Deadpool and Wolverine have been given an AI make-over along with many more X-Men characters in a new AI-created trailer that sees Kurt Russell and Bruce Campbell taking on the roles of this year’s MCU saviors. Ahead of what promises to be the summer’s biggest movie, Stryder HD has shared the “what if” concept video on YouTube, imagining what could have been in another universe.

While the world braces itself for the chaos of Deadpool finding his way not only into the MCU but also into the path of Wolverine, fan art and trailers have become a big part of the building hype for the movie. With fans speculating about which other MCU, Fox Universe, and possibly Sony Universe characters will put in an appearance, there are plenty of wishful thinking pieces out there to discover.

For Stryder HD, it is not about Deadpool & Wolverine itself, but more the question of who would have potentially played their roles on screen if the X-Men movies had been developed over a decade before their original 2000 movie debut. It seems that, according to the video, which can be seen below, Kurt Russell as Wolverine and Bruce Campbell spouting Deadpool quips is one of those lost Hollywood gems that simply will never be.

Which Other X-Men Fan Castings Appear in the Video?

Like many “concept” trailers that appear on YouTube, the video contains an extensive collection of potential ones that got away from the X-Men franchise. While Marvel Studios is currently suffering the headache of trying to recast several of the most iconic character/actor combinations of any of their franchises for future MCU movies, there are some solid recommendations for who could have been synonymous with roles such as Professor X, Storm, Cyclops and more within the video’s content – and some that maybe would not have quite worked as well.

Among the casting choices included in the video are Rutger Hauer as Magneto, Sigourney Weaver as Jean Grey, Johnny Depp as Nightcrawler, Angela Bassett as Storm, Clint Eastwood as Cable, Sylvester Stallone as Beast, Ron Perlman as Sabretooth, Sharon Stone as Emma Frost, and Dolph Lundgren as Colossus.

How Will the X-Men Arrive in the MCU?

The road to the introduction of mutants in the MCU is one that began a few years ago, and Marvel Studios has been dropping subtle hints throughout projects like Black Widow (the appearance of Ursa Major), Ms. Marvel (the revelation that Kamala Kahn is a mutant), and the less than subtle post-credits scene of The Marvels, which found Monica Rambeau finding herself in an alternate reality with Kelsey Grammer’s Beast and Lashana Lynch’s Binary.

Additionally, Wolverine’s presence in the MCU was subtly hinted at by She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which included a shot of a newspaper article claiming a man with metal claws had been seen in a bar fight. At the time, the reference was seen as a throwaway Easter egg, but now seems more likely to be a direct confirmation that Wolverine has been hiding out in the MCU for some time.

Latest rumors have suggested that the culmination of the Multiverse Saga will bring will also usher in the Mutant Saga, bringing a new iteration of the X-Men into the MCU’s ever-expanding story. Recently, it was reported that the MCU's X-Men reboot is moving forward with Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes writer Michael Lesslie, although there have been no further details announced yet regarding casting or a director. With Marvel Studio’s original release schedule for the arrival of Avengers: Secret Wars being pushed back due to several behind the scenes changes, it is probably going to be a while before any meaningful information about the next “saga” will be made available.

In the meantime, X-Men fans can still get nostalgic about the hero group by watching animated series X-Men ’97 on Disney+, and discovering which former stars will return in live-action for Deadpool & Wolverine , which hits theaters on July 26, 2024.