‘X-Men’ Reboot Director Officially Reveals Which Comics the New MCU Reboot Is Inspired By [Exclusive]

Marvel’s X-Men reboot is still in the early stages, but one substantial piece of the puzzle is finally starting to come into focus. For all the speculation around casting, team lineups, and how mutants will be folded into the MCU, we don’t actually know a great deal about how they’ll make that leap from the page to the screen — or indeed, from which page. That’s a huge deal with a franchise like X-Men, where different eras carry wildly different tones, themes, and character dynamics. Now, director Jake Schreier has revealed exactly which material he’s been pulling from while shaping Marvel’s up-to-date take on the mutants.

Speaking with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Schreier revealed he’s been immersing himself in the classic Chris Claremont era of X-Men comics while the film continues to come together. Adding that he would be working with Beef creator Lee Sung Jin and The Bear scribe and co-showrunner Joanna Calo on the script, Schreier opened up on the inspirations they’d be leaning on. “They have come in and are working on a draft right now, which is really, really exciting to be able to put that group of people together again,” said Shreier. He told Collider:

“I also think just having the time to kind of sit back, and I’ve just been digging into so many of the ancient comics and the entire Claremont run, and just going through stuff and really trying to think about what can we do well that feels up-to-date and feels different, and that hasn’t been done well before? Obviously, there’s such an incredible cinematic tradition of these comics, but what can we do? And how can we put our own spin on what that is?”

That’s a pretty major reveal, even if Schreier only says it in passing. Claremont’s run is one of the defining stretches in X-Men history, helping turn the team into the emotionally messy, politically charged, soap-operatic powerhouse that fans still love decades later. It’s the era that deepened the lore of characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Magneto, while also pushing the comics into much darker, richer territory.

Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz
Which MCU Hero Are You?
Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap

Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?

🕷️Spider-Man

😈Daredevil

🤖Iron Man

💀Punisher

⚡Thor

🛡️Cap

FIND YOUR HERO →

01

What drives you to do what’s right?
Choose the answer that feels most like you.

AWith great power comes great responsibility — I protect those who can’t protect themselves.
BMy faith and my conscience — I believe justice must be served, even in the murky.
CLegacy and ego, honestly — but I’ve learned that others depend on me now.
DThe system failed. Someone has to make sure the guilty actually pay.
EDuty to the innocent and honour to my name — I was born to protect realms.
FThe values I was raised with — freedom, decency, and never backing down from a bully.

NEXT QUESTION →

02

It’s 2 AM. Where are you?
Your answer says more about you than you’d think.

ASwinging between skyscrapers, keeping an eye on the neighbourhood.
BRunning rooftops in Hell’s Kitchen, listening for trouble.
CIn my lab, upgrading my suit with a cool cup of coffee nearby.
DStaking out a target I’ve been tracking for three weeks.
ESomewhere between the stars, or at a feast that got out of hand.
FOn a morning run — I was up at 4, actually. Couldn’t sleep.

NEXT QUESTION →

03

How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice?
Every hero has a method. What’s yours?

AWeb them up and leave them for the police — again.
BBuild an airtight case and dismantle their entire operation from the inside.
CDeploy a containment system I designed specifically for them. Tech wins.
DMake sure they don’t escape a third time. Permanently.
EChallenge them to single combat. Honour demands a decisive end.
FRally allies, adapt the plan, and bring them in — by the book, even if it’s tough.

NEXT QUESTION →

04

How do you feel about keeping a secret identity?
The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.

AEssential — my loved ones would be in danger if anyone found out who I am.
BCritical — the mask protects my mission as much as my face.
COverrated — I announced myself to the world and I’d do it again.
DI’m a ghost. The less people know about me, the better.
EMy name is known across the Nine Realms. There’s no hiding it.
FI don’t hide — but I understand why some need to. Transparency builds trust.

NEXT QUESTION →

05

You’ve lost someone crucial because of your heroism. How do you carry that?
Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.

AWith guilt that never fully goes away — it pushes me to do better, every single day.
BI channel it into purpose — their memory is the reason I keep fighting.
CI buried myself in work for years. I’m only recently learning to face it.
DIt transformed me completely. I’m not the same person I was before.
EWith warrior’s grief — I honour them by fighting with everything I have.
FI keep moving forward. Stopping means letting the loss win.

NEXT QUESTION →

06

What’s your role when working with a team?
Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.

AThe enthusiastic wildcard who somehow makes it work — and keeps the mood up.
BThe strategist who works best alone but shows up when it matters most.
CThe one who funds it, equips it, and occasionally takes over the whole operation.
DI don’t do teams. I’m more effective operating solo, on my terms.
EThe ponderous hitter — I crash in, draw fire, and turn the tide of battle.
FThe leader — I earn trust, build the plan, and make sure no one gets left behind.

