September 20, 2024

XMF / the SUPER

Celebrating X-Men Films And Beyond

Breaking down the new DARK PHOENIX poster.

20th Century Fox released the latest poster for writer and director Simon Kinberg’s DARK PHOENIX today and the stunning one-sheet tells a story within itself about what to expect from the film, which arrives in theaters on June 7, 2019.

Here’s a breakdown of what the poster reveals:

Jean Grey

The telepathic mutant is shown divided between the Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) we all know and love and the much more villainous Dark Phoenix. In the film, Jean will struggle with her values as she goes deeper into darkness before being fully consumed by the Phoenix force. Flanked on the left by her X-Men teammates and on the right by Magneto and his followers.

Professor X and Cyclops

As the drama pics up we’ll begin to see the breakup of the X-Men as they try to figure out how to handle this dire situation. Professor X (James McAvoy) and Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) stick together to find a way to ultimately save Jean.

Magneto and Beast

Magneto (Michael Fassbender) has always been at odds with old friend Professor X and that will continue to be developed here as the consequences of Jean Grey being manipulated by Charles leads to an event that will forever change the course of their history. This also explains why Beast (Nicholas Hoult) is shown on Magneto’s side. As seen in the first trailer, the mutant gets into an argument with Charles, which leads him to joining forces with Erik and his followers on Genosha.

Mystique

Much has not been revealed about the role of Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) in the film, but going by the first trailer, she will be leading the X-Men on their space mission and become a catalyst to many events that happen later in the film. Her relationship with Charles becomes strained after she learns of what he did to Jean when she was a child.

Storm and Nightcrawler

The two X-Men want to ultimately help their friend Jean, but are also conflicted with what Professor X has done to keep her dangerous powers in check. Previous photos show that the mutants join Beast, Magneto, Selene and Red Lotus for a while after a battle in Central Park with Jean leaves them beaten, bruised and without hope. They separate from Charles and Cyclops, but will likely all join forces again when things go to hell.

Selene and Red Lotus

Selene (Kota Eberhardt) and Red Lotus (Andrew Stehlin) are followers of Magneto’s and live on his secluded island named Genosha; a safehaven for mutantkind. Their prominence on the poster is a bit surprising, as they have small roles, but it further enforces that they are with Magneto and surely both actors are happy with their placement.

Quicksilver

Evan Peter’s super-fast mutant character is barely featured here. The actor was simultaneously filming Dark Phoenix with his FX show American Horror Story, so the actor wasn’t on set as much of the rest of the cast. In the trailer, we see Quicksilver on a space mission, including a confrontation with Jean Grey and assisting with students at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Beyond that, his role is a mystery.

Smith

Lurking underneath it all is Jessica Chastain’s mysterious shape-shifting alien who goes under the alias of Smith. She attempts to manipulate Jean Grey into doing her bid, weaponizing the Phoenix force to rule the galaxy.