THE LAST STAND 2.0? Everything You Need To Know About That Confirmed X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX Plot Leak
A recent test screening for Dark Phoenix has resulted in the entire plot leaking online and there's going to be an awful lot in this movie which will upset fans. In fact, it may be Fantastc Four bad...
Despite the fact it was directed by Bryan Singer, X-Men: Apocalypse was a critical and commercial failure and the filmmaker later decided to move on from the franchise. Shockingly, Simon Kinberg was then handed the reigns and decided to take once again adapt "The Dark Phoenix Saga" after dropping the ball with that storyline in 2010's X-Men: The Last Stand. So, is he going to make things right?
Dark Phoenix has already been pushed back to 2019 but test screenings have taken place and a Redditor - who had their story and identity confirmed by moderators - has now revealed a wealth of details from that. We're talking serious spoilers here, including character deaths, throwbacks to The Last Stand, how the movie ends, the role the "Skrulls" play, and plenty of other big surprises.
So, to check out this plot breakdown and everything else that was revealed, all you guys need to do is click on the "View List" button below. Once you've done that, share your thoughts in the usual place!
The X-Men Are Basically The Avengers Now
When Dark Phoenix begins, the X-Men are reportedly viewed as heroes the same way as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Avengers. That's obviously a big departure from the comic books and it's said that this is something which simply doesn't feel earned; we never learn why they've been embraced by the public but this is what leads to them being recruited to save a group of astronauts in serious peril.
How Jean Grey Becomes The Phoenix
As was previously reported, while the team is in outer space attempting to rescue those astronauts from some incoming cosmic waves, Jean Grey is hit by them and this is what leads to her becoming the Phoenix. It's not clear whether or not those "waves" are the actual Phoenix (as in a cosmic force from somewhere in the universe) or if they just unlock her powers and cause her to lose control of them.
Based on what we saw in X-Men: Apocalypse, however, it appears as if the latter is going to be the case.
Quicksilver Gets Another Running Scene...In Space
It's not set to music but Quicksilver reportedly has another of those visually distinctive running scenes, this time set in outer space. Nightcrawler uses his teleporting powers to get the speedster in and out of the ship the astronauts are trapped inside but the fact that the scene seemingly won't have a classic 90s track in the background is sure to hurt it (unless, of course, it's added during post-production).
How The Aliens Get Involved
After Jean gets hit by those cosmic waves, she inadvertently blasts the spaceship into the deep reaches of space and it ends up crashing on an alien planet. For some reason, that leads to them deciding to declare war on Earth and part of their plan includes getting their hands on the Phoenix (presumably because they know that they can use that to wipe out a race they ultimately deem to be a threat).
And No, They're Not Skrulls
Here's where things get really disappointing, though. Dark Phoenix's aliens are described as being grey and most definitely not Skrulls. Yes, they're able to shapeshift but their powers are reportedly pretty underwhelming as they just...levitate?! Needless to say, it sounds downright bizarre but how does Jessica Chastain come into play? She's just some woman the aliens encounter when they first land on Earth and their leader steals her appearance but, for some reason, gains bleached blonde hair.
She later steals the identity of an FBI agent which may explain how the government becomes involved here. The aliens are also never referred to as Skrulls and while that could change, don't count on it because this is Fox we're talking about and they've never been ones to stick to the source material!
Jean Grey's Childhood
The movie kicks off with a flashback to Jean's childhood and the car crash which killed her parents. It's later revealed that the emergence of her powers are what led to that accident and her father is actually still alive. Jean leaves the mansion to track him down and it's quickly revealed that Professor X lied to her because her dad decided he didn't want her after it became clear that she's a mutant. As a result, Jean loses control and very nearly kills the guy in a fit of Phoenix-induced rage before she's stopped.
Mystique Dies
Well, this probably won't surprise you. It's been clear for a while now that Jennifer Lawrence is ready to move on from the role of Mystique and so her being killed off makes a lot of sense. This happens when Jean loses control and it appears as if her demise is what leads to her going full-on Dark Phoenix.
Magneto Is A Villain Again...
It's become something of a bad habit for these X-Men movies to essentially reset Magneto's position from wherever he was the last time we saw him upon the release of each new chapter and the same thing happens again here. He's a villain when Dark Phoenix begins despite the fact he was last seen embarking on a heroic path and he's formed a pretty awful sounding Brotherhood (we'll get to that).
Hilariously, the movie even acknowledges the fact that this keeps on happening with some dialogue!
...And Beast Teams Up With Him
Beast was obviously in love with Mystique and he doesn't take her death at all well. He decides to go and find Magneto - who also loved the shape-shifting mutant - for a team-up which he seemingly hopes will result in the Master of Magnetism putting her down for good. After all, he's probably one of the few people powerful enough to stop her in her tracks so this does make at least some sense.
However, some fans probably won't be happy to essentially see Beast head down a villainous path.
