Hello Internet - what the hell is going on - and stop exactly what you’re doing right
now, because 20th Century Fox just dropped a brand-spanking new trailer for the latest
X-Men Installment - Dark Phoenix.
How’s it going guys - welcome back to Top 10 Nerd - as per usual, I’ll be your host
Jack Finch, as we take it on down to trailer town - and take a look at the 10 dopest easter
eggs, references and subtle nods to Marvel Fandom in the X-Men: Dark Phoenix trailer.
After months of complete and utter radio silence surrounding this film, we finally get a sneak
peak as just to what 20th Century Fox have got hiding up their sleeves for us - and,
well - it’s quite a lot.
After we were given a little bone to chew on since the events of 2016s X-Men Apocalypse
directed by Bryan Singer - the benevolent blaze of the Phoenix Force was soon to rear
its graceful head into the X-Men Franchise once again, of course - as one of the most
important comic storylines of all time.
Before we chew into that, make sure to hit that thumbs up button if you’re a fan of
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Now let’s get back to that trailer.
Kicking off at Number 10 - This is The End.
First things first - let’s get that song out of the way - because while it might not
exactly seem like it, this is a pretty big deal for Singer’s X-Men Franchise.
Because - as you all know - recently the MCU finally acquired the rights to the long-divided
X-Men, and finally - finally - we can see a complete part of the world that we all know
and love - where Mutants and Spider-Man can skip hand in hand together forever.
But - that’s a big deal for /this/ X-Men Franchise.
This is the End, literally.
It’s coming to its final conclusion.
The song - which is a cover of the iconic 1967 Doors track - The End, sprawls its way
throughout the trailer - and I’m not exactly saying that it’s a subtle nod to the closing
moments of this series as we know it - but it’s also definitely that.
Goodbye, convoluted storylines - hello retcon.
Next up at Number 9 - Little Jean Grey
I’m not going to lie - the X-Men franchise has had some pretty terrible continuity - particularly
with Jean Grey, as threads of her story have been picked up sporadically since her first
glimpse in 2003’s X2.
Then again in 2006, we got much more of her in the controversial X-Men: The Last Stand
- where Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey turned into an atomic bomb of a mentally unstable
villain - rather than the ambivalent cosmic entity that we know the Phoenix Force to be.
But - however, this trailer seems to be taking us in a different route - one that’s much
truer to the comic books and Jean Grey’s relationship with the Phoenix Force.
The trailer opens with a little girl - a young Jean Grey - heading out the X-Mansion alongside
a younger Charles Xavier - as the two try and cobble together a psychic solution to
Jean’s unwitting cosmic problem.
What this seems to do is completely negate the introduction between Xavier, Magneto and
Jean in the Last Stand - and, rightfully so.
Coming in at Number 8 - Lilandra?
Maybe?
Ever since her involvement was announced back in 2017 - fans have been speculating as to
who Jessica Chastain will be playing in the film.
Well, she’s kept pretty well schtum about her role in the film - but Fox did recently
reveal that her character name would be Smith.
In the trailer we see a platinum-haired Jessica creep up through a rainy-scene and a church,
she tells Jean - You feel like you don’t belong here - you don’t.
They can’t begin to comprehend what you are.
Well - this allusion definitely has its roots in the cosmic - and some fan theories are
still speculating as to whether Chastain will play the role of Lilandra - the Empress of
the Shi’ar - a massively powerful race of aliens that are aware of the Phoenix Force.
Fox is playing their cards close to their chest - but whichever character it is, will
likely play a pivotal role.
Next up at Number 7 - You’re a Liar Charles
True to the comics - it’s been a central theme since The Last Stand that Charles Xavier
has been using his powers to suppress the Phoenix Force inside Jean Grey by adding mental
blocks to ensure that it never fully took control.
She couldn’t do it alone - and Charles recognised this fact, much to the unwitting dismay of
others.
Well - that seems to be exactly the same with the upcoming Dark Phoenix - where Charles
has to come clean to the fact that he’s been augmenting Jean’s mind - much to the
hubris of Mystique - although, Wolverine played that part in The Last Stand.
Contrary to the haphazard way that The Last Stand handled it, though - this trailer is
seemingly given us a much more darker tone to that fact that a psychic has been meddling
with the mind of a young girl.
I guess we’ll see how it plays out.
At Number 6 - No Yellow Spandex.
Yeah - unfortunately for us, or - fortunately - we’re seeing yet another departure from
the yellow spandex with seemingly the third, or fourth - I’ve lost count - design change
in what seems to be the span of a couple of years.
In this brief instance, we see that Xavier is the only character not wearing the blue
uniform with a large yellow X stitched across it.
And - well - it’s quite a faithful adaptation of the original X-Men costume design - which,
yet again, seems to be another nod to continuity with the comics.
