The X-Men are waiting in the wings to make their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with a project being in active development, and Mister Sinister being rumored to be the villain for the first phase for the mutants. However, Marvel will require some smaller-scale villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to build up to the big bad, and X-Men ’97 might have just given the MCU its first mutant villain.
Omega Red is a mutant alright, but the character also has a direct connection to Captain America. Omega Red was made by the Soviet Union in direct response to Captain America. However, the procedure that the character went through is more in line with the Weapon X program that produced Wolverine.
Omega Red would be the perfect introductory villain for the X-Men’s debut in the MCU
Introducing the X-Men with a major villain in the MCU might not be the best for the films or the mutant side of things of Marvel. It is imperative that Marvel solves its villain problem before it introduces fan-favorite villains like Magneto, Mister Sinister, and Apocalypse. Omega Red is a villain that can be played with well and could be the introductory antagonist of the X-Men.
The mystery and intrigue around the super-soldier program that turned Steve into Captain America have already begun expanding with entries into the MCU like Black Widow and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Further, this could be expanded to hint at mutants before they make their debut, with Omega Red being the perfect villain for most of the X-Men.
The X-Men of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will have a lot to establish
The X-Men have been largely absent from the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the exception of characters like Namor. When Mutants are finally introduced in the MCU as a part of the mainstream, there will be a lot that the narrative of the movies will have to establish, such as where the mutants of this universe are during major events like the war with Thanos and such anomalies.
There are rumors that the X-Men and the Fantastic Four will be residing in separate realities of their own until Secret Wars, which will reorganize the Sacred Timeline into a single universe that draws from the various aspects of the Multiverse.
This is also supported by a different rumor that suggests that Avengers: Secret Wars will serve as a soft reboot for the MCU, which can retell its stories with some authenticity and with all the characters that it has. As of now, the Mutants will be making their feature-length debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Deadpool & Wolverine, which will officially usher in the age of mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
