Though Disney has been tight-lipped on their silver screen plans for merry band of mutants, a new rumor suggests that Marvel will not only race-swap a number of X-Men upon their arrival to the MCU, but that the studio also intends to use cameos from the original Fox films cast as “better bait” to entice fans into theaters.
This potential for even further multiversal madness from Marvel was first raised by independent Disney reporter WDW Pro, who himself claims to have received the information from a supposed anonymous contact within the American toy industry.
In a message sent to WDW Pro, which the reporter subsequently shared verbatim to Disney-centric news outlet That Park Place, the insider alleged that the studio’s outlook towards race-swapping the X-Men was not ‘should we do it’, but rather “how much to include.”
“The thinking is apparently that race swaps will be more accepted if the incoming « swapped-in » actor is a bigger name, with the thinking that the more marquis the name, the harder it is for fans to object or criticize it,” they explained.
Offering a quick aside, the insider briefly noted that while Disney “are look at reigning in budgets somewhat,” they are unsure of how to tackle the problem of how “as projected actor salaries are planned to increase, there would be less left in total budget for production.”
“Remember that part of the « winning formula », per Disney going forward is « cameos »,” they added. “Those add salary pressure, even if included in an actors’ contract (included means the pay is already built in).”
“Still, Disney know that they have to get a handle on budgets in order to help facilitate « non-event » movies hitting their theatrical profit lines,” the insider said.
Returning to the studio’s plans for the X-Men, the insider then claimed that though they will make an appearance in the MCU, “select Fox-Avengers [ostensibly a shorthand term for the collective cast of the various X-films] will be included as « bait » and as « jobbers » for new « Disney » X-Men.”
“You know how many fans are continually calling out Disney for pulling « bait & switches » all over the place?” asked the insider. “Well, that’s apparently set to continue, with a strong faction at Marvel calling for « better bait ». Apparently that is part of their oh so genius solution.”
RELATRED: Rumor: Marvel Seeking To Cast ‘Aquaman’ Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II As Race-Swapped Wonder Man
“The Fox actors are considered « top notch bait »,” the insider detailed. “At first glance, this « better bait », when it rolls out will likely be FALSELY interpreted by some fans as Disney « listening to the fans ».”
“It’s not,” they declared. “It’s a cynical money play, which also has a component to shut up those manufacturing licensed products (« see, see, we gave you a white male hero for a few minutes, so what are you complaining about? »)”
To this end, the insider also divulged that “the baiting with character/actor stunts aims to also sell the characters which are Disney’s real interest.”
“In pro wrestling it’s called « jobbing », where an established big name who pops with fans is used to put over, sell, or at least make more palatable a new character the wrestling promotion wants to push,” they explained for the non-wrestling fans. “Watch for this to get even more glaring going forward.”
RELATED RUMOR: Alleged Insider Claims Marvel Studios’ Diversity Push Meant To Recoup Financial Losses From Brand’s Death In China
As far as other character changes, the insider stated that though Marvel is still working out “how to play alphabet [include LGBTQ representation]” with the team, they had “not heard about any gender swaps.”
Interestingly, the insider also stated that the X-Men were, “at least as of two weeks ago still being referred to as X-Men” – a particularly surprising choice given how recent years have seen the name come under tired, gender-critical based fire both onscreen and from real life Marvel executives.
Unsurprisingly, the insider ultimately alleged that Marvel was, in a confirmation of many fans’ fears, “working hard at trying to find a palatable-to-them balance between the minimum property authenticity to ensure commercial success and their main focus of « being reflective of not only today’s society but also of the society of tomorrow ».”
“One Marvel mid-line creative referred to this as « unfortunate » because that « means having white men be more present than we want to »,” they continued.
“Yes, the above is from 2nd and 3rd removed sources at Disney,” the insider admitted, “but 3 of them have said that one of the main objectives is to « continue to move on, to transit from white men », even if this means leaving money on the table.”
“They know that « unfortunately white men are the money in the whole revenue stream chain, which includes multiple viewings, more merch at higher price points, secondary media spends, etc,” they concluded. “We want to give the minimum possible needed to get the most that we can out of them. We’ll have to throw them a couple of bones.»”
NEXT: Rumor: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine To Don Classic Yellow Suit In ‘Deadpool 3’