Dark Phoenix has bombed with critics and came in way below expectations at the domestic and international box office over the weekend (which will result in it losing well over $100 million).
It's not a good situation, but the silver lining here is that Disney now owns the rights to the
X-Men and that means a reboot from Marvel Studios is on the way. Regardless of whether you've seen the Simon Kinberg helmed release, though, we have a feeling you'll be curious about its Easter Eggs.
While it may not faithfully adapt the "Dark Phoenix Saga," there are lots of references and cameos which will be noteworthy to fans as they pay homage to past movies and the comic books.
So, to check out
Dark Phoenix's biggest Easter Eggs, simply hit the "View List" button down below!
"She's Gone"
Dark Phoenix wraps up with Jean Grey once again sacrificing herself, this time to destroy Vux (whether she really needed to blow herself up to do so is debatable). Well, when all this happens, Cyclops says "She's gone" and that's the exact same line Wolverine came out with in
X2: X-Men United.
As you'll see throughout this feature, there are a lot of throwbacks to that original trilogy and Kinberg proves he's not that ashamed of
X-Men: The Last Stand as Jean takes out enemies during the final act the exact same way the Famke Janssen did back in 2006.
The Black Queen
There's no sign of the Hellfire Club in
Dark Phoenix, but Selene does make an appearance as a member of Magneto's "Brotherhood." She's been the Black Queen of that sinister organisation, but is portrayed as a generic villain here, using her psychic powers to briefly slow down Charles Xavier.
Honestly, she's Selene in name only, and isn't really a memorable part of this movie.
A Familiar Speech
The movie kicks off with some narration from Jean Grey and if you're paying attention, you'll notice that the speech Sophie Tuner delivers is the same one Sir Patrick Stewart's Professor X gave during the opening moments of
X2: X-Men United. Strangely, Kinberg also homages the first
X-Men movie with a shot for shot homage to the scene where the Blackbird flies out of the basketball court.
The D'Bari
Dark Phoenix's villains are, well, terrible, but they are connected to the comic books. Way back in
Uncanny X-Men #135, the Phoenix flew into outer space and chowed down on a star which led to the decimation of an entire solar system. One of the races wiped out as a result of that were the D'Bari.
This may seem like a cool nod, but the shape-shifting nature of these aliens confirms recent reports that they were supposed to be the Skrulls before that was changed in reshoots.
Vuk
Who the Vuk is this? Well, believe it or not, Jessica Chastain's character does appear to be based on someone from the source material. Vuk is actually a man in the comics and was revealed to be the last member of the D'Bari race due to the fact he was on Earth when their home was destroyed.
What was he doing? Well, in
Avengers #4 he was battling Earth's Mightiest Heroes and even ended up turning them into stone!
Chris Claremont's Cameo
Dark Phoenix features a version of the X-Men who are beloved celebrities and that leads to Professor X attending an event at the White House. Keep your eyes peeled, though, and you'll spot comic book writer Chris Claremont among the crowd. He penned the comic book version of this storyline, but it's hard to imagine him being overly happy with how this retelling has turned out...
The Final "X"
It's become a tradition for the "X" in 20th Century Fox to remain illuminated when the opening title card fades to black and the same thing happens in
Dark Phoenix. This time, however, rather than remaining a pale yellow colour, it's shown blazing in the fiery shade of the Phoenix Force's energy.
While
The New Mutants is set to receive a theatrical release, common sense says this will be the final
X-Men movie to use that effect, especially as they'll soon be rebooted by Marvel Studios.
Macbeth
Dark Phoenix is Simon Kinberg's directorial debut and, well, he tries to get a little too smart for his own good at times. Take Jean trying to scrub Mystique's blood out of her shirt; this is a heavy handed and pretty obvious reference to Macbeth and not half as subtle as he thought it probably was...
Dazzler's Cameo
There were rumblings that Dazzler may appear in the weeks leading up to
Dark Phoenix's release, and Halston Sage does indeed wind up playing the character during that scene set in the woods.
Fans have been hoping to see the mutant on the big screen, and while she doesn't get a single line of dialogue, it is rather cool that she actually made her comic debut in the "Dark Phoenix Saga."
Bishop
We last saw Bishop in
X-Men: Days of Future Past and while none of us expected to see him return in
Dark Phoenix, it's fair to say that there's much more that could be done with the character.
Well, we get a sly nod to him here as a truck in the background of that scene where the X-Men confront Jean has "BISHOP POWER" written on the side. Perhaps that's his career in this timeline?
The Chess Game
It's become a staple of the
X-Men franchise for Charles and Erik to play a game of chess, and that tradition lives on in
Dark Phoenix. This time, it comes right at the very end of the movie and while Professor X initially refuses the offer, he changes his mind once Magneto offers him a new home.
Even if we see Magneto in the MCU, it's hard to imagine this ever being referenced again, so it does seem somewhat fitting for Fox's last
X-Men movie to finish with these two old friends together.
"Last Of The First Class"
Matthew Vaughn's
X-Men: First Class rebooted the series and set the stage for these prequel stories. Kinberg doesn't shy away from referencing that adventure here, with the most noteworthy example coming during a conversation between Beast and Mystique in which they refer to themselves as the "last of the First Class."
Following Raven's death, Charles and Beast share a drink in the X-Mansion and the former reflects on his first meeting with her which actually took place in that very kitchen in
First Class' opening.
The Jean Grey School For Higher Learning
After a "Schism" in the world of the X-Men, Cyclops went one way and Wolverine another. The latter re-opened Charles Xavier's school and called it The Jean Grey School For Higher Learning.
Well, during
Dark Phoenix's closing montage, we learn that Scott Summers has decided to also rename the school in Professor X's absence to pay homage to his girlfriend following her sacrifice.
Genosha
It's never named in the movie itself but Magneto's new home (a campsite on a tiny island, basically) is indeed Genosha. It's a pretty poor imitation of the version from the comic books, but before you go hoping that it isn't actually Genosha, the credits confirm it is by naming one actor a "Genosha Sentry."
To call this disappointing would be an understatement, but it is what it is at this point.
One Final Tease...
This is never going anywhere now, but keep your eyes peeled in the final few seconds of the movie and you'll see a Phoenix-shaped ball of fire blasting across the sky, a hint perhaps that Jean could still be alive. We'll never know, but with no post-credits scene, it's clear Fox realised that there would be no point teasing any future instalments now the rights are returning to Marvel Studios.
What did you guys think about Dark Phoenix's Easter Eggs? Have we missed any that you spotted? As always, share your thoughts on that and more in the comments section.