X-Men: Dark Phoenix

**X-Men: Dark Phoenix** is a 2013 superhero film set in the Marvel Media Franchise, the twenty-fourth film in the universe. It is also a sequel to *X-Men* and *X-Men: New Mutants*. The film stars Karl Urban, Ian Somerhalder, Ellie Kemper, Jada Pinkett Smith, Anson Mount, Sam Claflin, Brie Larson, Rebecca Romijn, Jessica Chastain, Jeremy Irons, and Richard Jenkins and was released worldwide on September 20, 2013. The film ran 161 minutes and grossed $958.7 million on a $217 million budget.

## Plot

2 years after the events of *X-Men: New Mutants*, the X-Men work together to bring down a towering villain. However, Professor X leaves Jean away from the fighting after her "condition" has gotten worse. Hank McCoy/Beast has joined the team in the 2 year gap. Magneto returns with his Brotherhood, Mystique, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Pyro, to draw out the X-Men. Their plan works and the team meets with them, including Jean. However, a fight breaks out and Mystique is captured by the X-Men. However, on their way to the mansion, an alien spaceship appears and forces the mutants onboard. On the ship they find Professor X. The leader of the ship, Neramani, reveals that she is from the year 2098 and is a member of the alien race, the Shi'ar. She transports them to the future, where they find it a wasteland ruled by Neramani's sister, Lilandra, the Empress of the Shi'ar. In the year 2028 an apocalyptic event will destroy the Earth and the few hundred survivors are saved by Lilandra, only to become her slaves.

The X-Men and Mystique learn that Neramani created a rebellion and finally was able to contact the X-Men in the year 2013. Neramani reveals to them that the apocalypse starts when Jean reveals her full potiental. Then, Lilandra will appear and try to help Jean. However, she will cause the Dark Phoenix to rise in Jean, who will then destroy the Earth. Neramani warns them that though they still have 15 years, they need to get Jean on the right path and not to trust anyone who wants to help her. Returning to Earth in 2013, the X-Men return to the mansion where Jean cannot fall asleep. Magneto recruits the rogue Mutant Remy LeBeau/Gambit, who can control and fire plasma blasts. The Brotherhood makes a plan to storm the mansion and rescue Mystique at any means necessary. Professor X manages to get S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell to help them with their quest. The Brotherhood attacks the X-Men and during the fight, Jean releases the Phoenix for the first time in years and nearly kills Quicksilver, though Scarlet Witch protects him.

Lilandra appears very early and tries to convince Professor X to hand over Jean to control her powers. However, everyone refuses, including Jean. Lilandra attacks them, killing Angel in the process. Jean attacks Lilandra with the Phoenix, which causes Jean to fly away after the attack. Lilandra escapes and the X-Men and Brotherhood make a truce to stop the Earth from being destroyed. Beast and Storm realize the prophecy has come early, while Wolverine wonders if this was always to happen and it just took Jean and Lilandra fifteen years to finally go through with their plan. However, Professor X makes no risky decisions and sends Wolverine, Storm, Beast, Iceman, Rogue, Shadowcat, Pyro, and Gambit after Jean. Meanwhile, Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Mystique, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver work to find Lilandra. Lilandra makes herself known and immediately attacks the mansion. However, Scarlet Witch puts up a force field to protect the mansion. Quicksilver and Nightcrawler stay with Wanda to ensure she can hold it up long enough, while the others find Lilandra.

Meanwhile, Wolverine's group find Jean in a forest, where she warns them to stay back. Finally, she releases the Phoenix again and destroys the entire forest, though Iceman creates an ice shield around them. Jean is still ready to fight, forcing Wolverine to send Rogue in to incapicitate her. Rogue steals her powers and Jean is knocked unconscious. However, Lilandra feels this and finds the forest. She convinces Jean to go with her, while Wolverine is shocked that Jean is willing to go with her. Iceman and Shadowcat reveal their feelings for one another and share a kiss. At the mansion, Wanda is barely breathing after Lilandra knocked down her force field, while Quicksilver and Magneto demand Wanda gets treated. Rogue retains some of Jean's medical knowledge and helps Wanda awaken, which Magneto thanks her for. The mutants find where Lilandra and Jean are and find them in New York Harbor. Lilandra has convinced Jean to fully unleash her potential, which could wipe out all human life on Earth, leaving no survivors in this timeline.

