7 More X-Men Characters Who Deserve Solo Movies

We now live in a world where Wolverine 3, Deadpool 2, and a Gambit movie are on the horizon. But what about these other X-Men?

Well, Deadpool kicked nine different types of ass, huh? Not only did Deadpool’s cinematic debut break the box office, it also proved that there is room in the cinemas for solo mutant films not starring Wolverine. Now, we have nothing against the sideburned lug (and Wolverine 3, whatever it’s called, is on the way next year), but the Marvel Universe contains a crap ton of mutant heroes worthy of their own films.

The X-Men have been around since 1963, ever since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby dreamed up the idea of a team of heroes that represented the next stage of human evolution, and hundreds of mutants have followed in the pages of Marvel Comics. Dozens have already made it to the screen in one form or another. But Deadpool has become a trailblazer, proving that a solo act is just as desirable as an ensemble cast when it comes to mutant mayhem. So with the understanding that Gambit movie is alreadyon the way in 2017, join us as we take a look at some mutants we would love to see main event a solo film.

Someone’s going to yell at me that Morph isn’t on this list, I just know it. Guys, Morph stinks, but Mimic? Now there’s a mutant!

Magneto

Why Should This Happen? Face it, we have all wanted to see a solo Magneto film starring Michael Fassbender since his Master of Magnetism dismantled those Nazis in that bar sequence in X-Men: First Class.Michael Fassbender’s Magneto is part James Bond, part Simon Wiesenthal, and part Dexter Morgan and any time this ultra powerful badass steps on the screen, he demands attention. It’s also no coincidence that a good chunk of what became X-Men: First Class began life as a script for X-Men Origins: Magneto by Sheldon Turner (The Longest Yard, Up in the Air).

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How Could They Do It? Since First Class, Marvel has published many great solo Magneto flashback adventurers and there is a great deal of time unaccounted for between the film Magneto’s escape from the Nazi prison and the events of the Cold War. Who wouldn’t want to watch two hours of Magneto making schnitzel out of some Nazi war criminals? Plus, a Magneto solo film could get into his familial connection with Quicksilver and more Evan Peters is always a good thing. 

Will it Happen? It’s not terribly likely at this point, though. That ship probably sailed with the success of First Class.

Mystique

Why Should This Happen? Speaking of X-Men: First Class, that film also made Mystique one of the brightest mutant stars in the galaxy. It probably has a great deal to do with Jennifer Lawrence becoming the biggest move star of our lifetime but Fox would have to be asleep at the wheel if it didn’t give her a solo film to explore Raven Darkholme. 

How Could They Do It? Mystique was the lynchpin of both First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past and she’ll play a pivotal role in X-Men: Apocalypse. But even with all this cinematic exposure, the films still haven’t explored some of Mystique’s greatest comic book moments. We have yet to see Mystique’s connection to Rogue or Nightcrawler, and we still haven’t seen Ms. Darkholme’s time as a government agent.

Heck, this is a lady that could out spy Natasha Romanov and Fox could have one hell of an espionage franchise on its hands if it gives Mystique the solo spotlight. Fox just has to look at the great Mystique solo series Marvel published in the early 2000s. This underrated series written by the great Brian K. Vaughan (Saga) could be mined for a series of films dealing with the intense life of everyone’s favorite primary colored shape shifter. 

Will it happen? It’s an idea that Fox big shots like Simon Kinberg and Lauren Shuler Donner have kicked around, for sure, but it seems like it’s all talk. But how much time do you really think Jennifer Lawrence wants to spend in blue makeup and prosthetics, anyway?

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Cable

Why Should This Happen? Cable is definitely coming to the big screen. It’s inevitable. Virtually everyone involved in the Deadpool movie have promised that Cable is the missing piece of the puzzle. The writers already have something in mind for Deadpool 2 and we’ve been promised an X-Force movie for the last few years, although it would appear that whatever Kick-Ass 2 director Jeff Wadlow had in store for that franchise has fallen by the wayside.  

How Could They Do It? The question here isn’t how could it happen, but how he heck are you getting to fit Cable’s origin into Deadpool 2 or X-Force? Seriously, Cable is awesome and all, but his back story is more complex than Euclidian geometry. To capture the true violent glory of Nathan Summers, there would need to be a solo movie full of more time travel than something that is really full of time travel. Hell, between the time travel and the cybernetics and the X-Force and the Stryfe, all this could be a trilogy.

