No one’s ever said that Chris Claremont isn’t opinionated. Or protective of his work!
Two years ago at New York Comic Con, the legendary X-Men writer wished Fox had gotten “his” movies right. This year, he went the extra step and described how he’d redo X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix himself, to a rapt audience.
Claremont actually began at the end of X-Men: Days of Future Past when Wolverine, with knowledge of how the timeline has changed, “returns” to the present day. Of course he’s excited to see Jean Grey, then a little bummed when Cyclops also appears. But this time, the couple would have introduced their daughter, Rachel Summers — played by Sophie Turner!
When X-Men: Apocalypse opens, Jean would be seen having nightmares of the Phoenix, which she’s learned of by touching Logan’s mind and seeing the future. Phoenix flames develop around her, but rather than possessing Jean, they’d float down the hall and find Rachel to be a better host. Claremont wants the movie set in the present this time, to keep Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier — but with James McAvoy playing his mental image!
Then, just like in the original film, mental Charles throws down with Apocalypse and loses. But this time, the big blue guy decides against inhabiting a crotchety old man, and wants to take Jean’s body instead. “I haven’t been a girl in a long time; let’s give it a shot,” Claremont imagined Apocalypse’s thought process. But then Rachel unleashes and defeats him, shooting Phoenix flames out into the galaxy.
Miscast?
Not knowing or understanding her power, much like in Claremont’s original comics, the Phoenix would consume a star, killing all the beings that lived in the system. In his version of the Dark Phoenix movie, Rachel is under Jean’s tutelage and is still disturbed by what’s happened. There’s little time for recovery, though, as the Shi’ar are pissed, worried about what happens next, and they’re here to do something about it.
“That is the true Westchester Incident,” Claremont said, presumably referring to the event that set up the premise of the Logan movie.
So what do you think? Better, worse, just a different kind of bad? Could Fox have pulled it off, even if they tried?
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