Kevin Feige Says MCU ‘X-Men’ Movie Will Be ‘Youth-Focused’

Kevin Feige recently gave some new insight about the MCU’s forthcoming X-Men movie.

During a press conference ahead of the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the Marvel Studios president confirmed Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier will helm the MCU’s X-Men film.

Feige also teased a fresh, younger take on the beloved mutant franchise, telling the press that Schreier is “going to make a youth-focused reboot.”

“That may be reflected in mutant castings, and it’ll definitely be felt in the tone and perspective of the film,” Feige teased, according to Variety.

Feige also noted that the X-Men comics “have been a place to tell stories about young people who feel different and who feel Other and who feel like they don’t belong.

“That’s the universal story of mutants, and that is where we’re going,” he shared.

In a new interview with The Playlist, Schreier teased fans with his vision for the upcoming comic book movie. “Yeah, I think that’s fair to say,” he agreed when asked if the MCU’s version of the X-Men will be “recognizably different” than the film adaptations that came before it.

“What I can say is, it’s just inherently interesting and complex material ... The core idea of what ‘X-Men’ is involves complexity. It’s an incredible opportunity with super interesting characters and [much] internal conflict. These characters are wrestling with their identity and place in the world—that’s inherently interesting and complex material,” Schreier said.

“To be able to explore all of the ideas that are inherent to that rich source material, but also at the scale inherent to the source material, that’s like a very rare and fortunate opportunity. That’s very exciting,” he continued.

The Future of the X-Men in the MCU

The first official X-Men movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is expected to come out after the release of Avengers: Secret Wars, which is scheduled to hit theaters in May 2027.

The yet-to-be-titled film does not have an official release date, but fans anticipate the movie directed by Jake Schreier could hit theaters in late 2027 or 2028, and potentially kick off Phase 7 of the MCU.

Back in July 2019, Kevin Feige teased at San Diego Comic-Con that the X-Men’s mutants would eventually be introduced into the MCU, but that the MCU’s take on the franchise will be different from the previous X-Men movies from 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) and will feature new faces in the iconic roles.

Though some of 20th Century Studios’ fan-favorite X-Men actors were brought into the MCU via the Multiverse — such as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, and Patrick Stewart’s Professor Charles Xavier in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — the upcoming X-Men movie will feature a recast team of mutants following a large-scale “reset” of the MCU in Secret Wars.

READ MORE: The Story of the Canceled ‘X-Men vs Fantastic Four’ Movie

Speaking to the press on July 18, 2025, Feige said they plan to utilize the Secret Wars storyline to “not just to round out the stories we’ve been telling post-Endgame” but also “[set] us up for the future,” as Secret Wars is “about beginnings.”

However, Feige shied away from characterizing the MCU’s future as a true “reboot,” instead opting to call it a “refresh.”

“Reboot is a scary word. Reboot can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Reset, singular timeline — we’re thinking along those lines,” he explained, adding, “X-Men is where that will happen next.”

Before that though, a number of original X-Men actors will reprise their mutant roles in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, including Stewart, Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), James Marsden (Cyclops), and Kelsey Grammer (Beast).