Posts Tagged ‘X-Men’

Review: X-Men #3

X-Men #3Can this really be it for Arkea? It’s just that normally the opening gambit of a new title lasts a bit longer than three issues.

Granted, the team did good, they got to Arkea before she could  become too powerful. Then Karima made a great sacrifice to stop her. So really, everything went the way that we always think it should go when we read these kinds of things. “Why didn’t they just…?” How many movies would only be five minutes long if the good guys just did the smart thing right off the bat?

Still, it feels like there should be more to the Arkea story line, but it looks as if this is just the set up phase for a lot yet to come. The team was put together, Jubilee is back, even Sublime might be getting in on things? Who knows.

I am loving Coipel’s artwork though, I like how he draws the characteristics of the characters rather than just the characters, you can just see the sass in Rogue and the goddess in Storm.

Read Full Post »

I’ll start posting my fan fiction series on my blog here in a month and I was going to also post it on FanFiction.net where I have an account and posted several of my fics. However, I’m running across the problem of not knowing where to file it on FF.net.

X-Men: The (fan fic) Series is a proposed television and so far there have been no live action tv-series, only cartoons. The upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. series is live action but not X-Men, in fact, no X-Men will ever appear in it since it’s Disney!Marvel.

So I’m left with either posting in the comic or movie sections of FF.net.

This is an AU of the comic-verse, I’m trying to stay as close as I can to comic canon even though I’m taking from the movies, cartoons, etc.

This is a live-action treatment more akin to the movies and may appeal more to the movie-fans as it’s more in that style.

I have a month to decide what to do, but I’m at a bit of a standstill and could use some input and suggestions.

Read Full Post »

The Maximoff Twins: Scarlet Witch and QuicksilverI’ve seen a lot of confusion about Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch being in the upcoming Fox and Disney/Marvel movies. Here is what you need to know:

1. If one studio uses the Maximoff twins, can they be used by the other?

Yes. When Fox received the license to use the X-Men in film, Wanda and Pietro were put in a gray zone and both studios have license to use the characters, with limitations.

2. What are the limitations each studio has for using the twins?

  • Fox can use them as ‘mutants’ related to ‘Magneto’ with some kind of relationship with the ‘X-Men’ but they can not be refered to as ‘Avengers’. (They can be Brotherhood, free agents, X-Men, or other, as long as Fox has the license for that group.)
  • Disney can use them as ‘Avengers’, but they can not be specifically referred to as ‘mutants’ nor their father mentioned by name. (The studio has the choice of either leaving that ambiguous, i.e. orphaned at birth (which is canon), or they can write in a new back story.)

Neither studio gets to use them as a whole.

3. Will they be played by the same person?

Nothing says that they can’t be, but since they will be two different versions of the same character, one a mutant, the other an Avenger, then it only makes sense to have two different actors. Think of it as if Keaton and Bale had their Batman’s come out at the same time. Both are Batman but done in two very different tones with a different take on the Gotham universe.

4. Then who will be playing them?

Evan Peters has been cast as Quicksilver in Days of Future Past and Wanda will not appear in the film.

Names have been thrown around for Avengers 2 but no official announcements have been made at this time.

5. Wanda isn’t in Days of Future Past, so Quicksilver is an only child?

Not necessarily. Singer only says that Wanda will ‘not appear’, meaning her character will do just that, not appear in the film. This does not mean she can’t be referred to as existing some place else at the time, i.e. “Have you spoken to your sister?” “Last I heard she was in Australia.”

Or, they could simply leave it as a non-issue. If no one asks him if he has siblings, and he never volunteers the information,  then for all we know both Wanda and Lorna exist someplace (and possible show up in a later film).

6. If they aren’t mutants in Avengers… then what?

We don’t know at this time but there are several options. Augmented Humans. Experimentation. Alien Tech. Magic. Etc.