The Team Don't Wear Their Superhero Costumes In The Final Act
The colourful costumes we saw at the end of X-Men: Apocalypse are gone and have been replaced by the yellow and black versions spotted in some leaked photos a while back (inspired by Frank Quitely's New X-Men work). That's all well and good but get this: the heroes don't actually wear their costumes for the final act and spend all of that decked out in the civilian clothes. Seriously, what the hell?
Oh, and to make matters worse, Jean's Dark Phoenix look consists of her wearing a red coat for the vast majority of the movie rather than something even remotely inspired by her comic book counterpart.
How The Movie Ends
Part of the alien's plan is to gather all the world's leaders in one place so they can destroy them (real imaginative stuff, eh?) and the final battle takes place outside the United Nations. It's apparently very CGI heavy and Charles and Cyclops do everything they can to keep these shape-shifters away. Meanwhile, an alien fleet is on its way to Earth and Jean - who now sees sense - heads into space.
It's not specified how Magneto and Beast tie into things or what the Dark Phoenix does for most of the third act but as soon as she's surrounded by this fleet, she drops a cheesy line along the lines of "I'm not Jean, I'm the Phoenix" and subsequently unleashes her powers, explodes, and wipes these invaders out. Her fate is then left unclear but she says goodbye to Cyclops psychically as this happens.
It Repeats A Lot Of Moments From X-Men: The Last Stand
As you're probably aware, Simon Kinberg was one of X-Men: The Last Stand's writers and he's said on numerous occasions that he sees Dark Phoenix as his opportunity to make things right for that.
Well, that includes recycling an awful lot of plot beats from the critically panned threequel...
- Jean Almost Kills Professor X Again
Remember in The Last Stand when Jean levitated Charles Xavier in the air and killed him by dissolving her mentor? Well, the exact same thing happens in this movie but she's stopped before finishing him off. While this is one way of homaging what's come before, it's also really quite repetitive and lame.
- That Cringeworthy Scene With Cyclops Is Repeated
It gets worse, though! Remember that moment when Jean removed Cyclops' glasses because she wanted to control his optic blasts with her powers while they shared a kiss? That also happens in Dark Phoenix and, once again, she doesn't kill him this time. Clearly, Kinberg thought it would be clever to toy with fans by repeating moments from The Last Stand but with slightly different outcomes.
Needless to say, that's lazy storytelling at its finest and probably won't be well-received by most.
Magneto's Brotherhood Is Made Up Of Random Mutants
If you were hoping we might meet younger versions of Toad and Pyro here, guess again. Instead, Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (which is arguably making its debut years too late) is made up of a bunch of random mutants who aren't even based on characters from the comic books by the sound of it. One apparently looks like Suicide Squad's Slipknot and another uses his dreadlocks like tentacles. Sounds pretty lame, right? Well, that's probably because it is and fans will be disappointed.
Jean Is Dead...For Now
X2: X-Men United ended with Jean Grey dead and, as I've mentioned above, the same will happen here. This is baffling, especially when her story has barely started playing out. Then again, it's too soon for the "Dark Phoenix Saga" regardless and the fact her fate is left so open-ended is clearly a sign that Kinberg wants to find a way to bring her back if he's given the opportunity with a fifth movie.
Psylocke Doesn't Return
Psylocke was left alive at the end of X-Men: Apocalypse and while she had seemingly been established as a villain, the door was definitely open for her to return. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen here as it's said that there's no sign of Olivia Munn in Dark Phoenix. Whether or not Fox is saving her for X-Force remains to be seen but there's a very good chance that the actress was just one and done.
There's No After-Credits Scene
To be fair, there's a chance that Fox will add this at a much later date and given what we've said about Jean above, don't be surprised if it teases her return or something along those lines (predictable).
We Will See Genosha And Dazzler, Though
There's going to be at least some fan-service in Dark Phoenix, however, as Dazzler shows up to provide the lights as the team celebrates saving those astronauts and Genosha will be used as a refuge for mutants. It's government sanctioned and while Magneto may be a villain again, he lives peacefully there with his people. That cool and all but an argument could be made that it's too little, too late. Just how closely these two elements resemble the comics isn't clear but don't expect much from them.
The Movie Is Bad
According to this fan, Dark Phoenix is not good. He describes it as being "boring" and warns fans to lower their expectations because the whole thing is so underwhelming. This is one man's opinion and there's a very good chance that things will change (especially with reshoots taking place) but it really sounds like the movie is going to wind up being a major disappointment even for fans of the franchise.
Who Gets The Least Screentime?
The X-Men movies always have a lot of different characters to juggle so who comes off well here? It's said that we probably shouldn't expect to see much of Storm, Nightcrawler, or Quicksilver and the vast majority of screentime is going to be devoted to Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique (which is exactly what's happened ever since the franchise was rebooted with Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class).
On the plus side, Cyclops is highlighted so here's hoping he's handled better than in The Last Stand.
So, The Worst X-Men Movie Yet?
Well, it certainly sounds that way. It's possible Dark Phoenix could exceed expectations and surprise all of us and things do change after test screenings but the signs are currently pointing to this being an underwhelming farewell to Fox's X-Men franchise. Still, at least they're possibly heading back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the near future! What do you guys think about these leaked details?
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