Cyclops finds Jean and tries to get her to calm herself, though Jean has convinced herself that she is doing this for him. Scarlet Witch finds Lilandra and kills her, even though the Empress tells Wanda that what she has started is already in motion and Jean cannot be stopped. Professor X realizes he is right and they need to get Jean to a place in the universe where she couldn't make as much damage. In the ensuing chaos Magneto steals a ship and prepares to wait out the battle in space and Quicksilver goes with him, while Scarlet Witch, Mystique, and Pyro tell them they are traitors. Magneto almost convinces Rogue to leave with him, though Gambit gets her to stay with him. Iceman dies, rescuing Shadowcat. Professor X takes one drastic move and places Jean in a space pod, which Wolverine sends into the deepest space they can find. Jean blows her powers, shaking every living thing in the universe and destroying several planets in her blast, though not Earth.

Cyclops mourns his love as Wolverine is upset that he had to let her go. Magneto returns and realizes that he has made several mistakes and leaves, not forming another Brotherhood. However, Quicksilver, still wanting to make crime, is arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D. Mystique, Pyro, Wanda, and Gambit join the X-Men. Rogue and Gambit begin dating while Cyclops takes a leave of absence to deal with the tragedy. In a mid-credits scene, several millenia ago, Egyptians worship En Sabah Nur, a mutant who is reshaping the pyramids with his mind. In a post-credits scene, Neramani is named the new Empress and changes the ways the Shi'ar looks at other species.

## Cast

* Karl Urban as Logan/Wolverine
* Ellie Kemper as Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix
* Ian Somerhalder as Scott Summers/Cyclops
* Jada Pinkett Smith as Ororo Munroe/Storm
* Anson Mount as Hank McCoy/Beast
* Sam Claflin as Bobby Drake/Iceman
* Brie Larson as Rogue
* Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkholme/Mystique
* Ben Foster as Warren Worthington III/Angel
* Shailene Woodley as Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat
* Henry Cavill as Remy LeBeau/Gambit
* Adam Driver as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver
* Toby Kebbell as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler
* Billy Magnussen as John Allerdyce/Pyro
* Keira Knightley as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
* Jessica Chastain as Lilandra and Neramani
* Topher Grace as Jasper Sitwell
* Jeremy Irons as Erik Lensherr/Magneto
* Richard Jenkins as Charles Xavier/Professor X

## Production

A third film was put into development in 2009 alongside the second film, *X-Men: New Mutants*. A release date of mid-2014 was announced, before officially announcing it's release date as July 11, 2014. By July 2009, Karl Urban, Ellie Kemper, Ian Somerhalder, Jada Pinkett Smith, Rebecca Romijn, Sam Claflin, Ben Foster, Jeremy Irons, and Richard Jenkins were confirmed to appear in both *New Mutants* and *X-Men 3*. Claflin and Foster revealed this film was the final film on their contracts. In October 2010, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Billy Magnussen, Kiera Knightley, Adam Driver, and Toby Kebbell were also announced to be reprising their roles from *New Mutants* in *Dark Phoenix*. In January 2012, Bryan Singer was announced to return as director from the first two films and revealed this would be his last X-Men film, confirming it's title as *Dark Phoenix* and that it would be adapting the "Dark Phoenix Saga" from the comics. *Dark Phoenix* was moved up 10 months to September 10, 2013. Singer revealed the film would bring somewhat closure to the "trilogy", though he also confirmed that Marvel was already planning out another trilogy of films with the same cast. Anson Mount, Henry Cavill, and Jessica Chastain were cast in May as Beast, Gambit, and Lilandra, the film's main villain. Topher Grace was also announced to be returning to the franchise as Jasper Sitwell. Filming began in July 2012 and concluded on November 17.

## Reception

### **Box office**

*X-Men: Dark Phoenix* grossed $258,366,855 in North America and $700,000,000 in other countries for a worldwide total of $958,366,855.

### **Critical reception**

Following the Los Angeles premiere, Metro noted that early critical reaction was "glowing", with critics describing it as a "spectacle", while The Guardian reported that it was receiving "much stronger early reviews". However, before the film's theatrical release, E! reported that reviews had been "mixed", but stated they were still "much better" than the previous film. After the film's international release, MTV reported that the film has garnered a "positive" critical reaction, while the Los Angeles Times stated the consensus is that the film "reinvigorates" the series, putting it "back on course". The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 75% approval rating with an average rating of 6.8/10 based on 226 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "While still slightly hamstrung by 'third film' narrative problems and its formidable length, *Dark Phoenix* represents a more confident, exciting third chapter for the *X-Men* series." On aggregate review site Metacritic, the film has a score of 66 out of 100 based on 44 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. According to CinemaScore polls the film received an "A-" from audiences.