Just think, theatres could give away promotional pouches during the premiere, it would be glorious.

Will it happen? Well, whether or not he gets his own movie, Cable is definitely coming to the movies. 

Cyclops

Why Should This Happen? No, seriously…why? Scott Summers is a tool. Well, keep reading…

How Could They Do It? Here’s a little fun fact. All his life, Scott Summers thought his father was dead. In the comics, Cyclops’ mom and dad died in a tragic plane crash, the same crash that activated Summers’ dangerous optic blasts. It turned out, Scott’s daddy didn’t die in that crash. No, he was rescued by aliens and became a kick ass, swashbuckling space pirate named Corsair, leader of the Starjammers.

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So essentially, later in life, Cyclops discovers that his dad isn’t only alive, he’s freakin’ Han Solo! How is this film not being made right now?

Cyclops and the Starjammers would play like Guardians of the Galaxy but starring one of the X-Men’s core members. Besides, sending the X-Men into space would allow Fox to introduce some pivotal X-Men cosmic elements like the Shi’ar Empire, elements that would be pivotal if the films are ever to attempt a far more cosmic and appropriate version of the Dark Phoenix Saga (after all, X-Men: The Last Stand seems to have been written right out of movie history), and we all want that don’t we?

Could it happen? Probably not. Scott Summers is a dick.

Nightcrawler

Why? It’s Nightcrawler. Do you really need to ask?

BAMF! Nightcrawler has been a major X player since his introduction in the ’70s, but Kurt Wagner has barely made a dent in the cinematic X-universe. Arguably, Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler was the highlight of the loaded X-Men 2. His opening White House fight sequence was mesmerizing and the rest of the film just nailed the complex and engaging personality of Kurt Wagner.

But after X2, the character disappeared. We had his comic book father, Azazel in X-Men: First Class and it would be interesting to see that relationship explored further. Kodi Smit-McPhee is about to take up the role in X-Men: Apocalypse so it looks like we could have a return to glory for this much missed mutant. If all goes well, what X-fan wouldn’t want to see a swashbuckling circus adventure featuring this most heroic of mutants? 

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Could it happen? Probably not, but then again a Deadpool movie just broke a bunch of records.

Should it happen? Absolutely. 

Storm

Why Should This Happen? Next to Wonder Woman (who is finally getting her own movie in 2017) Storm is the most important female superhero in comics history and as such, it would be a damn shame if she wasn’t considered for a solo film.

How Could They Do It? There has been a great deal of criticism over the X-Men franchise’s handling of Ororo Monroe. Sure, Halle Berry’s Storm had some super cool action moments, but the films never delved into the character’s rich history. And what a history it is, from Dickensian street urchin to master thief to weather goddess, Storm has an amazing backstory that could truly make for an epic film. 

Will it happen? Let’s see how Alexandra Shipp does in X-Men: Apocalypse. But with Warner Bros. finally in production on a Wonder Woman movie and Marvel finally embracing a more diverse roster of heroes for Phase Three with Captain Marvel and Black Panther, maybe 20th Century Fox is finally ready to do right by Ororo.

Banshee

Why Should This Happen? We certainly didn’t get enough Banshee action in X-Men: First Class and yes, I know what you’re thinking, the character was revealed to have been killed in Days of Future Past. The heck with that noise! They reset about half the franchise’s continuity at the end of that movie, anyway.

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How Could They Do It? First off, did you know that Banshee had a long term romance with the X-Men’s human liaison Moira MacTaggert? Did you know that before he joined the X-Men, Banshee was an international spy? Considering how much flirting with the genre First Class did, another espionage drama with MacTaggert and Banshee, NATO operatives during the hottest parts of the Cold War makes sense. It would be glorious what with the brogue and the flying and the screaming.

Plus, spotlighting Banshee now could lead to the inclusion of Siryn in the modern day X adventures. You know who Siryn is pals with? Deadpool that’s who. It’s all fitting together, ain’t it?

Will it happen? This one only exists in our imagination. It might just be weird enough for one of those crazy X-Men TV series in development at Fox and FX, though.