Marvel's X-Men : An MCU Fan Pitch by CaptainWagner
As it seems the moment is nearly here, I've launched my next big project: A pitch for a whole new X-Men franchise set within the MCU! I hope you enjoy it! As always, all comments are greatly appreciated!
The Cast
Cyclops: Chris Pine --- Jean Grey: Blake Lively --- Storm: Tracy Ifeachor
With his time in the DCEU one and done, it's time Marvel complete their collection of Hollywood's Chris Quartet and sweep up Chris Pine. And there's no better part for him than Scott Summers, leader of the X-Men Field Team. Cyclops has been constantly disserviced time and again over the years, now is our chance to see him as a master tactician, the "golden boy" who privately struggles with the wieght of his surrogate father's vision. Chris Pine brings A-List charisma and a superhero aura to ensure Scott won't be overshadowed by the inevitable arrival of Wolverine. Jean Grey is Scott's second half. While he makes the plans, Jean deals with the person to person empathy that Scott struggles with. She is the "den mother" of the X-Men. Tracy Ifeachor then brings new life to Storm whose tough independence has yet to be properly portrayed on the big screen. In-universe, these are the three oldest X-Men, forming a well-oiled machine at the heart of the global operations.
Iceman: Chris Colfer --- Blink: Alia Shawkat --- Rictor: Carlos PenaVega
Rounding out the "Alpha" New York field team was hard. There's so many X-Men to choose from, and you want to keep a nice mi of power-sets, personalities, and characters that haven't been stars before. One I'm 100% sold on being needed no matter what is Iceman. I still have mixed feelings on his "outing" in the comics, but as he stands, he's Marvel's biggest gay character. And it's high time the MCU debuts their first openly gay hero. Casting Glee icon Chris Colfer would make it an even bigger deal, and he'd perfectly pull off Bobby's joking, confident in who he is attitude that keeps the team lively. Blink was hard to choose, because Nightcrawler is my all-time favorite X-Men. However, he's starred in both of the past franchises, and his personality kind of overlaps with Bobby. So this time around I chose Alia Shawkat to bring to life the brash, occaisonally reckless Blink (This time finally in full pink-skinned makeup). Lastly Rictor is Bobby's opposite. Awkward and introverted, his bombastic powerset hides his uncomfortable, bleak mindset, which his close friend and potential partner Bobby struggles to alleviate.
Charles Xavier: Denzel Washington --- Dr. Hank McCoy: Leslie Odom Jr.
Forge: Adam Beach --- Jubilee: Kelly Marie Tran
Following up performances by Sir Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy is no small task. To play Professor X you need someone of Denzel Washington's caliber. He brings intelligence, charisma, a paternal instinct, and the ability to pull off underlying moral ambiguity to Xavier, as this franchise will be exploring his darker side. Dr. Hank McCoy is the head of the mutant science team. Leslie Odom Jr. has the excessive charm to shine through plenty of blue furry makeup to give us the witty and sarcastic science guy we've been waiting for. Forge builds their fancy tech. He's tough and no nonsense. Adam Beach is tough, non nonsense, and deserved so much better than freaking Slipknot. Lastly, Jubilee is on staff at the school, and is entrusted with supervising the students on their big trip. Kelly Marie Tran's energy and enthusiasm is a great match for Jubilee, and I'm sure she'd be over the moon at a chance to star in another huge fan franchise.
Alex Summers (Havoc): Dacre Montgomery --- Quentin Quire: Finn Wolfhard
Idie Okonkwo (Oya): Sennia Nanua --- Hisako Ichiki (Armor): Piper Curda
And then there's the kids. Alex Summers has been "graduated" for some time. However, he is kept from field duty as he struggles to control his powers. He idolizes his heroic older brother, but their relationship is strained by Scott's protective nature. Dacre Montgomery is a rising star that can convincingly bring star status and a rebellious flair to Havoc, and looks enough like a young Chris Pine to pull off the brotherly bond that was utterly ignored in the previous franchise. Quentin Quire and Finn Wolfhard are the perfect match. As one of the biggest teen stars working today, he's a big catch for the MCU and his brand of belligerent punk to the young, aimless mutant who's ready to be a hero. Or a villain. Anything that would be more interesting than school. Idie in contrast is shy and afraid of her own power, she'd rather be "cured" than trained. Sennia Nanua's starring turn in "The Girl With All the Gifts" highlighted the talent set to bring this complicated young mutant to life. Hisako is a leader in the making, but feels a raging warrior spirit that none of her would be mentors have managed to connect with.
