For those that have seen the most recent trailer for Spiderman: Far From Home you may have noticed the mention of one of the most geek fueled terms in all of comics. Yes, I’m talking about the MULTIVERSE.

For those unfamiliar, this refers to the concept that our known universe is just one of an infinite amount! Each universe can contain replicas of us but never/not always identical in personality/story. For example, there can be a universe where the nazis won World War II. There could also be a universe where Gwen Stacie got bit by a radioactive spider and not Peter Parker. The possibilities are endless!

Some people believe that this will be how the X-Men are brought into the MCU. This could be the case but in my opinion, I don’t think it’s necessary.

Let’s look at the FACTS people!

The Avengers Arrive: Unless you’ve lived under a rock you know that the original Avengers to fight Loki in 2011 were Ironman, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Hulk.

Ironman has no powers and has been a known public figure. Captain America is enhanced, sure. Yet he is also the poster boy for our country and was on ice for over seventy years. Thor is a god and doesn’t belong to our world. Natasha and Clint do not have powers. Lastly, that leaves the Hulk who is, yes, scary to the average citizen.

The attack on New York wasn’t done by enhanced humans it was an alien invasion. There wasn’t any space to doubt those that came to save the day. It’s also worth noting the context of their abilities. The one who most sticks out here is Hulk and we will build on him below.

Johannesburg: We can look back to Age of Ultron to when Wanda used her powers to make Bruce lose control. This caused the (epic) fight between he and Tony which lead to the destruction of Johannesburg. Remember, the people were terrified and Bruce was mortified. So much so that this was his last moment on earth until Avengers: Infinity War! He literally went off world for three years and was not present for any of the drama regarding the Sokovia Accords.

Sokovia: The Avengers saved the day but we have to recall that this was another domino in the line that lead to the plot of Captain America: Civil War; self proclaimed heroes doing as they wish with nothing to keep them in check. All the conflict with the United Nations and international governments over what to do about this group of Avengers and the majority of them didn’t even have powers! Well, a new addition with abilities did and she was the final straw at the intro to Civl War.

Wanda Maximoff: In Lagos, Wanda uses her powers to stop an explosion that she tries to send up to the sky. She loses control and the explosion ends up killing innocents in the building above. This is the foundation for her plot in the movie; People are afraid of her and her abilities just the way that people were afraid of Bruce when he lost control in Johannesburg. They are the only two powered humans on earth so far and they both attracted terrible reactions from the public. I know, I know but what about Captain America, Spiderman, and Hulk’s funny scene in Endgame? We’re getting there.

Celebrity: We can look at real world contexts to make sense of the unequal treatments to characters. Yes, Steve Rogers is enhanced but he looks like any human being. His title is also Captain AMERICA. There is an obvious element of patriotism to him which I’m sure inspires positive reactions. He was also on ice for over 70 years and only went public during the events in New York. Regardless, at the end of Civil War he became a fugitive for refusing to sign himself over to the control of the UN. The ONLY reason that shit was cleared up was because half the universe vanished after Thanos snapped his f****** fingers!

I repeat, the conflict from Civil War, at least publicly, was never solved! Other more extreme s*** just got in the way! Therefore, public fear, hesitation, suspicion could still very much be a reality.

Spiderman has powers! You’re right, he does. Yet he also has had the public support of Ironman (a billionaire with no powers who literally saved the universe). He was ALSO in FAVOR of signing the accords and agreeing with world leaders that they needed to be kept in check. During this conflict Spiderman was recruited by Tony Stark which could easily translate into public support of the friendly neighborhood hero.

That leaves that comedic scene from Endgame with Hulk and the kids. I agree, this one is tough to explain. However, he is clearly a celebrity after the time jump and after he has learned to control his powers. We need to remember that the power of celebrity allows for people who might belong to a targeted group to step away from that persecution. Mutants aren’t heroes, they’re not all out there trying to save the day. They don’t all have the protection and benefits of this future Bruce Banner.

There All Along: I believe that the reality is mutants have been in the MCU this entire time. Recall that for the Fox studios universe mutants existed in the 60s, but in the original timeline didn’t go public or “mainstream” until the 90’s. Even after the events of Days of Future Past which altered that timeline, the mutants still had another decade after First Class before being discovered due to the events of the Paris Peace Accords.

If we take the events of Johannesburg, Wanda’s mistake in Lagos, the international debate over the Sokovia Accords (similar concepts to the Mutant Registration Act), and the lack of legitimate powered humans on earth, it is VERY possible that mutants are there; they’re just hiding!

They have seen publicly what can happen to those who cant control their abilities… I believe they’re out there but an event forcing them to go public has just not yet arrived.

Time will tell I suppose!