Don’t Look To ‘Dark Phoenix’ For Any Hints On The Future Of The X-Men

The new X-Men movie recreating a popular comics arc for Sophie Turner's Jean Grey, Dark Phoenix, comes to theaters on June 7. But if you're planning on waiting in your seats as the end credits roll, there's really no need. There's no Dark Phoenix post-credits scene, and for a good reason.

The movie, which shows how Jean acquires incredible and dangerous powers from a mysterious entity in outer space is almost certainly the last entry in the 20th Century Fox X-Men franchise, which began in 2000. That's because Disney now officially owns the studio, after sealing the deal back in March with a $71.3 billion merger. This means that Disney now owns the rights to the X-Men franchise, so those Marvel characters can be used, as they like, by Marvel Studios. So we can likely expect to see the X-Men be woven into the MCU at some point in the future.

But we probably won't be seeing Professor X's students meeting Earth's Mightiest Heroes anytime soon. In an interview with io9, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said that it's going to take some time for their worlds to meet. "It’s all just beginning and the five-year plan that we’ve been working on, we were working on before any of that was set," he said. "So really it’s much more, for us, less about specifics of when and where [the X-Men will appear] right now and more just the comfort factor and how nice it is that they’re home. That they’re all back. But it will be a very long time."

So, one reason why there isn't a post-credits scene is that there's nothing to tease just yet. It seems that Marvel will be taking its time to figure out what to do next with the X-Men, which will likely involve a whole new cast and creative team.

The previously pending Gambit movie (which Channing Tatum was reportedly headlining) is no longer happening. According to Collider, the perspective film cycled through multiple directors including Rupert Wyatt, Doug Liman, and Gore Verbinski. And though there were times when Gambit seemed to be in pre-production, the project never really took off. And now it's officially dead. But there's still The New Mutants to look forward to, starring Maisie Williams, Turner's IRL bestie and Game of Thrones costar. Though the premiere date has been pushed back more than once, it is now expected to be released in April 2020.

Still, there's a possibility that Feige will figure out a way to insert the X-Men into their five-year MCU Phase Four plan. Though it's already pretty heavy with material, including a Black Panther sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and other films starring existing MCU heroes. There's no stopping this juggernaut of superhero movies, however. So in a few years' time, you may be watching post-credits scenes that feature new versions of the oft-misunderstood mutants. After all, it's the MCU that made sticking around for post-credits scenes a trend in the first place.