Victor Borkowski (Anole): Levi Miller --- Nezhno Abidemi (Gentle): Dante Brown
Cessily Kincaid (Mercury): Sophia Lilis
Rounding out the students are Victor, an brilliant student kicked out of Dr. McCoy's labs one too many times for his short-tempered "chip on the shoulder" attitude. Nezhno's placement in New York is the result of a tentative deal with his King, T'Challa, and as such finds himself overly protected by his teachers as he struggles to learn how to balance inner peace with the rage that fuels his power. Cessily is the most innocent of the team. Sheltered her whole life, she is wholly unperpared to be dropped into the worst humanity has to offer.
Polaris: Naomi Scott --- "Black Tom" Cassidy: Ewan McGregor --- Cain Marko: Adam Baldwin
Magneto may not physically be in this movie, but his presence is felt as a global urban legend, a hero for those fighting oppression. That presence is more literally translated through his daughter, Polaris, who carries all of her father's power, passion, and charisma, but less cynicism. Rapidly rising star Naomi Scott can bring A-List casting to a part central to the new franchise. Our main villains are then Black Tom, lent his trademark deadly gentleman's charm by Ewan McGregor, and Cain Marko, played to his brutish best by Adam Baldwin, as mercenaries with a map to the legendary Crimson Gem of Cyttotark.
The Plot
We first meet Idie Okonkwo on the run from a mob after accidentally killing two would be assaulters. She is rescued by the X-Men and brought back to Xavier's New York estate, where we are introduced to the mutant's status quo. Charles has been operating for an unspecified number of years to cover up and protect the growing mutant population, not believing humanity is ready to know the truth. He supervises field agents worldwide, but the Gold Squad, stationed at his home base, is the A-Team of the X-Men, led by his earliest and finest students.
Idie is enrolled at the school but struggles to fit in. We meet her fellow students and the rest of the school staff. Alex Summers is introduced, having failed once again to pass the tests instrumented by his loving but over-protective older brother. He is assigned to help Jubilee supervise her class on a trip to London aimed at helping integrate Idie to the group. Instead, he and the new students bond over their frustration with staying in hiding, desiring instead to be public heroes. Quentin and Victor promptly wonder off and run into the mercenary gang led by "Black Tom" Cassidy and Cain Marko.
The other students are drawn into a very public fight with the mercs, before ditching Jubilee after discovering their enemies' goal: The legendary Crystal Gem of Cyttotark, an ancient mystical gem of incredible power. The X-Men quickly arrive to try and clean up the mess, only to have their cover blown. Upon returning to the mansion, they clash over what has gone wrong and what to do next. Professor Xavier dispenses words of wisdom and encourages a troubled Scott, but he is unable to find the students using Cerebro.
The students, Alex and tow, crashland into an isolated jungle where reality is warped by the powers of the Gem, guarding itself with beasts from eras long ago, known to the few natives and explorers to have ever returned from its grasp as "The Savage Land". There they meet and team-up with Polaris, who is searching for the gem on orders from her father, and quickly begins a flirtatious relationship with Alex.
After fighting through dinosaurs, mercenaries, and a treacherous landscape, the Temple of Cyttotark is reached. But Cassidy and Marko got their first. Marko recklessly siezes the gem and is transformed into the unstoppable Juggernaut. This sudden spike in power alerts Xavier. The students put up a valient fight against Black Tom and Juggernaut, but they are ultimately only saved by the arrival of the X-Men. The villains are defeated, the Gem placed in safe-keeping and the students grounded. Xavier, accepting the inevitable has finally happened, catches everyone off guard by airing a press conference in which he announces the existence of mutants to the world. The teachers and students, their relationship now incredibly rocky, must face a whole new world together.
POST CREDIT SCENE: Introduction of Magneto, complete with a nessecarily iconic theme, saving some persecuted mutant from execution
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