Hispanic MCU characters X-Men That Need To Be Part Of X-men
we want hispanic mcu characters. Hi! My name is Diego. I’m a big nerd and I have been in love with comic books since I was a little chamaco. What’s my absolute favorite comic book franchise of all time? X-Men! I am the ultimate X-Men stan.
Something about their struggle for acceptance and their fight against prejudice really spoke to me as a queer little Mexican boy.
Pictured: Comic Book Perfection
Just like them, I was trying to make my way in this world. Only, without the laser eyes and the adamantium claws. Also, let’s be real. They were just the best superteam around. The costumes. The powers. The characters. The relationship drama. I live.
Suffice to say I have a deep love for these characters. I love them all. Every single one. Even these guys.
And while I’ve enjoyed (most of) their recent film adaptations, now that Disney has acquired all of the 20th Century Studios properties we’ve got the X-Men’s introduction into the storied Marvel Cinematic Universe to look forward to. I cannot wait for Kevin Feige and the MCU team to show the X-Men the same love they’ve given to all the other Marvel properties.
While we do wait, here’s a few Latino mutants I would love to see get the MCU treatment.
Will Marvel listen to me? Probably not. Will I have a lot of fun writing this list? Definitely yes.
RICTOR: Julio Esteban Richter
Former member of the X-Men junior class, the New Mutants, Mexican mutant Rictor has the ability to generate intense seismic energy, causing earthquakes. He just vibes. Literally. He’s been around the X-Universe forever and was one of my favorite mutants growing up. Seeing a Mexican superhero as a kid was everything for me and I’ve loved watching his evolution.
The evolution of his looks is just goals. Weeerk, Julio!
I even had the 90s Toy Biz action figure that you could wind up so it would feebly shake around the floor in a weird attempt to recreate his earthquake powers.
Just look at this heroic face.
BUT One of his most recent claims to fame occurred when…
He came out and joined the ranks of the X-Universe’s many openly queer characters.
His kiss with longtime companion Shatterstar was a historic moment as Marvel’s first on-panel kiss between two mainstream superhero characters. It’s the kind of kiss you give when you rescue your boo from being possessed by a cyborg from the future. True story. Talk about breaking boundaries.
A younger teen version of Rictor was depicted by Jason Genao in the movie Logan.
But why can’t we have a fully realized X-Man and adult Rictor in the MCU? For real, though. Why? Somebody tell me.
SUNSPOT: Roberto Da Costa
The solar-powered Brazilian mutant of Afro-Latino descent, Roberto Da Costa has been an X-Men mainstay for decades. While once a member of the younger class like Rictor, Roberto has come a long way since his first appearance: evolving as a superhero in his own right with the paramilitary X-Force team, joining the Avengers, creating his own Avengers team, and most recently putting the moves on a murderous intergalactic imperial space princess.
It’s 2020. Shoot. Your. Shot.
While he had a small appearance in X-Men: Days of Future Past where he was brutally dismembered by robots, Sunspot is set for a larger role in the New Mutants film played by Brazilian actor Henry Zaga.
His other mutant power is looking good in polo shirts.
With the merger of Disney and 20th Century Studios is there room for Zaga to reprise the role in an MCU setting? Time will tell.
CECILIA REYES
One of my absolute favorite X-people from that magical late 90s era of X-Men history where we were past the extreme grunge and thigh pouches of the X-Force days, but not quite into the existential rebranding of the early 2000s.
This no-nonsense Puerto Rican badass from the Bronx has a psioplasmic biofield, which is fancy comic book talk for a personal force-field that protects her from any physical threat. She didn’t even want to be a member of the X-Men. Unfortunately, an anti-mutant Sentinel attack sort of blew up her life and her workplace so she kind of had no choice but to join the crew. But she did it her way.
She didn’t wear a special uniform, opting for the standard blue and gold, didn’t take a codename (“That’s Dr. Cecilia Reyes to you, pendejo!”), and generally didn’t take anybody’s crap.
Seen here. Not taking crap from an alien.
She’s set to make her on-screen debut in the upcoming New Mutants film, played by Alice Braga, but here’s hoping Dr. Reyes can also make the transition to the MCU. We need more badass Afro-Latina superheroes on screen.
SKIN: Angelo Espinosa
He absolutely kills on the basketball court though.
Representing East L.A., Angelo Espinosa was part of a team near and dear to my nostalgia, Generation X, the younger edgier cooler 90s X-team. And Angelo was the wise-cracking skin-stretching heart and soul of the crew. Angelo’s mutation wasn’t a very attractive one (but hey, not all mutants can be Storm, you know?). He had six extra feet of elastic leathery grey skin that he could reshape and stretch for a variety of superhero tricks. Hence the codename. He was tragically killed. But thanks to comic book storytelling he’s back to life. Don’t question the logic. It’s part of the fun.
You might not know it, but Angelo actually did make his on-screen debut in the made for TV movie Generation X, way back in 1996.
This used to be the only X-Men movie we had. Be grateful.
But here’s hoping he gets a more mainstream and big-budget debut as part of the next MCU rollout.
DARWIN: Armando Muñoz
Armando is a mutant with the amazing power to instantaneously evolve and adapt to any situation. His peculiar powers can lead to some pretty dramatic effects.
Back in the day, he joined Professor X’s super-secret second team of X-Men who all died horribly on their first mission.
Darwin was launched into space. His powers turned him into pure energy to survive and he went into kind of a coma, before he was found by the X-Men and his powers once again evolved to grow him a new body from scratch. After that, he still decided to join the team again and take part in all of their modern-day escapades. Talk about a team player.
Now I know what you’re saying. Didn’t Darwin already show up in the X-Men: First Class movie?
Yes he did.
But I did not wait this long for the on-screen debut of an Afro-Latino mutant with the coolest powers ever just to have him show up on screen for 20 minutes and get murdered by KEVIN BACON.
So yeah, I’d like a do-over on Armando’s on screen representation please. MCU, I’m looking at you.
Honorable
Because while I love all the X-Men, not everybody is cut out for the big screen…
FERAL & THORN: Maria & Lucia Callasantos
They’re sisters, but also cats. And they murdered their parents.
EGG: Fabio Medina
If you think his name is funny, he used to go by Goldballs. Not even lying.
VELOCIDAD: Gabriel Coelho
A teen from Mexico City with time manipulation powers that let him move at relative super speed. But his powers cause him to rapidly age every time he uses them. Bummer.
WRAITH: Hector Rendoza
He’s supposed to have invisibility powers, but so far he can only manage turning his skin invisible. Gross.
EL GUAPO: Robbie Rodriguez
We… we don’t talk about El Guapo.