After numerous delays and false starts, the marketing for X-Men: Dark Phoenix is finally starting to ramp up, and not a moment too soon.
Following yesterday’s leak, 20th Century Fox has revealed that the first trailer for the latest – and possibly final – X-Men movie is set to arrive tonight. Along with that, we now have this first synopsis that teases the coming of the titular powerful entity which takes over Jean Grey.
In Dark Phoenix, the X-Men face their most formidable and powerful foe: one of their own, Jean Grey. During a rescue mission in space, Jean is nearly killed when she is hit by a mysterious cosmic force. Once she returns home, this force not only makes her infinitely more powerful, but far more unstable.
Wrestling with this entity inside her, Jean unleashes her powers in ways she can neither comprehend nor contain. With Jean spiraling our of control, and hurting the ones she loves most, she begins to unravel the very fabric that holds the X-Men together. Now, with this family falling apart, they must find a way to unite – not only to save Jean’s soul, but to save our very planet from aliens who wish to weaponize this force and rule the galaxy.
All in all, this is a pretty juicy breakdown of the plot that gives us a strong sense of how things are going to play out. For one, it looks as if Dark Phoenix is going to take as many liberties with the classic Phoenix Saga from the comics as 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand did. Hopefully, though, the changes it makes will prove to be a lot more successful than that failed effort. We’re also intrigued to find out more about Jessica Chastain’s mystery alien villain who manipulates Jean for her own means.
The synopsis teases that Jean’s spiraling powers will mean that she ends up “hurting the ones she loves most,” too. This is possibly a hint to the promised twist that one of four of the original cast members of X-Men: First Class will die. Leaked plot details may have confirmed the identity of the victim as well, so if you really want to spoil it for yourself, you can find out who it is here.
Dark Phoenix has been beset by tons of bad publicity so far – with reports and rumors saying the studio’s lost faith in it and whatnot – but if tonight’s trailer hits the spot, the movie’s fortunes could turn around and it might end up concluding the X-Men franchise as we know it on a high, before Disney hoovers the mutants up and returns them to their proper home.