What makes the Exiles such prime investment real estate is the glue holding the current MCU phases together, the Multiverse. Each incarnation of the team is made of different heroes from alternate dimensions. They hail from all sectors of the Multiverse, and that could be where they fit into the MCU.
Originally, they were sent by the Timebroker, and the Exiles’ job was to fix broken realities. What should raise an eyebrow is that the second version of the team included an adult Kamala Khan. Since she is considered a mutant in the MCU, this could be her connection to the X-Men.
EXILES #1 (2001)
The first Exiles were part of the X-Men lore. In fact, two of the Multiversal variants were X-Men children from different possible futures. There was Magnus Lensherr, who was the son of Magneto and Rogue, along with Scarlet Witch and Nightcrawler’s daughter, Nocturne. Also on the team were familiar faces Blink, who appeared in the movie, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Morph, a character inspired by Wolverine’s best friend in X-Men: The Animated Series, and John Proudstar himself, Thunderbird. Rounding out the team is current X-Men mainstay, Mimic.
This issue happened to be Morph, Mimic, and the Timebroker’s first appearances. Considering Kang is bounding through The Multiverse Saga, Timebroker could be in the movie mix as well. This could be a hot key in the making, and you can find copies for cheap. There hasn’t been a graded 9.8 to sell online since 2013, and the raw copies tend to sell for less than $20.
EXILES #1 (2008)
Seven years after the Exiles’ first team appearance, they were rebranded in 2008. This time, the team featured a larger roster with some notable characters, like Sabretooth and Age of Apocalypse’s Holocaust. The big twist in the story is when a Celestial warns them not to trust the Timebroker, whom he refers to as the “Timebreaker.” After that, the Timebroker begins acting more like a villain, which makes for a fun read.
Since there’s really nothing significant about this issue, it’s no wonder the raw copies stay around the $3 mark. For that matter, you can probably find a copy in your local comic shop’s dollar bin.
EXILES #1 (2018)
If any version of the team makes it onto the screen, it will be some adaptation of these characters. This volume of Exiles is most famous for introducing Captain Carter, but you’ll want to take aim at the first issue. It’s here that we see the older Kamala Khan from a post-apocalyptic future as well as Blink, Iron Lad, Valkyrie, and Wolvie, the X-baby. They are brought together by Nick Fury to battle a threat from the Multiverse, which sounds an awful lot like where the MCU is headed.
After the 9.8 averaged $79 for the past year, the last copy sold went for $95 in June.
YET MORE EXILES
Coming in November, Marvel is yet again reinventing the team, this time as Sabretooth and the Exiles. Along with the new title, they are getting a massive upgrade in Victor Creed rejoining the team. This time around, Sabretooth - who was banished into the Krakoan void years ago - will lead the Exiles. I’m pretty sure that means blood and guts everywhere if we’re lucky.
The bigger picture is that it seems like awfully convenient timing for Marvel to reintroduce the Exiles. It's not uncommon for Kevin Feige to send word to the comics division to raise awareness for characters who could be important in the MCU.
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