Since the X-Men are among the few A-listers who have yet to appear in a Marvel Studios film, many are curious as to how they will be incorporated into the MCU. However, Marvel Studios has already dealt with a group of mutants, albeit in a TV series unrelated to the X-Men, as there was an infamous series that is now largely forgotten.
Given the success of Fox's first two X-Men films, Mutant X looked and sounded like an X-Men spinoff. Unfortunately, it fell short of the calibre of those movies or the calibre of the comic books, coming out as a shoddy production typical of the time.
What Was the Ignored X-Men TV Series by Marvel Studios?
Mutant X, which was created by Avid Arad, made its broadcast premiere in October 2001, over 11 years ago. Marvel Studios was one of the show's production companies, however the show had nothing to do with the Mutant X comic book or the X-Men franchise in general. It yet shared a very similar basis, which would later come back to haunt it.
Related: Thanos' Maker Guesses Which of His Characters Could Join the MCU Next
The plot concerned the emergence of "new mutants," or persons endowed with superhuman abilities as a result of genetic engineering. Adam Kane, one of the scientists who led this, later regretted his choices and founded Mutant X to safeguard young mutants from those who would hunt and take advantage of them. New mutants including the invulnerable Jesse Kilmartin, the animalistic Shalimar, and "telepath" Emma DeLauro were on his crew. Together, they embarked on adventures that included many of the same themes as real X-Men stories, such as being on the run, being taken advantage of by the government, and being a persecuted minority.
Adam Kane, played by John Shea, resembled Professor X in certain ways. Unfortunately, he's one of the series' few redeeming qualities despite its bad imitations of both Fox's X-Men movies and the Matrix movies. Instead of fight scenes, it mostly consisted of synchronised movement patterns. Similar to the sluggish prose, the performances and special effects occasionally bordered on the ridiculous. Even if the showrunners didn't want attention, the show would be noticed.
Marvel Studios Was Sued By Fox
Before Mutant X made its television debut, there was a scuffle with 20th Century Fox. Due to Marvel Comics giving the rights to the studio, they were in charge of the X-Men films and television series at the time. It appeared as though the strikingly similar Mutant X had violated their exclusive rights as a result. Before the matter was resolved, Marvel would countersue, and only after the show had already ended would the legal battle be finally handled in private.
Related: It’s Morbin’ Time: Morbius actually became Netflix’s No. 1 streamed movie
Needless to say, Marvel Studios hasn't continued to market the series in a sentimental manner ever since. The rights to the real X-Men are now in the hands of Marvel Studios because they now own Fox. Of course, Disney ignores the series Mutant X, and its characters have never appeared in another work. Because of this, it can only be viewed on Tubi TV and not on Hulu or Disney+. The Marvel Cinematic Universe may be evolving with the arrival of mutants, but maybe Marvel Studios has improved since the days of Mutant X.