Personally I’m voting for ‘magic as a higher form of science’ because I believe not only would that be closer to their original status as mutants but also fit in well with the established concept via the Asgardians. Also, Doctor Strange.

7. What about their heritage?

The twins were grew up as the modern equivalent of Romani after being adopted when their mother died at childbirth (probably).

Nothing has been said in Days of Future Past regarding Quicksilver’s adoptive parents or where he grew up. Evan Peters does look like the son of Erik who is a German Jew. Wanda took more after their mother who was the Romani, but as Wanda’s not appearing in the film, I doubt much will be made of this and Quicksilver will be German or from a Soviet Block country.

Whedon has said that he’s looking at ‘edgy British’ for the twins. Now, ‘British’ does not mean the twins could not be of Romani heritage but they apparently will not be first generation Romani. Whether or not they hold any ties to the Romani heritage is highly suspect at this time as the studio may decide to avoid the subject in order to keep from causing any kind of political incorrectness.

Basically, it is more likely that the twins will be ‘white washed’ in Avengers than in Days of Future Past.

8. No Magento in Avengers, what does that mean for the twins?

Not a hell of a lot. The twins were in the Brotherhood then joined the Avengers long before they realized their true parentage.

 I think that is everything, if there is something I have missed, let me know and I will do my best to answer it.

Read Full Post »

So it’s ‘confirmed’ that there will be no Wanda in DOFP, but it’s not clear if this means she’s simply somewhere else (maybe Australia) or if Pietro is an only child in this universe. I will accept if she’s just not around (or they leave it open, i.e., they don’t say either way) but if they make him an only child then I will be very disappointed.

From BleedingCool

Crowds at Montreal’s Fantasia Fest last night were treated to some footage from X-Men: Days of Future Past and a Q&A from director Bryan Singer. I’m guessing it would have been the same reel of clips that I saw at Comic-Con, but I’d certainly have liked another chance to see it. Just one more reason I wish I was at Fantasia Fest.

JoBlo‘s man in the field gathered up a list of notes from the Q&A, and while there was a lot of previously-heard stories and other bits of business, some of it was fresh or worth another go-around. Here are the points that stand out to me. There are spoilers for old X-Men movies implicit throughout the rest of this story.

  • Tom Cruise is deferential to his directors.
  • Singer doesn’t see Jack the Giant Slayer as creatively compromised but does think it was mis-marketed.
  • Russell Crowe wanted to play Wolverine bald and that’s why he didn’t get the role
  • Singer thinks that X3: The Last Stand made a mistake with Cyclops.
  • While editing the first X-Men, he got into such a row with the editor he smashed a bottle on the wall and was locked out of the editing room for three days.

And then there were a couple of bigger, chewier points.

First up, Singer said that The Scarlet Witch won’t be appearing in Days of Future Past. Which means Quicksilver will be operating separate from his sister. And I wonder if the movie version – or rather, this movie version – of Quicksilver will even have a sister.

There’s already a bit of a puzzle in his family tree, with the character apparently old enough that he would have been born before the events of First Class but that film’s Magneto, who in the comics is his dad, was seemingly unaware of him. I’m curious to see what they’re doing with this decision.

And then there’s Singer’s comments on how the “old” Professor X has returned. JoBlo’s note says, verbatim:

Could justify bringing Xavier back because he transferred his consciousness and could possibly construct a body around that consciousness.

Most were assuming that time travel was involved in the resurrection of Charles. At least I was, before I saw The Wolverine.

But what’s this with the word “possibly”? Does that come from JoBlo or Singer? It’s not clear. Because if Singer doesn’t know, for sure, how the character was brought back to life, then he must be leaving it ambiguous in the film.

He could be misleading us. He could be misquoted. Either way, this notion of constructing a body… that’s a new one to me. Has he ever shown abilities of that kind in the comics, because I’m certainly not aware of them if he has.

X-Men: Days of Future Past continues production now. It’s looking good to me. Expect to see it in US cinemas on May 23rd next year.

