 2, episode 5.X-Men ’97 season 2, episode 5, “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs,” focused on Wolverine as he put together a team of old friends and rivals to break into a Weapon X facility to get back the Adamantium Magneto took from him in season 1; only the rest of the mutants did not know about Wolverine’s real intentions. Inside the facility, they are met with frightening villains in the form of the aliens known as The Brood. The aliens took the scientists that were left at the Weapon X base as their hosts.
This created a frightening scenario, with plenty of body horror and Alien undertones. Wolverine even came to be infected by The Brood, with the aliens taking over his body and having full access to his powers. After dealing with Apocalypse in the past few episodes, with Kang the Conqueror also making an appearance as the Rama-Tut version of the character, The Brood being the main threat of the latest episode of X-Men ’97 came as an exciting surprise. The cosmic horror they brought also led me to think about how the villains could be used in the MCU.
How The MCU Could Use The Brood To Unite The X-Men And The Guardians Of The Galaxy
The Brood are typically X-Men villains. That said, the MCU is known for playing with comic book lore, mixing and matching characters. While not yet confirmed, it is highly expected that the next phase of the MCU after the Multiverse Saga will be all about the X-Men. Given that the new Guardians of the Galaxy were already set up, The Brood comes as an easy threat on the cosmic side that could bring back the Guardians of the Galaxy and put them together with either the main X-Men team or a cosmic subdivision of the mutants.
Perhaps The Brood could be discovered on an abandoned planet and start to take over several civilizations before the Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men are sent to intercept the threat. Seeing heroes from both teams be taken over by The Brood, and having their powers used against their friends, would make for a nerve-wracking crossover. Now, with an MCU solo movie on the way, Nova could be another hero to enter the fray. X-Men ’97 season 2 shows how The Brood can be quite scary, and if Marvel Studios is well aware of their potential, maybe the MCU could be standing by.
- Release Date
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March 20, 2024
- Network
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Disney+
- Directors
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Jake Castorena, Emi Yonemura, Chase Conley
- Writers
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Charlie Feldman, Anthony Sellitti, Beau DeMayo, JB Ballard