X-Men: The Last Stand

***X-Men: The Last Stand*** (also known as ***X-Men 3***) is a 2006 American superhero film, based on the X-Men superhero team introduced in Marvel Comics. The film, distributed by 20th Century Fox, is the sequel to 2003's *X2* and the third installment in the *X-Men* film series. It was directed by Brett Ratner, written by Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn, and features an ensemble cast, including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones, and Patrick Stewart. The film's script is loosely based on two *X-Men* comic book story arcs: "The Dark Phoenix Saga" by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, and "Gifted" by writer Joss Whedon and artist John Cassaday, with a plot that revolves around a "mutant cure" that causes serious repercussions among mutants and humans, and on the resurrection of Jean Grey. The budget of the film was 210 million dollars and the box office was 459.4 million dollar.

Twenty years ago, Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr meet young Jean Grey at her parents' house to invite her to join their school, the X-Mansion. Ten years later, the industrialist father of Warren Worthington III discovers his son is a mutant as Warren tries to cut off his wings.

In the present, Worthington Labs announces it has developed an inoculation to suppress the X-gene that gives mutants their abilities, and offer the "cure" to any mutant who wants it. The cure is created from the genome of a young mutant named Jimmy, who lives at the Worthington facility on Alcatraz Island. While some mutants are interested in the cure, including the X-Men's Rogue, many others are horrified by the announcement. Lehnsherr re-establishes his Brotherhood of Mutants with those who oppose the cure, warning his followers that the cure will be forcefully used to exterminate the mutant race.

With help from Pyro, Lehnsherr recruits Callisto, and several other mutants. They attack the mobile prison holding Mystique to free her, also freeing Juggernaut and Multiple Man. Mystique saves Lehnsherr by taking a shot of the mutant cure aimed at him, rendering her human. Hateful of humans, Lehnsherr abandons Mystique, much to her shock. Meanwhile, Scott Summers, still distraught over the loss of his fiancée, Jean Grey, drives to her resting location at Alkali Lake. Jean appears to Summers but, as the two embrace, Jean disintegrates him. Sensing trouble, Xavier sends Logan and Storm to investigate. When they arrive, they find only telekinetically floating rocks, Summers' glasses, and an unconscious Jean.

When they return to the X-Mansion, Xavier explains to Logan that when Jean sacrificed herself, she also freed the "Phoenix", a powerful alternate personality which Xavier had telepathically repressed, fearing the Phoenix's destructive potential. Logan is disgusted to learn of this psychic tampering with Jean's mind but, once she awakens, he discovers that she killed Summers and is not the Jean Grey he once knew. The Phoenix emerges, knocks out Logan, and escapes to her childhood home.

Lehnsherr learns of Jean's resurrection through Callisto, and the X-Men arrive at the Grey home at the same time as the Brotherhood. Lehnsherr and Xavier go in alone, and both vie for Jean's loyalty until the Phoenix resurfaces. She destroys the house and disintegrates Xavier before leaving with Lehnsherr. The Brotherhood decides to strike Worthington Labs, and the government sends multiple teams to attack the Brotherhood's base in the forest, with information gained from Mystique, furious over Lehnsherr's betrayal. However, the life forms in the camp are all copies of Multiple Man, and Lehnsherr uses his powers to move the Golden Gate Bridge so he and his army can get to Alcatraz and facilitate the attack on Worthington Labs. The remaining X-Men confront the Brotherhood, despite being significantly outnumbered, and arrive just as the military troops who thus far have been neutralizing the attacking mutants are overwhelmed by the Brotherhood.

During the fight, Kitty Pryde saves Jimmy from Juggernaut, who had been sent to kill him. Logan has Colossus throw him at Lehnsherr and distracting him long enough for Hank McCoy to inject Lehnsherr with the "cure" and thus nullifying his powers. Army reinforcements arrive and shoots at Jean just as Logan had calmed her down. Phoenix is awakened by the attack and disintegrates the troops in retaliation. Phoenix begins to destroy Alcatraz and anyone within range of her powers. Logan realizes that only he can stop Phoenix due to his healing factor. Logan approaches her and Jean momentarily gains control and begs him to kill her. Logan fatally stabs Jean (and thus Phoenix) but mourns for her death.

