With the direction the MCU is currently is headed, the Avengers: Secret Wars. The Thunderbolts and the X-Men are two major superhero teams expected to be introduced into the MCU in the next few years. But of the two, only the Thunderbolts are confirmed to be ing the fold in the Multiverse Saga.
In Marvel Comics, the X-Men played an integral role in the Secret Wars crossover, as Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Kitty Pryde, Magneto, and several others all took part in the fight against Doctor Doom. But in spite of their significance to the story, the team is not a lock for the MCU adaptation. While there may be room on Marvel's slate for an unannounced X-Men movie before Secret Wars, there's no guarantee it will happen. If not, the studio will likely tell its Secret Wars story without them and save Marvel's Merry Mutants for a Phase 7 movie.
Why The Thunderbolts Can Replace The X-Men In Secret Wars
Unfortunately, the absence of the X-Men has the potential to negatively impact the scale of Avengers: Secret Wars, which was originally designed as a giant, diverse alliance of heroes from the biggest corners of the Marvel Universe. In addition to using Spider-Man and the Hulk, it combined representatives of Marvel's three main superhero teams: the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. By specifically leaving out the X-Men when adapting this formula in its Secret Wars movie, the MCU would run the risk of the story coming across as little more than an Avengers-Fantastic Four team-up, and not the massive, wide-ranging crossover it's meant to be, which is why the Thunderbolts may be needed.
With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being the end of the line for Star-Lord's group, the MCU may have only three teams going into Secret Wars, leaving the Thunderbolts as the best option for the X-Men's replacement. Swapping out the mutants with the Thunderbolts won't stave off the disappointment of not seeing Cyclops and Wolverine fighting alongside the Avengers and the Fantastic Four against Kang the Conqueror or Doctor Doom, but it will allow for a mass gathering of MCU superheroes that extends beyond just two teams. Avengers: Secret Wars can see an impressive mix of Avengers, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four ing forces to save the multiverse.
Why Thunderbolts Make More Sense For Secret Wars Than The X-Men
Several of the Thunderbolts are already proving crucial to the Multiverse Saga. Yelena Belova, for instance, will be in at least three MCU projects between Phase 4 and Phase 6. Given their importance, it makes sense for Marvel to rope them into the story for Avengers: Secret Wars, even though they weren't actually on hand in the comic. The X-Men, on the other hand, won't have an opportunity to truly earn their roles in the movie. After all, their story should take time to develop, which is why Phase 6 is too early for a multiverse-level adventure with the MCU's first X-Men team.
