10 Mutants Fox's X-Men Franchise Failed | Screen Rant
Fox's X-Men franchise did right by several of its main characters, but several mutants were dropped by the wayside, left underdeveloped and failed.
20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise is remembered for soaring to some of the highest highs in superhero cinema, but it's also known for descending to some of the genre's lowest lows. The franchise, which came to an end after Disney's acquisition of Fox, has garnered for itself a very mixed track record when it comes to everyone's favorite mutants.
Though there are many characters that fans feel were done justice in the X-Men films, there are many more who audiences believe were not given their just dues. Whether being relegated to minor roles or simply misrepresented entirely, many believe that there are a number of mutants that Fox's franchise completely failed.
Darwin (Edi Gathegi) is a confounding inclusion among the first recruits of Charles Xavier's mutant team that would later become the X-Men. Appearing only once throughout the franchise in X-Men: First Class, Darwin has the ability to evolve in order to adapt in order to survive in any situation.
What makes Darwin's appearance in the franchise so confusing, however, was his sudden and unexpected death shortly after being introduced. The character, which the film had gone out of its way to suggest was unkillable, found himself being the only casualty among the X-Men in the entire film, as Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) used his energy powers to kill him in front of his friends. Why Darwin was unable to adapt to such a circumstance will forever remain a mystery.
Emma Frost is one of the most popular mutants from the comics who often straddles the line of hero and villain throughout her history. A powerful telepath who has the additional ability to harden her skin as a defense mechanism, she makes her first and only appearance in X-Men: First Class, portrayed by Mad Men actress January Jones.
Jones's performance in First Class has been largely criticized by fans for being uninspired and relatively boring, especially for a character as complex as Emma Frost. This lackluster portrayal might have gone unnoticed for a lesser-known mutant, but simply doesn't work for a character so important in X-Men history. Therefore, Days of Future Past would be quick to acknowledge that Frost had been killed in between movies.
Gambit is perhaps one of the most popular mutants in all of comic book history, whose appearance on the 90s X-Men cartoon solidified his status as a fan favorite. The character has a mutation that allows him to create and control kinetic energy, making him an incredibly powerful ally to Charles Xavier and his X-Men.
This mutant has had a checkered history with live-action portrayals. Despite appearing in the critically-panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the character was slated for a standalone reboot film by Fox for years, with Channing Tatum attached to star. However, the film was ultimately scrapped without the character ever getting a chance for the spotlight. Gambit is sure to debut in a new franchise before long, however, with many fans already theorizing about who will play the iconic mutant in the MCU.
Warren Worthington III is among the very first mutants introduced in Marvel Comics. Otherwise known as Angel, this character has massive wings that protrude from his back, granting him the ability to fly. This mutant has had two different incarnations throughout Fox's franchise, played by Ben Foster in X-Men: The Last Stand, and later by Ben Hardy in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Despite being a major part of X-Men lore, Angel was given very little to do throughout a measly two appearances in a franchise that consists of thirteen films. In addition to being ignored by the vast majority of the franchise's installments, the character received an unexplained and unceremonious reboot that reframed him as a villain, much to the chagrin of X-Men fans everywhere.
Jubilee has become a favorite mutant for many X-Men fans, thanks in part to her role in the animated series in which she was featured prominently. The character received a number of nods in the early films before receiving a somewhat larger role in X-Men: Apocalypse, where she was portrayed by Lana Condor.
Though she received a larger role in Apocalypse, Jubilee has yet to make her mark in film. The character largely disappeared halfway through her only featured appearance, failing to show up in the film's climax, or even make adequate use of her powers. Many fans hope the character is done justice in the new X-Men franchise from Marvel Studios, with some hoping that Lana Condor will return to reprise the role for the MCU.
Although not technically a mutant by definition, the Juggernaut has been a featured cast member of many X-Men storylines and is thought of as inherently being a part of the mutants' world. The character has the uncanny ability to become unstoppable after gathering momentum, making him a fierce foe.
Vinnie Jones's portrayal of the villain in The Last Stand is famous for being disappointingly different from the comic book version of Juggernaut, making him a caricature of his comic book self. While the character would be somewhat redeemed with a recast in Deadpool 2, the original cinematic Juggernaut will always leave a bad taste in viewers' mouths.
Psylocke, otherwise known as Betsy Braddock, is a popular mutant that has acted both as a hero and a villain since her origin in the mid-70s. The character has, among several other abilities, the power to create psionic swords with which to battle her enemies.
The character of Psylocke has appeared twice throughout Fox's franchise, most prominently in Apocalypse, where she is played by Olivia Munn. Though the character gets an exciting action sequence near the end of the film, she rarely gets her chance to shine throughout, making her inclusion feel like an afterthought.
X-2 is one of the better Marvel films pre-MCU, featuring the first live-action appearance of the mutant Nightcrawler, who has the ability to teleport to any location he can visualize. Alan Cummings would play the character for this appearance alone, with Kodi Smit-McPhee playing the younger version of the character in the prequel franchise.
While Nightcrawler's introduction in X2 is among the greatest of the entire franchise, the character is completely forgotten for the next decade until his return in Apocalypse. Kurt's retconned origin thereafter ruins the character's development from earlier appearances, creating a true mess of a storyline for an otherwise lovable mutant.
A staple of the X-Men franchise from the very beginning has been the character of Storm. Played by Halle Berry in four films and Alexandra Shipp in the final two, Storm has the ability to control the weather with her mind and serves as a primary teacher at Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters.
For the most part, the first X-Men film has aged very well, but it also marks the first instance of a long trend of leaving Storm in the periphery of the plot. While she is credited as a main cast member, this strong mutant gets few if any major storylines throughout the franchise, a sad reality that proves especially true in the prequel films.
Cyclops is among the most important mutants in both the films and the comics, whose powerful laser beam emitted from his eyes require him to wear his iconic visor. James Marsden portrays Cyclops four times over the course of the franchise, with Tim Pocock and Tye Sheridan playing younger versions of the character in later films.
While Cyclops certainly gets a fair amount of screentime in the first few films, his character is given very little development, mostly being framed as Wolverine's rival for Jean Grey's affection. Though some work was done to deepen the character in Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, the cinematic version of Cyclops never truly lived up to his comic book counterpart.