Sometime later, mutant rights are finally obtained and Xavier's school is still operating with Storm as headmistress. The President of the United States appoints McCoy as ambassador to the United Nations. Rogue reveals to Bobby Drake that she has taken the cure, much to his disappointment. Meanwhile, Lehnsherr sits alone at a chessboard in a San Francisco park. As he gestures toward a metal chess piece, it wobbles slightly, suggesting that the effects of the cure might only be temporary.

In a post-credits scene, Dr. Moira MacTaggert checks on a comatose patient  who greets her with Xavier's voice, leaving her startled.

CAST

Hugh Jackman as Logan / Wolverine

Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe / Storm

Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr/ Magneto

Famke Janssen as Jean Grey / Phoenix

Haley Ramm as young Jean Grey

Anna Paquin as Marie D'Ancanto / Rogue

Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy / Beast

James Marsden as Scott Summers / Cyclops

Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkhölme / Mystique

Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Drake / Iceman

Aaron Stanford as John Allerdyce / Pyro

Vinnie Jones as Cain Marko / Juggernaut

Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier / Professor X

Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat

Ben Foster as Warren Worthington lll / Angel

Cayden Boyd as young Warren Worthington lll

Dania Ramirez as Callisto

Michael Murphy as Warren Worthington ll

Shohreh Aghdashloo as Dr. Kavita Rao

Josef Sommer as President of the United States

Bill Duke as Security Trask

Daniel Cudmore as Piotr "Peter" Rasputin / Colossus

Eric Dane as James Madrox / Multiple Man

Other actors who portrayed mutants were: Meiling Melançon as Psylocke, a mutant with the ability to teleport herself through areas of shadow; Omahyra Mota as Arclight, a mutant who has the ability to generate shock waves of concussive force; Ken Leung as Kid Omega, a mutant with the ability to eject spikes from his body, most notably his face (though the character resembles the comic books' character Quill however, the official cast credits read "Kid Omega"); and Cameron Bright as Jimmy / Leech, a mutant who has the ability to neutralize the powers of nearby mutants. Various characters were included at the suggestion of editor Mark Helfrich, who brought Marvel's *X-Men Encyclopedia* to director Brett Ratner, searching for mutants who could make appearance. Mark Helfrich portrays an unnamed mutant with ash-gray skin. These include Phat, a mutant that is a very large man who can slim down to fit in a smaller space (played by two actors, Via Saleaumua - "large mode" - and Richard Yee - "small mode"); Spike (played by Lance Gibson), a mutant who battles Wolverine in the forest by extruding bony spikes from his flesh - the character was added because the editing team felt that the original cut of the scene portrayed Logan as a cold-blooded killer, which could be changed if another mutant attacked Wolverine before he struck the Brotherhood and Glob Herman (played by Clayton Dean Watmough), a mutant with transparent skin. Various other mutants make cameos at the X-Mansion; Shauna Kain and Kea Wong reprised their cameo roles as Siryn and Jubilee respectively, and three identical girls in the background in one scene are a reference to the Stepford Cuckoos. Olivia Williamsportrays Moira MacTaggert. *X-Men* co-creator Stan Lee and writer Chris Claremont have cameos in the film's opening scene as the neighbors of young Jean Grey.  The sergeant directing defensive preparations before the Brotherhood assaults Alcatraz Island is played by R. Lee Ermey.  Lloyd Adams portrays the green-skinned mutant that climbs the guard tower on Alcatraz. Many fans believed this was Toad however, the credits list him as lizard man and Brett Ratner confirmed it was Anole. Avalanche and Vanisher also appear however it is not known who portrayed them.