The first trailer for 20th Century Fox’s latest addition to the X-Men franchise, Dark Phoenix, has finally arrived!
Of course, with the production delays, extensive reshoots, and major uncertainty due to Walt Disney’s acquisition of Fox, some fans have been understandably skeptical about how the studio’s second attempt at adapting the seminal Dark Phoenix Saga will fare. However, the footage certainly looks promising.
If you haven’t watched it yet, be sure to give it a view and then follow along with us in breaking down the first Dark Phoenix trailer:
‘You Are Not Broken’
The trailer kicks off with a young Jean Grey arriving at the X-Mansion. In the voiceover, we hear her ask Charles Xavier if he thinks he can “fix” her, to which he replies, “Jean, you are not broken.” As we’ll see, though, that certainly doesn’t stop him from attempting to fix her.
‘The Mind Is a Fragile Thing’
We get another voiceover, this time from Professor X, who says, “The mind is a fragile thing. Takes only the slightest tap to tip it in the wrong direction.” Of course, it’s Charles’ attempt to stop that from happening to Jean that will presumably lead to her self-destruction in the film.
‘Charles, What Did You Do?’
Next up, we hear Mystique ask Charles what he did. Meanwhile, we see Beast running some sort of tests on Jean, while Charles explains that he was trying to protect her. Once again, it appears Professor X could end up being something of an unintentional “villain” in the grand scheme of things.
The Sole Survivor
In a shot of what appears to be Jean’s mutant powers manifesting for the first time, we see her sitting in the backseat of a car and tapping her feet together, causing it to crash into another oncoming vehicle head-on. While Jean’s able to shield herself from harm thanks to her abilities, we can assume her parents aren’t as lucky.
Enter Genosha
Here, we get our first look at the island of Genosha. In the comics, Genosha was a safe haven for mutants that was ruled by Magneto. In the film, it appears Genosha will be where Erik settled following the events of X-Men: Apocalypse, and now, Jean has come to him in search of answers.
Jessica Chastain’s Mystery Character
We don’t know much about Jessica Chastain’s character in the film, other than the fact that she’s a villainous shape-shifter who goes by the name of Smith. This doesn’t correspond with any traditional X-Men villains from the comics, but many have speculated that she’s actually a Skrull. Others believe she’s Lilandra, the Shi’ar Empress, but either way, we know she’s up to no good.
Some Familiar Faces
We get a quick glimpse of some familiar faces from the past three X-Men films: Tye Sheridan’s Cylcops, Evan Peters’ Quicksilver, Alexandra Shipp’s Storm and another shot of Nicholas Hoult’s Hank McCoy/Beast. It’s worth noting, too, that Quicksilver appears to have matured quite a bit since we last saw him, guiding some younger students through the X-Mansion.
‘She’s Changing’
“She’s changing,” Charles says. “Into what?” Mystique asks. Then, we get a shot of Jean and Magneto, and it’s clear that Jean’s eyes are no longer the bright blue that we saw earlier in the trailer. Now, her irises have an orange tint to them, signifying her eventual transformation,
The Full Lineup
Black leather costumes have been a staple of Fox’s X-Men films, much to the chagrin of comic book fans. However, in our first shot of the full X-Men lineup (Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, Beast, Professor X, Cyclops, Storm and Mystique), we get a look the most comic-book-accurate costumes to date, complete with big, yellow X’s across the chest.
Jean Unleashed
In case there was any doubt that Jean won’t be afraid to use her powers to cause harm in the film, we see her send some police cars crashing into the air and a helicopter crashing into the ground with minimal effort. The latter appears to be in Genosha, which could be the impetus for Magneto returning to his villainous ways (more on that, later).
X-Men in Space!
In the comics, the X-Men have taken to space on countless occasions, and it’s a major part of the Dark Phoenix Saga that the film is adapting. That being said, it’s encouraging to see a shot of the Blackbird leaving the Earth’s atmosphere, as it ensures the film will at least be more faithful to the source material than X-Men: The Last Stand was in that regard, if nothing else.
‘This Is Your Fault, Charles’
Tensions appear to be rising between Charles and Hank. After telling Charles that this is his fault, we see Hank smash a bottle away from his hand, signaling a major rift between the two longtime friends and further alluding to Charles’ status as a de facto “villain,” at least in the eyes of his peers.
The Phoenix Force?
This shot of what appears to be a massive supernova is presumably Jean being consumed by the Phoenix Force while the X-Men watch on from the Blackbird. Interestingly enough, the flames can also be seen engulfing a Cerebro-bound Professor X.
Magneto Breaking Bad
After Genosha is seemingly attacked by the U.S. military, it’s hardly surprising to see Magneto don his iconic helmet once more. “You’re always sorry, Charles,” he says. “And there’s always a speech. And nobody cares.”
Beast Breaking Bad, Too?
What does come as a surprise is Beast apparently siding with Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants, which also includes Red Lotus and Selene. Meanwhile, it looks like Beast isn’t the only mutant no longer by Charles’ side…
A Death in the X-Family
Last year, this funeral scene was teased by Entertainment Weekly, and judging by what we’ve seen in the trailer thus far, not to mention a somber shot of Beast later on, it’s entirely possible that Mystique is the one in the grave. Then again, it could be Quicksilver, who’s also absent from the shot, but we’ve already seen one Quicksilver die on-screen.
‘I’ve Seen Evil… And I’m Looking at it Right Now’
“I’ve seen evil,” Magneto says. “And I’m looking at it now.” These chilling words are accompanied by a shot of Jean being fully consumed by the Phoenix Force, which we can assume takes place early on in the film, as she’s still wearing her X-Men costume.
Dark Phoenix will rise from the ashes and soar into theaters February 14, 2019.