Dark Phoenix is shaping up to be an even bigger bomb than anyone anticipated when it was met with scathing reviews last weekend, and while that would normally spell doom for a franchise, we know that Marvel Studios is plotting an
X-Men reboot at some point in the next five years or so.
Regardless, it's no secret that
Dark Phoenix had its fair share of behind-the-scenes woes, and newly released images courtesy of photographer Philippe Bosse reveal even more moments that failed to make it into the final cut.
There are also some great BTS images and stills which offer fresh looks at characters like Vuk (Jessica Chastain), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), and even Genosha (well, Simon Kinberg's campsite version of it). Regardless of whether you loved or loathed Fox' final X-Men movie, these are well worth taking a look at and are surprisingly revealing.
So, to check them out, all you have to do it hit the "View List" button below!
Vuk takes down Beast here during that final battle on the train, a sequence that was actually the result of reshoots. It replaced a scene that was meant to take place at the United Nations.
The villainous Vuk walks through the train set in a bid to get to Jean Grey and take her Phoenix powers for herself. This is seemingly moments before she has that showdown with Magneto.
Cyclops got a lot more to do in
Dark Phoenix than in both
X-Men: Apocalypse and the original trilogy, and this awesome shot shows Scott Summers shackled up and unable to use his powers.
This definitely appears to be from a deleted scene, and we know that many of Vuk's scenes were changed and removed after the D'Bari were originally going to be revealed as villainous Skrulls.
Writer and director Simon Kinberg doesn't look overly happy here and in a recent interview, he took full responsibility for
Dark Phoenix's failings and now seems ready to move on from
X-Men.
This deleted scene reveals that the young Jean Grey was originally going to emerge from the wreckage of the car crash she causes. Common sense says this was probably just cut for time.
Yes, this is meant to be Genosha. In the comics, it was an entire city but in
Dark Phoenix, it was just a field with some huts. Needless to say, that's somewhat underwhelming when you think about it.
Given the sheer amount of green screen on display here, it's hard to say where this was supposed to fit into the film. However, it may be that moment Vuk stands atop a New York City rooftop.
How can Marvel Studios make the ultimate X-Men movie?
Continue reading below for our thoughts!
Don't Make It All About Wolverine
The last time Wolverine was seen on screen was in 2017, and if we're not getting an
X-Men reboot until 2022/2023, that's more than enough time for moviegoers to have moved on from Hugh Jackman's version of the clawed mutant. In other words, it's inevitable that we'll get a new take on Logan, especially as the character can star in both the
X-Men franchise and one of his own.
As great as the character is, though, we do not need another series where he's the focus.
Iron Man received the lion's share of the spotlight in the marketing campaigns for The Avengers movies, but Marvel Studios always managed to do the other heroes justice as well. So, even if Wolverine is at the front of every poster, overlooked characters like Iceman, Cyclops, and Storm (to name just a few of the dozens not done justice by Fox) need just as much screentime.
Introduce Mr. Sinister
Fox has spent years teasing the eventual arrival of Mr. Sinister, but considering Simon Kinberg has since claimed that Dark Phoenix was always going to be a "finale," it seems that was never going to actually lead to anything. Well, after botched versions of the Sentinels and Apocalypse, it's about time we get a fresh villain, and who better than this?
Mr. Sinister brings something very different to the table and if Marvel Studios really wants to build the X-Men's mythology, they can delve into his obsession with Cyclops and the Summers bloodline.
Bryan Cranston has said that he wants to play the character, and there's a lot that could be done with Sinister regardless of whether they stick closely to the comics or do something new with him (similar to previous well-received reinterpretations of characters like Baron Zemo and Erik Killmonger).
Should Mutants Be Hated And Feared?
This is a tricky one.
Fox has pretty much covered this base, and why in a universe with The Avengers would people be scared of this team of superheroes? Plus, with so much racism, homophobia, and hatred in the real world, is this something moviegoers will want to watch in theaters? Those are tough questions to ask, but there's certainly a lot Marvel Studios could do with that concept.
If mutants start popping up everywhere, people more than likely would be frightened by them, so that initial question could be addressed fairly early and the chance to tell a fresh story and embrace the hatred this race faces is definitely there. Fox barely scratched the surface, but Marvel Studios must do more than just showing us shady types in the government plotting against them!
