X-Men: The Mystique of Dark Phoenix (VIDEO SCRIPT)

Readers, I have made it a mission of mine not to pay to see any of the FoX-Men movies after First Class

Yes, that even includes the Deadpool movies; I only saw them in theaters because I had enough credit with my local movie theater to get a free ticket, and when I already got my money’s worth for the month with MoviePass back when it was good

The only one I regret not seeing is Logan because it takes itself out of the tumble-dryer that is the 20th Century Fox X-Men film continuity on purpose

Also it’s actually good? It’s still hard for me to properly say that about an X-Men film that Fox made in this day and age

But with New Mutants constantly looking like it’s never gonna see the light of day, the impending end of the FoX-Men franchise before Disney puts it in the hands of Marvel Studios looks like it’s gonna be “X-Men: The Last Stand.5 - Final Mix.”

...What?

Alright, fine. Dark Phoenix. Jeez

I say that to say, that while I’m no longer a fan of the 20th Century Fox X-Men films, I may need to break my streak with this one just to see how this whole shindig’s gonna go down

And not because I’m petty, either; I honestly hate that the reason Marvel is requiring the film rights to X-Men and Fantastic Four is because of a studio buyout

No, Readers; there is just a genuine interest that’s been developing since I’ve seen stills, promo shots and trailers for it that has peaked my curiosity.

Especially the latest trailer, /which initially hinted at the death of fan favorite Mystique since it premiered online almost a week ago, only for writer and director Simon Kinberg to confirm was actually the case/ Entertainment Weekly - Dark Phoenix 1

https://ew.com/trailers/2019/02/28/dark-phoenix-trailer-simon-kinberg-mystique-death/

And ever since the trailer and the news broke, there’ve been a lot of people wondering why he decided to not only do this in the movie, but reveal that portion of the movie in the trailer

You COULD go with the angle of that he KNEW that this could possibly be the last FoX-Men movie, so he wanted it to go out with a bang and show that no one is safe

At least, until you remember the time that Jennifer Lawrence told us she doesn’t want to play Mystique anymore.

In an interview she had with Entertainment Weekly back in 2015, she told them that her contract was over after Apocalypse

And after playing her for 5 years of her life, Lawrence was no longer a fan of the makeup process for the character, among other things.

/So when she made a promise to Kinberg that she’d be in the next one only if he directed it, and he ended up writing AND directing it, Jennifer Lawrence pretty much went:/ Entertainment Weekly - Dark Phoenix 2

https://ew.com/movies/2017/12/07/jennifer-lawrence-x-men-dark-phoenix/

....Fuck.

Readers, I don’t know when in the movie Mystique is going to get offed; my story writer senses are telling me it’s gonna be around the same time Professor X got offed in The Last Stand

It also solidifies my earlier joke about this being a Last Stand remake because a death that’s gonna be felt by every mutant is happening when Gene loses control IN HER CHILDHOOD NEIGHBORHOOD, but NO, it’s a completely different movie; don’t be that guy

Even though when it comes to these FoX-Men movies I’m TOTALLY THAT GUY!

All I know is that both of these facts are true when it comes to why Kinberg killed off Mystique in Dark Phoenix

Not only did Kinberg want a death that could impact the majority of the characters in this movie, but because he’s her friend, he also wanted to give Jennifer Lawrence an out because she doesn’t want to play this character anymore

It’s kinda in the same vein as how JJ Abrams and the writers of The Force Awakens gave Harrison Ford an out from playing Han Solo, since y’know, Ford’s been trying to get George Lucas to kill him off since Empire Strikes Back

While also doing it in a way that leaves an impact to the characters involved and simultaneously doesn’t disrespect his legacy

And honestly Readers, I prefer this option over any of the others.

/Because according to HIS Entertainment Weekly interview regarding why he made the choice to kill off Mystique, it was hard for him to make the choice in the first place because of how close he is to Lawrence in the first place/ Entertainment Weekly - Dark Phoenix 3

You couple that with Jennifer’s overall feelings regarding playing the role again and why she agreed to come back to it in the first place

And you get someone who takes into consideration the wants and needs of someone else before their own while still making the best of the situation.

Because if Kinberg truly IS Jennifer Lawrence’s friend in that way, then he would’ve already known her disinterest in playing the character again despite her promise

It would’ve been EXTREMELY fucked up to find out through an interview that she didn’t want to go through another movie again as opposed to the two, y’know...actually TALKING

So if this is in fact the way this went down, which I’m kinda hoping it was because all of the other alternatives are pretty whack in retrospect

Then let’s take a page out of Simon and Jennifer’s playbooks, be more considerate of one another, and find a way to make the best of a less than favorable situation if doing so places you in one.

It may not be the most ideal situation, but look at it this way: It’s all gonna be rebooted into a bigger franchise later on anyway...