There have been several nods to the X-Men in the MCU since Disney acquired the rights back in 2019. From cameos in The Marvels and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness to Wolverine’s entry in Deadpool & Wolverine, the references have been mounting up.
Captain America: Brave New World, the latest Marvel Phase 5 entry, is no different, bringing in Adamantium to the universe, which is the metal that Wolverine’s skeleton is made of. According to Marvel producer Nate Moore, this is all part of the studio’s plan to slowly introduce the X-Men for when an eventual movie rolls around.
“Now that we can build the path towards X-Men, we want to start sprinkling in these things so that it doesn’t feel like you’re going to drink from a fire hose when that movie comes, so that the MCU starts to lay the groundwork for what could come,” Moore tells Entertainment Weekly. However, he did go on to admit that currently there’s no timeline for a mutant-focussed movie yet. “Our X-Men plans are still pretty fluid,” he added.
In Captain America: Brave New World, Adamantium is discovered in the Celestial Island, and is a key part of the worldwide treaty that Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus Ross is championing. In a speech at The White House he says that the metal has numerous health properties and could be the most important discovery since Vibranium.
For more on the new movie, check out our Captain America: Brave New World review, Captain America: Brave New World ending explained, and our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.