Give Them The Costumes
Has there been a single superhero costume in Fox's X-Men Universe aside from Deadpool that's actually been well-received by fans? The suits at the end of
X-Men: Apocalypse were pretty cool, but what we don't need in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is more black leather!
Regardless of how the public feels about mutants, they are superheroes and should look the part. This includes finally giving Wolverine a costume, and if there's anyone who will finally be able to pull off those yellow and blue duds on the big screen, it will be Kevin Feige and his talented team of concept artists.
In fact, it's hard to imagine this isn't something they're already working on!
Continuity Is Key
Now, this is something Marvel Studios definitely doesn't need to learn given how successfully they've built a cinematic universe over the past decade, but it's still vitally important for these characters.
After all, we've spent nearly twenty years trying to make sense of movies that make, well, none. Stories have been wiped out due to new timelines, while others have ignored what's come before or seemingly taken place in the wrong timeline. Characters have been reused and storylines have been abandoned, all of which has made this franchise something of a chore to sit through at times.
A whole world can be built around the X-Men, and we now just have to hope Marvel Studios will make sense of it. Personally, I can't think of anyone better qualified than them for the job.
Make The Female Characters Matter
Jean Grey has obviously been a focal point of this franchise, but what about the rest of the female characters in the X-Men's world? Most of the time, they've been used as little more than plot devices or completely overlooked and that needs to change. When have we ever got any hints about Rogue being one of the world's most powerful mutants or Storm's leadership abilities, for example?
While we're all anxious for a decent take on the likes of Cyclops and Angel, there are so many great female superheroes who are mutants with the ability to really shine on screen that have not been given that opportunity by Fox. Emma Frost has been a huge part of the team's adventures in recent years, so just imagine a comic accurate take on her after
First Class' underwhelming version?
Take The Focus Off Professor X And Magneto
Pretty much all of the X-Men movies have revolved around Xavier and Magneto and it's time for that to change. I'm as excited as anyone to see comic accurate versions of these two in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but we don't need to see the team once again squaring off with the Master of Magnetism.
Sure, he can appear somewhere down the line, but is there a fresh way to present him and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants? If so, Marvel Studios will need to find it because it's hard to imagine right now.
As for Professor X, what if he's left on the shelf for a while? Perhaps the X-Men can just start off as a team of teenagers who come together by themselves before being recruited by Charles further down the line. After all, it will be hard for Kevin Feige to find a new interpretation on familiar ideas like Cerebro, the X-Mansion, and the X-Jet without this reboot feeling like a retelling of past movies.
Take Advantage Of The Crossover Potential
We recently heard that Fox was once planning an
X-Men/Fantastic Four movie that would have taken elements from the
Civil War comic book series to pit the two teams against each other.
For reasons that aren't clear, that never happened. However, Fox spent years failing to take advantage of the crossover potential its Marvel properties had and Marvel Studios should avoid making that mistake at all costs. After all, what's the point of having The Avengers and X-Men in the same world if they're never going to meet...and fight?
I'm sure that will happen at some point, but theories that the X-Men reboot will take place in its own part of the Multiverse need to be debunked sooner rather than later, as that would suck.
No More Love Triangles
For the love of God, please no more love triangles. We suffered through this with Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey over the course of a number of movies and there's simply no need for it. The days of superhero movies needing a romantic subplot are gone (Captain Marvel did perfectly fine without one and grossed over $1 billion), and love should not be on the minds of these mutants.
Honestly, I would completely avoid this when it comes to Jean and Scott, and pairing the latter up with someone like Emma Frost might ultimately be more interesting.
There's so much that can be done with the
X-Men franchise, that this mid-2000s thought process of including a love interest for the leads should be left on the shelf in favor of some solid storytelling that does the heroes justice.
A Truly Diverse Franchise
If there's one franchise that lends itself to diversity, it's the
X-Men. Providing Marvel Studios sticks to the comic books in terms of how these characters are portrayed, I see no reason why characters can't be gender-swapped, different races, or different sexualities. It would give the team a much-needed modern makeover, and could make this rebooted franchise truly special.
Which lessons do you think Marvel Studios should learn from the previous X-Men films before the reboot? Let us know your thoughts and theories on that and our suggestions below.