Before Robert Downey Jr. put on the metal suit, and Chris Evans was cast as a superhero that wasn’t on fire, Hugh Jackman was donning Adamantium claws in the first X-Men movie. From 2000 to 2006, the live-action adaptation of the classic Marvel superhero ensemble took the screen by force, and the trilogy was then continued with a prequel, a sequel, and a few spinoff movies. The original X-Men movies are celebrated in the comic book communities — to this day — as some of the best page-to-screen adaptations, even after the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). As such, it’s no wonder that the MCU sees the success of the X-Men franchise and are keen to incorporate those beloved characters. We, in fact, saw the beginning of that with Sir Patrick Stewart’s Professor X cameo in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness earlier this year.

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As outlined by IGN, the MCU owes itself to X-Men’s success. The X-Men franchise changed how audiences received superhero movies and effectively expanded the potential of the genre. So, as excited as fans are about the mutants coming into the MCU fold, there are those who may (rightfully) be apprehensive. The question is: what can Marvel Studios learn from its predecessors of the X-Men franchise in order to do justice to these incredibly beloved films and iconic characters? Here are six things.

It Takes Time

     20th Century Fox

The entirety of the first X-Men movie was focused on an angsty Logan (aka the Wolverine) and his learning who the X-Men were. When introducing the mutants to the MCU, it should take time. Younger characters like Kitty and Iceman, who are team staples in the comics, didn’t get crowned as X-Men till the end of The Last Stand. This is a big universe, mostly unturned by the MCU except for Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver variants, and that wonderful moment in WandaVision with Evan Peters’ Quicksilver cameo. For fans and moviegoers in general, it will be much appreciated if the introduction to the mutant world is slow and stays true to the grit of the characters.

Remember the Roots

     Marvel Studios

Stan Lee, the creator of Marvel Comics, always formed his characters with delicacy and purpose. The X-Men were created in 1962 in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. Lee has said that the X-Men were inspired by the Civil Rights leaders at the time, and the main villain of the group is not an evil mastermind with laser beams or death rays — indeed, their nemesis is the people of earth. X-Men has always asserted that it is okay to be different, and that those differences make you who you are. One of the most memorable quotes in the X-Men movie franchise is the mantra said by Mystique: “Mutant, and proud.” It is important for the MCU to remember who these characters are representing and how the stories are so much more than that to a majority of their viewers.

Remember the Anti-Heroes

     Marvel Entertainment

One of the most recognizable themes throughout the X-Men characters is that most of them are anti-heroes. Most notable is Erik Lensherr, aka Magneto, and his views of the world. The character has suffered much, and his ideals and motives are justifiable. It is so hard to hate the character when you understand where he is coming from. And that applies to many mutants who live in constant fear of persecution, hate, and even violence. The MCU, of course, has their fair share of understandable villains, like Black Panther’s Killmonger and Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Vulture, but the mutant world isn’t always so black-and-white when it comes to heroism or morality. The X-Men franchise was able to show that characters like Magneto, Mystique, and Pyro are not always bad and not always good. They have goals that often align with others; they are just portrayed to have different tactics of obtaining their goals.

Be Careful with Time Travel

     20th Century Studios

Some of the newest MCU stories are very wrapped up in the idea of time and the Multiverse. From Loki introducing us to the idea of Variants, Spider-Man: No Way Home giving us the team-up of all the live-action versions of Spider-Man, and Wanda dreamwalking to hunt America Chavez in Doctor Strange 2, time and multiversal travel is a newer concept to the MCU. The X-Men franchise has also dabbled in time alterations in the movie X-Men: Days of Future Past. This movie was able to tackle time travel in a coherent way that didn’t damage character arcs too severely. It did make way for a new story arc to take place with a younger team of classic character, but ultimately was a very fun continuation to the original trilogy and a great mashup for both the young and old versions of the characters, combining the casts from X-Men: First Class and X-Men. So, if time travel is to be a main storyline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they would do great to be careful with the butterfly effects and learn from how the X-Men franchise was able to use it to make a coherent and impactful addition to their timeline.

Don’t Forget the Women and Characters of Color

The X-Men is filled with powerful, influential women and racialized characters. This is what makes the X-Men who they are. Marvel Studios has done somewhat of a great job, albeit only in Phase 4, of committing themselves to diverse storytelling in the MCU, so it would be in their best interest to remember that the X-Men represent those who are traditionally underrepresented. The X-Men movie franchise has always been representative of this. From Storm to Iceman (who, per Vox, came out as gay in the comics in 2015), there’s a wealth of diverse narratives to explore.

There Doesn’t Have to be Happy Endings

The whole X-Men storyline is sad, and it’s okay to keep it that way. The MCU has made its audiences cry before, but there always seems to be a happy aspect. In Tony’s sacrifice came Morgan, and he was able to leave a message saying goodbyes. Natasha cleared the red from her ledger and made amends with both her families. A version of Gamora is somewhere in the universe, and Loki has come back from the dead again, and again, and again. In the original X-Men movie franchise, the stories are built around sadness. Jean Grey is constantly battling an inner force that makes her hurt the people she loves, Wolverine has to kill the woman he loves to save the world, Charles gets dementia and kills his students, and Wolverine ends up dying in a brutal way. Their stories are riddled with tragedy, and in order to do justice to the mutants, the MCU shouldn’t be afraid of unhappy endings.