It's official: the X-Men are coming to the MCU. While the prospect of seeing mutants on the big screen again is exciting, the approach to their introduction will set the stage for future stories and their place in the multiverse, so it must be handled with care. Luckily, the perfect stage has already been set in the comics, and all MCU has to do is tap into the treasure trove of Krakoa.

The Krakoan era is one of the defining points in X-Men history, rich in lore and expansive in storytelling thanks to writer Jonathan Hickman's years-long effort to build a universe within a universe. While Krakoa isn't the current status quo for the X-Men, and mutants are knee-deep in their From the Ashes era as of 2025, introducing the mutant nation of Krakoa would be a very fresh perspective for the MCU.

By introducing Krakoa, the MCU would have access to a wealth of new stories and mutant characters. It opens doors unexplored by previous X-Men films and presents a unique opportunity to show mutantkind from a new angle.

Krakoa Is the Perfect Way to Introduce the MCU’s X-Men

The Era May Be Recent, But It's Rich in Possibilities

While fans know that the delay in introducing mutants into the MCU was caused by rights-related issues, their absence will need a storytelling explanation. It seems unlikely that people with the sort of extraordinary powers that the X-Gene grants would simply go unnoticed. While the multiverse may be an obvious way to bring them into the fray by simply saying they did not exist at all in the MCU's primary timeline, Krakoa's inclusion offers an alternative explanation. Other hidden cities, like Atlantis, have already been introduced. A shielded island of mutants, living within their own society and on their own , isn't outlandish.

A hidden mutant nation creates an ideal bridge to usher mutantkind into the fray without going the most obvious, expected route, as well as giving fans something they haven't already seen.

Krakoa was built to give the X-Men and fellow mutants a nation of their own, free from both the constraints and the prejudice of a human society that continually rejected and persecuted them. If the MCU leaned into that angle, it would be the perfect way to make their new X-Men aware of the world (rather than being total outsiders unaware of all the events) without previously participating in it. A hidden mutant nation creates an ideal bridge to usher mutantkind into the fray without going the most obvious, expected route, as well as giving fans something they haven't already seen.

Utilizing Krakoa Avoids Retelling the Same X-Men Stories

Fans Have Already Seen the X-Men Classics on the Big Screen

With two X-Men film trilogies already complete, some of the most iconic mutant stories have already graced screens. Jean Grey's transformation to the Phoenix has been played out twice, along with Apocalypse's rise to power and Magneto's well-known and complex role as one of the X-Men's major antagonists. Audiences are familiar with these tales and, frankly, do not need to see them repeated in the MCU. By introducing Krakoa, there is a place for those things to exist as history in some form without being the story actively told. It leaves room for the MCU's creative teams to reach beyond familiar paths.

X-Men's Krakoan Era began in 2019 with House of X #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, and Clayton Cowles, which is available now both digitally and in collected editions from Marvel Comics.

Although Krakoa's interwoven events and X-Men lore felt overly complex at times, it introduced so many rich concepts that it would almost be a waste not to use them. Whether it's Mister Sinister's role, mutants spreading outside their nation to colonize Mars, or a war against Orchis and AI, there's plenty to adapt and an abundance of room in the MCU to fit those narrative elements into its wider story. The X-Men have been around just as long as franchises like the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, and there's no reason to continue mining the same stories when Krakoa is already rich with potential.

Krakoa Is an Opportunity to Introduce New Mutants into the MCU

The X-Men's Breadth Is Part of Their Appeal

Although it's impossible to completely replace the X-Men's most iconic mutants, like Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Cyclops, there is an endless number of equally interesting characters out there, and they'd all be accessible by bringing Krakoa into the fold. Theoretically, the mutant nation puts any and every mutant at the MCU's disposal, and there's a stage for the most famous faces while also holding space for less familiar (but equally interesting) characters. In a nation founded by Magneto, there's room for Polaris. Where there is Wolverine, there can be Daken. Hope or Rachel Summers can follow Scott and Jean, and so on.

Essentially, Krakoa presents a whole host of possibilities for the MCU to pick and choose from. Even opting for familiar characters still puts them in new situations, as they're not confined to a school in Westchester trying to survive. Krakoa is a glimpse at what mutants look like when they're thriving - even if the MCU chooses to utilize the island's downfall as part of their introduction. It's a whole other side to the X-Men none of the previous films managed to capture. It changes their standing in the world as a whole and shows that mutants are bigger than one single team.

Krakoa Could Define the X-Men’s Relationship with Other MCU Heroes and Villains

A Politically-Charged Story Could Add Intrigue to the MCU

Regardless of how they're introduced into the MCU, the X-Men will need to establish relationships with other heroes and teams in the universe. That's true whether only a handful of mutants cross in from another universe or whether they have an entire nation at their disposal, but the latter is categorically more interesting. Not only does it put the X-Men on equal (or higher) footing than many of the other superpowered groups like the Avengers, it gives them something to stand up for beyond their own survival and, perhaps more importantly, equips them with something to offer. Krakoa is abundant in resources.

Although it eventually backfired, Krakoa once offered cures to the world for its worst problems. If Krakoa was discovered or unveiled in the MCU and the X-Men arrived on-scene with their advanced medications, for instance, it would have a profound impact on how they were perceived by the other characters. The method of hiding Krakoa could be equally influential, as a revelation that powerful telepathy or something similar kept the island a secret would be wildly controversial. In general, Krakoa would guarantee that the X-Men's introduction would have an impact and would leave no choice for the heroes and villains to decide where they stand.

The MCU Needs the X-Men to Be Successful

The X-Men Is One of Marvel's Most Enduring Franchises

Pulling in the X-Men is one of the biggest moves in MCU history, and it must be done correctly. Striking the right balance between the mutants that fans already love and fresh, inventive storytelling is completely possible, and Krakoa is an excellent jump-off point. Not only does it provide ample opportunity to explore stories that haven't made it to the screen, but its structure offers the ideal blend of fan-favorite characters and new voices. Krakoa's time may have ended in the comics, but it can still have a place onscreen, and the MCU would benefit from utilizing the X-Men's lush mutant nation.

House of X / Powers of X, which features the beginning of the Krakoa Era, is available now from Marvel Comics.