Swinging in at Number 5 - The Brotherhood of Mutants
It’s been a central theme throughout the last two X-Men themes - which, personally
- were the only ones that came close to hitting the mark with the mutant awesomeness of the
X-Men.
Fassbender plays a fantastic Magneto, and his political foray into the identity of the
Mutant population doesn’t seem to be slowing down in this iteration.
As the trailer shows, Magneto is back to his usual ways - where he seemingly takes in Jean
Grey to his renegade band of mutants as she’s in hot pursuit of a solution to her Phoenix
Force problem.
Again - this was lightly touched upon in The Last Stand, and - yeah, well we can forget
about that film.
More interesting though, is a small scene in the trailer that seemingly shows that Beast
has also switched sides - seemingly out of betrayal to Xavier in anger for what he did
- or will do - to Jean.
Coming in at Number 4 - A Fiery Romance
Of course - this can’t really be a Jean Grey based movie without a storyline involving
Scott Summers.
Although - weirdly enough, the relationship was barely even referred to in X-Men: Apocalypse
- so perhaps they’ll be stirring things up a bit more in their coup de grace.
Although it’s only briefly glimpsed in the trailer, Jean and Scott seem to have a small,
tender moment - alluded to in their deeper relationship throughout the film, where Scott
seems to defend Jean on numerous occasions - urging the rest of the X-Men not to view
her as a villain, despite the fact that she’s probably scorched near enough everybody by
this point.
It’s a nod towards Chris Claremont's Dark Phoenix Saga - where Cyclops and Jean Grey’s
relationship was a major aspect of that comic book run.
Hopefully, Sophie Turners Dark Phoenix will do a true justice to one of the most iconic
mutant lovestories.
Next up at Number 3 - Xavier and Magneto - at it again.
It can’t be an X-Men film without Magneto - can it - and once again, the trailer seems
to point towards the ideological battle that these two titanic mutants seem to be hasing
out at the expense of others.
It seems that again, this will be a major plot point in Dark Phoenix, with both Magneto
and Professor X trying to find differing solutions to the exact same problem - the Phoenix Force.
In one scene, Fassbender seems to deliver an absolutely killer line to Charles - You’re
always sorry, Charles - and there’s always a speech - and nobody cares.
Such shade - but it seems that we’re going to see a much colder side to Magneto, well,
if it can get any colder - but what we’ve always seen between the pair is a quiet admiration
for each other.
A quiet respect.
But Magneto seems to be turning up the hate toward his old friend, if this trailers anything
to go by - and will that have any repercussion to the final outcome of the Dark Phoenix storyline?
We’ll have to wait and see.
At our Number 2 spot - Who’s Dead?
Speaking of the final outcomes of the Dark Phoenix saga - someone is definitely ending
up six-feet-under.
And, well - we know for sure that it’s not Charles, Beast or Storm - because they’re
all standing around the graveside.
In the trailer - we see a top down show of a grave with five bundles of flowers on top
freshly dug earth.
It’s a funeral - for sure - they’re not visiting an old graveside - but the real question
is - who’s dead?
Is it a not to the death of the franchise as we know it - amidst certainty of the Disney/Fox
deal and the MCU’s final control of the X-Men?
I mean, perhaps it could just be some minor character related to Jean Grey - but why would
they all show up, so moroes?
Maybe it’s the end of the film - and if it’s following the events of the Dark Phoenix
Saga - then maybe this is Jean Grey’s grave.
Well, I guess we’re left guessing until then.
And finally, at Number 1 - The Phoenix, of course.
Because this is the Dark Phoenix trailer, and we have to talk about how awesome of a
saga the Phoenix Force truly is.
20th Century Fox have tried to get Jean Grey’s involvement with the cosmic entity right on
quite a few occasions - and they’ve pretty much always missed the mark, particularly
in the events of The Last Stand.
Now - I know this is just a trailer, and I don’t want to put all my eggs into one basket
- but I think Sophie Turner is our best chance at getting an accurate representation of the
Phoenix Force - and if the little that we do see in the trailer is anything to go by
- then we’re in for some intense telekinetic showdowns.
There are moments throughout the trailer where Sophie Turner seems to deliver that cold,
emotionless level of destruction that the Dark Phoenix is known for - and I for one,
have got a good feeling that this is just the beginning.
Well - what do you guys think?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box down below.
Cheers for sticking around guys - I hope you’re pumped for Dark Phoenix as much as we are.
If you’d like to continue your Marvel binge - feel free to hit that playlist floating
shortly above.
Tune in tomorrow for your daily dose of nerd - as per usual, I’ve been your host Jack
Finch - you’ve been watching Top 10 Nerd - and until next time, you take it easy.