Marvel Studios' Rumored X-Men Title Would Be Special Nod To Stan Lee

Even on a day when Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are anxiously awaiting the premiere of "Episode 9" of WandaVision, it's the long-term future that has the Marvel world ablaze. This is due to the exciting news of Marvel Studios' plans to officially bring the X-Men into the franchise with the entitled The Mutants, which is now in development.

While there is very little news regarding The Mutants this early in the development process, this is a monumental day for the MCU's upcoming plans for Phase 4 and beyond. Fans have been waiting since the Fox/Disney merger officially closed to find out when Marvel's genetic superhumans would finally take their rightful place alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and this project at least confirms something for the MCU fandom to keep their eye on.

Going into an analysis of the name, there is a very meaningful tribute in the title that ties back to one of Marvel's most important figures.

STAN LEE REMEMBERED WITH THE MUTANTS

An old release from Screen Rant reveals that the late Stan Lee originally planned on calling the X-Men comics series "The Mutants" before his publisher, Martin Goodman, suggested otherwise.

Speaking at the Wizard World Nashville event in 2017, Lee remarked that Goodman, who founded Marvel Comics in 1939, had told him "our readers aren't that smart," but he ended up later approving the "X-Men "name.:

"I wanted originally to call them The Mutants and he said, 'you can't call them The Mutants' and I said, 'why not?' He said, 'our readers, they aren't that smart.' He had no respect for comic book readers. He said, 'they won't know what a mutant is.' Well, I disagreed with him, but he was the boss so I had to think of another name. So, I went home and I thought and thought and I came up with the X-Men and I mentioned it to him the next day and he said, 'that's okay' and as I walked out of his office I thought, that was very peculiar. If nobody would know what a mutant is how will anybody know what an X-Man is? But he had okayed the name and I used it."

This comes after the recent exclusive from The Illuminerdi revealed that Marvel Studios is developing a new project entitled The Mutants.

STAN LEE LIVING ON THROUGH THE MCU

What a way to pay tribute to the man who made Marvel Comics the overwhelming success it continues to be today, especially with the Marvel Cinematic Universe ranking as one of the most popular franchises in the movie business

Lee created the X-Men in 1963 along with legendary Marvel Comics writer and artist Jack Kirby, originally kicking off their run with longstanding characters like Cyclops, Beast, Angel, and the villainous Magneto. While the naming process for this team of genetic anomalies seems to be a peculiar one, it stuck the landing and helped the team become one of the most popular teams in all comics.

The X-Men helped bring the modern era of superhero movies to life with 2000's X-Men before a dozen more movies debuted within the 20th Century Fox series. After Disney acquired the rights to the heroes in the merger with Fox, it seemed to be only a matter of time before they suited up for the MCU's next phase of adventures.

While there is no confirmed release date or production timeframe for The Mutants, nor are any story details available, Marvel Studios is clearly doing their part to remember one of the most iconic individuals both from the comic pages and the big screen.