Could This Revive the Marvel Universe? MCU Director Thinks So…

Published: June 3, 2025

Theater2 — Photo by Krists Luhaers via Unsplash

By Gavin Boyle

DEADPOOL director Tim Miller explained why he believes the X-Men franchise is the key for Marvel’s return to cultural relevance and why he is the perfect fit to direct the movie.

“I think that Marvel has this secret weapon they haven’t been able to unveil yet, which is the whole X-Men universe — which is what got me into comics,” Miller told The Hollywood Reporter. “The X-Men are my favorite characters.”

“I wrote [Marvel boss] Kevin Feige, and I’m like, ‘If there was ever anything that you would let me do in the Marvel Universe, please, the X-Men would be it.’ I had an X-Men movie in development at Fox when the merger [with Disney] happened, which would have been awesome,” he added.

While Marvel has largely left the X-Men alone since beginning the MCU, the few stories it has brought to theaters have been largely successful. Wolverine, in particular, proved a popular hero, with last year’s DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE finishing as the No. 2 movie of the year with a global box office gross of $1.3 billion.

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As interest in the MCU has waned, the studio has expressed an interest in rebooting the X-Men series and are reportedly eyeing THUNDERBOLTS* director Jake Schreier to lead the project. Like Miller, he has a deep respect for the X-Men, making him a great fit, along with his skill behind the camera.

Other players in the MCU have also expressed their interest in seeing a new X-Men movie come to screens, with Sam Wilson/Captain America actor Anthony Mackie explaining how the X-Men could tie into the whole MCU.

“Look, I am a big Cyclops fan. That’s my favorite X-Men. I have a Cyclops action figure on my key chain that I’ve had since high school,” Mackie told Screen Rant in April. “When I was in high school, the X-Men cartoon was really big, and this was before the movies. I’ve always been a huge Cyclops fan, and I’m really, really excited — hopefully, knock on wood — for them to be a part of it and come into it. [I’m excited] to hang out with Xavier and Beast and all those guys. But my favorite is Nightcrawler. If I can hang out with one character? Me and Nightcrawler in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras for two weeks, that’s what I do.”

While Miller may not be up to lead the return of the X-Men, his dream of directing one of their movies seems more possible than ever.