Are you anxiously awaiting the X-Men's arrival into the MCU? It's not just Wolverine who could be a boon for Marvel Studios and comic collectors. Today, I give you three of the lesser-known X-villains that could make a splash outside the X-Men franchise.

On the heels of yesterday's article, "Four More Low-Risk Keys," let's take this Sunday afternoon to ponder what semi-obscure characters from the X-family could fit into other Marvel movie franchises.

Continuing with the low-risk investment theme, all three of their first appearances are rather inexpensive investments with a strong upside if they are added to the MCU.

ARCADE

FIRST APPEARANCE: MARVEL TEAM-UP #65 (1978)

A longtime X-Men adversary, Arcade has been known to terrorize other heroes, though he is mostly pitted against the X-teams. However, his debut story saw him face Spider-Man and Captain Britain, and he's fought the Avengers on occasion, too. It would be fitting for Arcade to find his way into a Spider-Man movie.

Arcade is essentially an updated version of the golden age DC villains. He seems like he stepped out of Batman's rogue's gallery, comparable to the Joker and the Riddler. Arcade is a glorified assassin who traps his victims in Muderworld, which is his custom Joker-esque amusement park. The difference with Arcade is that he designs the park with a slim chance for survival just for sport.

 

THE BROOD

FIRST APPEARANCE: UNCANNY X-MEN #155 (1982)

There's no denying that Chris Claremont was inspired by the 1979 sci-fi classic, Alien, when he developed the idea for the Brood. They are intelligent parasites who, like the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise, impregnate their prey with an embryo. Once the embryo full develops, it turns the host into a member of the Brood. The X-Men have fought the Brood for decades, and although it's not the most original concept, it's always entertaining. For cover collectors, the image of a Brood-infected Wolverine in Uncanny X-Men #234 is one of my all-time favorites.

It wouldn't take much to put the Brood into the MCU, since they were first encountered by the Kree in the comics mythology. Kevin Feige has said that he is not opposed to a horror-themed MCU entry, and the Brood would be perfect for a few cheap scares. Outside of the X-Men or any of the cosmic superheroes, I could see Marvel writing the Brood into a Doctor Strange movie plot.

MOJO

FIRST APPEARANCE: LONGSHOT #3 (1985)

I wrote about Mojo yesterday, but it bears repeating that he and the Mojoverse would make sense in the cosmic-themed MCU. The pieces are in place to incorporate him in the coming phases. The multiverse has already been established, not to mention all the possibilities offered through the Quantum Realm. Either of those options - not to mention a space voyage - could be used to explain the existence of the Mojoverse.

It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to have Mojo surface in a Guardians of the Galaxy or Thor movie. The other part of the equation is that he was intended as a darkly satirical character, modeled after the television executives of the 1980s with an obsession on ratings. That in itself would make Mojo fit nicely in the current trend of action-comedy MCU films.