Read Full Post »

Marsden told Vulture that he will not be in Days of Future Past, ergo Cyclops will not be resurrected.

And X-Men: Days of Future Past next year, or no? I mean, Cyclops was disintegrated, but if there’s time travel … No, no X-Men, unfortunately. But who knows? If this next film really works, Bryan [Singer] has said he wants to fix a few things, so hopefully that’s one of them. It was great, to have a movie like that, the first two or three X-Men, and the studios in Hollywood work really hard to find a formula that’s successful, and you want to keep that intact, so …

Did you have a chance to see The Wolverine yet? Because Jean Grey, even though she’s dead, gets to have a lot of moments in it. No, I haven’t seen it yet, just the trailer … but I hope that lays the ground for more. We’ll see. I always liked Cyclops, but they have a lot of characters that they have to parcel out, spend time with each one, make sure everyone feels like they’ve been given their due, introduce them appropriately, but you could do a spinoff of every one of those characters and give them so much depth to the story line.

Does he mean that he’s spoken to Bryan or just that this is what he’s heard? Clarification would be nice but there is no telling what is really going on this film, except that they’re giving it all away already. I mean, with their announcements before and during ComiCon, what is there left to really surprise us with?

  • They could have held off on the Sentinels till at least next year, giving us some wonderful ‘Cloverfield’ style shots of it to wet our appetite. Instead we get full frontal already.
  • They might have held off on Quicksilver but with the Whedon announcement they probably realized they needed to show that they had already had that planned lest look like they ripped off Avengers. Bishop was already revealed, along with Blink and Warpath, so… who’s left? Misty Knight?
  • They’ve also already told us Wolvie is the time traveler and give us the core of the whole time travel plot. They could have held back on that too, again, till at least the first full official trailer and such.

All that’s left is to give us the actual plot. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but it does seem like all the big stuff that could have been used to entice us through glimpses and reveals closer to when the movie comes out (or at least not ten months away) have just been dropped on the table for us to fiddle and get bored with.

What am I saying? I’m saying that something like Cyclops being alive would be a really awesome thing. Not only do the fans want it, but it would be something that would be a surprise (though only in the way that Marion Cotillard playing Talia was a ‘surprise’ to anyone in the Batman fandom, but still).

Marion Cotillard down right said she wasn’t Talia.
Benedict Cumberbatch said he wasn’t Kahn.

Everything comes in threes…

Could Marsden saying he’s not coming back as Cyclops be our third? It wouldn’t take much to hide it as the future stuff seems to be all done indoors and we only need a single shot of him to prove the point, he could knock that stuff out in an afternoon.

Anyway, here’s hoping… but with these films, I have learned to expect disappointment.

Read Full Post »

Getting some closer looks at Trask Industries and the Sentinels. With the movie a little less than a year away I imagine we’ll get a lot of viral stuff, but it’s surprising we’re getting such a clear look at the Sentinels already. Makes me wonder what they are holding back…

Some images courtesy of CinemaBlend:

Read Full Post »

Spoilers ahead though only if you’re one of those who never watch teaser trailers. Oh, and Evan Peters literally quoted his character directly from the comics… good sign.

From io9

We saw the first teaser of X-Men: Days of Future Past just now at San Diego Comic-Con, and it was the most exciting X-Men moment in a decade. Here’s our rough impressions of what we saw. UPDATE: More details added!

Spoilers ahead…

Seriously, I hope this footage shows up online soon, because my description is not going to do it justice. There was a lot going on here. We saw it twice, so I’m adding more details from the second watching.

We see a closeup of Patrick Stewart’s eye, and someone (Stewart) asks, “What’s the last thing you remember?” Professor X (Stewart) responds, “I had a glimpse into the past.”Then Professor X tells Wolverine, “You’re going to have to do for me what I once did for you.” We slowly zoom out from Professor X’s aged face, and then we see him with a Cerebro helmet on, and later coming out of the Cerebro chamber.

