Where Gifted Fits Into The X-Men Universe

(Image credit: Photo courtesy of Fox)

Marvel is getting in the TV game in a new way this fall with The Gifted on Fox. Following a family as they find themselves suddenly part of the world of mutants, The Gifted will tackle many of the elements that have made the X-Men so popular over the years. We've known for a while that Marvel characters would be involved in the new show, but it had not been revealed just how they would fit into the X-Men universe fans have come to know on the big screen. Now, creator Matt Nix has revealed where The Gifted fits into the X-Men universe, saying this:

Generally, I think one of the great favors that Days of Future Past did for all of us [was establish] that there are many streams. The short answer is we exist in one of those streams. It's its own universe. That said, we do share some things with movies and comics, but the idea is just we're doing our own thing.

The X-Men universe on the big screen was never the most straightforward place, and things just got more complex with the timeline shenanigans of Days of Future Past. That movie did establish that different things happen in different streams without necessarily impacting the others. Judging by Matt Nix's comments at San Diego Comic-Con, The Gift will take place in a stream that won't necessarily be affected by what happens in the films. Considering the way shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have had plots dictated by the events of movies, I'd say that Gifted existing in its own stream will be a good thing.

Matt Nix's latest comments explain some of what he has already teased about The Gifted. He previously stated that fans of the movies would "not be disoriented" by where Gifted fits into the mythology, and that the show "exists in the same general kind of universe." This new project will take place in a world that we'll more or less recognize from the X-Men movies, but it won't be full of the characters who have starred in the movies.

That said, it's quite possible that characters from other Marvel projects will appear in The Gifted at some point. Multiple streams mean that we can have one version of a character on Gifted without altering what he or she can do in the comics or anywhere else. Fans of the DC universe over on The CW are already familiar with different realities on the small screen; maybe The Gifted can do the same thing with Marvel on Fox.

Only time will tell. A brand new trailer was debuted at Comic-Con that gives a closer look at the mutants who will appear in the new show. Check it out!

The Gifted will premiere on Monday, October 2 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in San Diego Comic-Con developments, and don't forget to take a gander at our summer TV premiere guide.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).