A new rumor indicates Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios are working on developing an Excalibur film featuring Captain Britain.
The rumor comes from Mikey Sutton in his Geekosity Facebook group.
Sutton details:
“Excalibur is coming to the MCU. Based on the Chris Claremont/Alan Davis comic-book series, Excalibur will be hybrid of fantasy and comedy featuring time travel, magic, and superheroics.”
He then indicates that Excalibur will spin out of the upcoming The Eternals film, which features the Black Knight.
“This is part of Kevin Feige’s grand plan to inject new creative blood into the mutant franchise. If you’re wondering why Marvel Studios is introducing the Black Knight in The Eternals, this relatively obscure character is part of a larger overall goal, an X-Men offshoot that will be radically different from the main mutant films they will produce.”
Sutton then makes it clear that the film will star Captain Britain:
“Not only that, but it provides Captain Britain opportunities to soar. Imagine the MCU filtered through Time Bandits with a dash of Monty Python British humor.”
As for when we might see Excalibur on the big screen, Sutton details, “it’ll be a few years as this is gradually being mapped out. Fox sat on this for so long, a goldmine sitting in the attic.”
This timeline lines up with Feige’s public statements. In April, Feige commented on when the X-Men could arrive in the MCU:
“It’ll be a while. 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. 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.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard a rumor about Captain Britain getting a leading role in an MCU film. Back in 2018, a rumor from Ain’t It Cool News stated Guy Ritchie would direct a Black Knight and Captain Britain team-up film. That film never came to fruition.
At the same time we were hearing that rumor, there were also rumors about the Eternals film. It would later be revealed that Kit Harrington would play the Black Knight in The Eternals film.
Captain Britain Already Referenced in the MCU?
Groundwork for Captain Britain and Excalibur was potentially laid in Avengers: Endgame. In the film, a reference to Captain Britain was made when Captain America and Iron Man traveled back to the 1970s.
While attempting to avoid detection in the highly secured compound, Captain America discovers Peggy Carter’s office and eavesdrops on a conversation she is having. During that conversation, Peggy Carter drops the name “Braddock” noting that an Agent Braddock hasn’t checked in.
Many believe this is a reference to Captain Britain whose name is Brian Braddock. While, it could be a reference to Captain Britain. The famous British superhero also has a famous twin sister named Elizabeth Braddock. You might know her as Psylocke. They also have another brother named James Braddock Jr.
When asked about the name drop and if it was a Captain Britain reference, Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo sidestepped the question responding, “I think we uh, maybe… or maybe it’s just a guy named Braddock [laughs].”
A Different Take on Mutants
Not only was there a potential tease of Captain Britain in Avengers: Endgame, but Endgame writer Christopher Markus revealed that the MCU version of mutants would be something movie-going audiences hadn’t seen before.
Related: Avengers: Endgame Writer: MCU X-Men Will Be Something You Haven’t Seen Before
Markus told the LA Times, “It’ll be fascinating to see what Kevin Feige does with the properties he’s now getting from the Fox merger with X-Men and Fantastic Four.”
He continued:
“And to see what the MCU version of those things is, because I very much doubt it will be something that resembles what you’ve seen before. So that will be very exciting.”
Captain Britain
In the comics, Captain Britain protects a lighthouse that is placed at the convergence of realities. The Excalibur team would actually hop through multiple dimensions and parallel worlds as they went on a number of adventures.
Related: Simon Pegg Wants to Become a Marvel Superhero
The original Excalibur team created by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis included Captain Britain, Meggan, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Shadowcat, and Lockheed. However, the team also included the Black Knight, Psylocke, Colossus, Kylun, Dazzler, Warlock, Cerise, and others.
Are you interested in seeing an Excalibur film with Captain Britain at the helm?