And this is a dark dystopian future, where the dark, fetishy costumes are looking more dirty and distress and messed up, and Professor X and Ian McKellen’s Magneto seem weary and filled with dread. They’re in a war chamber in front of a table that shows how badly things are going. Wolverine even has a bit of gray in his facial hair.

We see flashes of all our favorite mutants, including Storm against a stormy sky, Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde, and some others. And there are futuristic-looking mutants, including  Omar Sy as Bishop, and some others I couldn’t identify wearing dramatic Mad Max-y makeup.

We learn that Professor X and Magneto have come together “side by side, to end this war before it ever begins.”

Wolverine asks, “So I wake up in my younger body, and then what?” Professor X responds, “Find me, convince me of all this.” And Magneto chimes in that Wolverine will find younger Magneto a different person, “a darker person.” We catch glimpses of 1970s versions of Magneto and Professor X — with a lot more hair and a lot more fire to them. Young Professor X has a crazy beard and a 1970s groovy outfit with an X-shaped light on his face, while Young Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is waving a gun.

We see Young Professor X blowing dust off a white globe.

Back then, Professor X says, “I was a very different man. Lead me, guide me, be patient with me.” We see Young Professor X putting his hands on someone’s face as he tries to understand. Maybe Wolverine’s face?

Older Wolverine responds, “Patience isn’t my strong suit.”

And then blue glowing hands are gripping Wolverine’s head, sending him back in time into the body of his younger self.

We catch glimpses of other stuff — Young Magneto using his powers to pull a distressed Mystique along the floor. Young Magneto descending from the air looking scary. There is a mysterious opening under the Oval Office, revealed by the oval opening up like a trapdoor. And protests in the street, and Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) addressing a government hearing. And Richard Nixon looking weird and terrifying — and then Mystique walking down the street changing into a man in a pimp suit.

There is a LOT of stuff blowing up, and Young Professor X using Magneto, and the Beast attacking, a woman walking away from an airplane, and a military setting. We glimpse Professor X shielding his face from an intense white light, and the Cerebro machine exploding.

Young Professor X says, “I don’t want your suffering. I don’t want your future.”

And then Old Professor X is face to face with his younger self. He says: “Please. We need you to hope again.” It’s an actual spine-tingling moment. Actual goosebumps here.

In the panel, we met Omar Sy, who told us that Bishop is visiting from the future and just trying to survive, like everyone. Also on the panel: Peter Dinklage confirmed he really is playing Bolivar Trask.

And Evan Peters was here, as the new Quicksilver. Asked to describe his character, Peters said: “He’s very fast. He’s quick. He’s a spaz. He talks quick, he moves quick, everybody is very slow compared to him. He’s always at an ATM waiting for the bastard in front of him to finish.”

“He’s got excellent genes,” added Michael Fassbender, who plays his father, Magneto.

Someone asks what sort of costume Quicksilver will have, and Singer responds: “It’ll be a seventies costume. I had grown up as a kid in the 1970s and I had forgotten how hideous some of the clothing was back then.”

Someone asked if we might get a Deadpool movie, and Bryan Singer wouldn’t confirm that one will happen — but he did say the X-Men universe is as big as the rest of the Marvel universe, and there’s enough room for a ton of X-Men films developing all the different characters and corners of the universe, building it out.

Someone asked Jackman about musicals, and he said he would never sing as Wolverine. The crowd was disappointed, so he gave us a taste of what a Wolverine musical would be like: “I’m gonna slice ’em, I’m gonna dice ’em,” he sang operatically.

Someone asked the assembled cast which X-Men character, other than their own, they would want to play. Patrick Stewart responded: “I would like to play any female character in any X-Men movie, because then I would have a chance of winning an Academy Award.” (Because three of the women in the X-Men have won Oscars.)

Iain McKellen said: “If I can’t play the younger Magneto, then I would like to grow wings and play Angel.”

