Why The Marvels Director Nia DaCosta And Kevin Feige Fought Over The X-Men
Though it's predominantly a showcase of three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most prominent heroines — Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) — "The Marvels" also shines a spotlight on mutants. Next to Ms. Marvel, who's teased as a mutant on her self-titled Disney+ series, the film also includes Beast (Kelsey Grammer) and hints at other members of his universe's X-Men team. As it turns out, the inclusion of the alternate universe X-Men in the film created some conflict between director Nia DaCosta and Marvel Studios figurehead Kevin Feige.
"Okay, so Kevin and I, it's one of our fights. I really wanted — I really was pushing so much X-Men. And he was like, 'We have to just be very calm about this and be measured adults,' which is why he's the boss," DaCosta shared during an interview with AP Entertainment. The director admits that she's "a big nerd who needs to be reined in," while Feige is more focused on the big picture and integrating the X-Men into the MCU in a more calculated way. At least, in the end, they reached a middle ground, and she scored a major X-Men cameo and huge hints toward the existence of other members.
Should Feige and Marvel Studios offer her the chance to do more with the X-Men, though, DaCosta has a big idea in mind.
DaCosta knows what she'd like to do with the X-Men at the movies
Since they became fair game for Marvel Studios to use, the X-Men have slowly been brought into the MCU fold. Versions of such iconic mutants as Professor Charles Xavier (Sir Patrick Stewart), the aforementioned Beast, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) from across the Multiverse are now in the MCU, but fans have yet to see a proper X-Men movie. It stands to reason that the team and its corner of the Marvel Universe will receive a proper MCU feature soon. If it were to be offered up to her, DaCosta knows one major story element she'd like to cover.
During an appearance on Jake's Takes, DaCosta discussed one of her ideal cinematic X-Men stories. "I really like Scott Summers and Storm together and their dynamic fighting over who should lead the X-Men, like in the Chris Claremont run," she said. The director sees a lot of potential in a Cyclops and Storm team-up film at the movies, which would be a refreshing change of pace from 20th Century Fox's Professor X and Wolverine-heavy "X-Men" saga.
Hopefully, someday, DaCosta will get the opportunity to bring her friendly Cyclops and Storm rivalry to the big screen under the Marvel Studios banner, expanding on her work with the X-Men in "The Marvels."