NEXT QUESTION →

07

Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge?
The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.

AClearly — I don’t kill, and I wrestle with that line constantly.
BI try to hold the line, but I’ve come terrifyingly close to crossing it.
CPractically — I do what’s necessary to protect people, including tough calls.
DI crossed that line long ago. What I do is justice — the system just won’t admit it.
EIn battle, victory is justice. Mercy is earned — not automatic.
FFirmly. The moment we abandon our principles, we become what we fight against.

NEXT QUESTION →

08

When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like?
The person behind the mask is always the more intriguing story.

ATrying to juggle school, a part-time job, and not failing my friends.
BWorking as a lawyer by day, fighting for justice in court and on the streets.
CRunning a global company, attending galas, and pretending I’m sleeping enough.
DQuiet. Isolated. Surviving with a clear mission and no distractions.
ENavigating a bizarre and fascinating mortal world — coffee is extraordinary.
FAdapting to a world decades ahead of everything I knew. Quietly, stubbornly.

NEXT QUESTION →

09

What keeps you up at night?
Fear is useful data — if you’re truthful about what you’re actually afraid of.

AThe people I couldn’t save — and the ones I might not reach in time tomorrow.
BWhether the monster I fight every night is starting to live inside me too.
CThe threats I can see coming and whether my tech is actually good enough.
DNothing. Silence is the only peace I get. I’ve made my choices.
EWhether I’m truly worthy — of the hammer, of the throne, of the people I protect.
FA world where no one stands up anymore. Where good people do nothing.

NEXT QUESTION →

10

The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do?
This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.

ACrack a joke to buy a second, then find the one web shot that changes everything.
BBlock out everything except the sound of the next threat — and keep going.
CActivate the emergency protocol I built for exactly this scenario. Always have a plan.
DI don’t accept that it’s lost. I keep fighting until I physically cannot anymore.
ECall the lightning. All of it. The storm answers to me.
FPick up the shield. Stand up. Because as long as I can stand, it’s not over.

REVEAL MY HERO →

Your Hero Has Been Identified
Your MCU Hero Is…

Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.

Queens, New York

🕷️ Spider-Man

You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — entertaining, faithful, and endlessly self-sacrificing.

• You do the right thing not because it’s uncomplicated, but because no one else will.
• You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
• Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
• Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.

Hell’s Kitchen, New York

😈 Daredevil

You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.

• You operate every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
• You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been uncomplicated.
• Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
• Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.

Stark Industries, Malibu

🤖 Iron Man

Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.

• You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
• You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
• Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
• You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.

New York City

💀 The Punisher

You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.

• You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
• You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
• Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
• Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.

Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms

⚡ Thor

Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.

• You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
• You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
• Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
• You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.

Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers

🛡️ Captain America

You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.

• You don’t bully the diminutive guy, and you never stop when it gets tough.
• Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
• Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
• In a world full of people taking the uncomplicated road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

What Themes Can We Expect From Jake Schreier’s X-Men?

What makes that especially thrilling is that Schreier doesn’t sound like he’s looking to simply recreate what came before. His comments make it clear that the goal is to study that material closely, then figure out how to build something that feels fresh rather than overly familiar. That matters because Fox’s X-Men movies have already pulled from some of the franchise’s most renowned storylines over the years, which means Marvel’s reboot needs more than a greatest-hits approach if it wants to stand apart. Schreier also expanded on what he feels makes X-Men work in the first place, and why that classic comic material still feels like such a prosperous foundation. He told Collider:

“When you go back, and you read all of X-Men, and you see how much of it was also, obviously, the ideology is a huge part of what drives the narrative, but also the interpersonal and there’s a soap opera quality to it. When you go back and read those original comics, I think having writers who understand both of those things and how to kind of drive that ideology from more personal risks, if we can get all of those things right, and in a way, that’s the thing that will feel most honest to what X-Men can be.”

That approach makes it clear why the Claremont run is such a fitting reference point. Yes, X-Men has always been about substantial ideas, prejudice, power, identity, and fear, but it’s also always been about relationships. Rivalries, romances, betrayals, shifting loyalties, and long-simmering emotional fallout are part of what made those comics so addictive in the first place. If Schreier is zeroing in on that balance, Marvel may be aiming for an X-Men movie that focuses more on the characters than fans might expect.

Stay tuned at Collider for more updates.

Release Date

July 13, 2000

Runtime

104 minutes

Director

Bryan Singer

Producers

Avi Arad, Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Richard Donner