8) The Phoenix Reborn
Even non-comic book fans know that Fox seriously dropped the ball with their adaptation of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” in X-Men: The Last Stand. Perhaps that explains why it was so satisfying then to see Jean Grey’s transformation into the Phoenix in X-Men: Apocalypse, and while it’s clearly still early days when it comes to the young mutant discovering the full extent of her abilities, her unleashing this powerful entity in order to take down En Sabah Nur was a great start.
Whatever other faults the movie’s CGI heavy final act may have had, the sight of the Phoenix burning behind Jean was nothing short of iconic, and while it may be slightly too soon for another take on the classic story mentioned above, this brief nod to that has done a superb job of setting the stage.