Oh, and in the panel for The Wolverine before we saw this footage, Hugh Jackman gave a shoutout to Wolverine co-creator Len Wein, who was in the audience, and it was really gracious and awesome.

Read Full Post »

Warning: Spoilers for Days of Future Past

wolverine-rogue-xmenThe Vulture got some exclusive information regarding Days of Future Past. You can read it all here but this is part that interests me the most:

In Singer’s take, Ellen Page returns as Kitty from the Brett Ratner–directed X-Men: The Last Stand, but this time she uses her powers to send Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine back into the past, where he encounters the younger mutants played by James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, and Michael Fassbender. However, something bad happens to Kitty during the time-travel trance, and while Wolverine is still under her spell, the other X-Men must race to find a mutant who can siphon Kitty’s powers and bring their friend back to the future. Could that be the plot development that brings Anna Paquin’s power-copying Rogue into the fold once again?

First off: Totally called it that Wolverine was going to be the time traveler. I was thrown a bit with Bishop being included, and I suppose there could be a surprise twist there and Bishop be another time traveler… but we’ll see. Should be interesting to see how Logan reacts to the younger version of the characters, how much will he reveal of the future?

Secondly: Rogue! Rogue? The siphon power thing does sound like a job for a powered Rogue, but the question is, if she isn’t already hanging around with them when they attempt it the first time… then where the hell is she? Did her powers come back or not (Singer hinted that maybe she didn’t)? Did she leave the X-Men over the Bobby/Kitty thing? Have they devolved her character even further to someone who is out nursing a broken heart? Or is she simply out with a different team kicking loads of butt like she should have been in the first place?  So many questions! So may possibilities! So many chances for this go to horribly wrong…

Read Full Post »

Review: X-Men #2

X-Men #2Wood wastes no time getting into the action. Arkea has taken over Karima’s body and starts to wreck havoc.

The leads all the title characters to show themselves to be fairly capable and calm in the face of an attack. However, the issue`omes to a standstill as Arkea jets out leaving behind a little present.

Story wise, we don’t get a lot of movement, just clarification of everything set up in the first issue. This isn’t really a bad thing. We’re not covered in exposition nor are we drowned in layers. It’s straight forward action and adventure.

There is a little touch on Jubilee’s mentality, what with her history with the X-Men and her adoption of the child. Nothing overbearing though, Wood isn’t trying to smash through the tropes, which is always a plus.

Now let’s hope Arkea’s present doesn’t cause too much damage.

Read Full Post »

X-Force #1I hadn’t been very quick to believe, but seems I was mistaken. The X-Force movie will be happening according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jeff Wadlow, who is readying for the Aug. 16 release of Kick-Ass 2, has been tapped to write an adaptation of X-Force, an X-Men spinoff being developed by 20th Century Fox. … Longtime X-Men franchise producer Lauren Shuler Donner is producing X-Force.

So the question now is: Which X-Force team will they be using?

If they go classic, they already started on it by bringing Warpath into the movies. He’s in the ‘future’ part so it wouldn’t be hard to say that the X-Force team is a continuation of previously established film canon.

But the big issue is with Cable. Cable may not have been in every version of the X-Force team, but not having him in an X-Force movie is like having an X-Men movie with no Xavier. Though seeing that Jean (well, Maddy, but as no clones were mentioned in the films I’d assume they’d make Jean the mother) and Scott both died in the films without procreating, how are they going to explain where he comes from?

This could mean they are definitely rebooting the universe with DOFP and bringing back previously killed characters. Though Cable would have to be a teenager in the X-Force movie, not enough time has passed to make him a full on adult, well, it might work depending on how old Scott/Jean were supposed to be in 2000’s X-Men and when this X-Force movie comes out, but it would be pretty tight. Though they could go the time traveling route too…

As much as I’m really interested in this… the logistics puzzle me and not sure I want a Cable-less X-Force movie. So until we know more, or see DOFP and what it does to the timeline, I’m going to refrain from further speculation.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »