X-Men 2

“Have you ever tried not being a mutant?”
trumps
“Do you know what happens to a toad when it is struck by lightning?”

WARNING: Read the discussion with caution. Someone posted a big honkin’ spoiler in the title of a comment.

Premise: A politically and personally motivated general manipulates the public’s fears to bring about a war against mutants– forcing rival mutant leaders Professor X and Magneto and their followers to band together. The conflict results in a threat to the entire human race, but you knew that was going to happen.

Cast, Crew, and Other Info:

Director: Bryan Singer
Screenwriters: David Hayter, Daniel P. Harris, Michael Dougherty, Zak Penn.
Cast: Good lord! There are twelve thousand or so characters. Go to the Full IMDB Listing for specifics.

High Points: Obviously, this is a super-hero movie based on a comic-book, and must be viewed as such. You have to be willing to accept such things as, say, a genetic mutation that gives someone control over the weather. X2 delivers an extraordinary thrill ride. The film keeps itself firmly rooted in the comic-book version of reality, so that we don’t get to see a serious consideration of what might happen if people were walking around with this kind of power.

The Mutant-as-[insert oppressed minority of your choice here] theme works well; X2 establishes and use the subtext without calling undue attention to it.

Low Points: Much of the conclusion falls into the genre cliche the film had avoided. The final confrontation between Stryker and Wolverine, where Wolvie has to make a really easy moral decision (while holding a mutant child, no less) while Stryker shouts bad comic-book dialogue is a definite low. In the final scenes, the dialogue is hokier, the sacrifice one character makes, somewhat arbitrary (insofar that reasonable opportunities for rescue were ruled out on dubious grounds), and the last-minute voice-over regarding evolution, irrelevant and silly.

The Scores:

Originality: 3/6. I found the film quite exciting, but there’s nothing terribly original about the plot. You know what would be original? A film about really powerful heroes that creates drama and suspense without putting the destruction of the entire human race and/or the planet earth on the table.

Effects: 5/6. While there’s nothing unexpected or even terribly original here, the film integrates the effects very well. (The Hulk trailer shown beforehand looks less promising in this area).

Story: 4/6: The world-threatening menace is less ridiculous than in the first film, and the story moves along nicely. We have an awful lot of characters to follow, however, and anyone who has not watched the first film, or does not know the X-Men, will likely not have a clue as to why anything is happening.

Acting: 4/6. Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, Ian McKellen and most of the cast do an admirable job at giving emotional shadings to far-fetched characters inhabiting a script which provides little room for character development. Alan Cumming provides the best performance. His take on Nightcrawler, frightening-looking but frightened of the world, makes him the best poster-boy for Innocent Outsiders since Boo Radley.

Halle Berry has proven herself an outstanding actress elsewhere, but Storm has been written wooden, and Berry’s performance– given her work elsewhere– is disappointing. Ah, well. At least she doesn’t have to ask what happens when a toad is struck by lightning.

Production: 6/6 I can’t really fault many aspects of the production. I do wish Wolverine and his female counterpart’s Mutant Healing Factor hadn’t extended to their leather suits, however.

Emotional Response: 3/6 This is a roller-coaster ride, and not serious drama. The sheer number of characters minimizes the opportunity for serious emotional involvement. It delivers a few moments of plausible humanity; look for the conversation between Mystique and Nightcrawler. Turn that score up by one if you consider sheer visceral thrills to qualify as “emotional response.”

Overall: 4/6 If you’re going for a cinematic thrill ride, this is a good one, and one of the best adaptations of a comic-book around.

In total, X2 receives 29/42.

Useless Detail: Look for a strange cameo by “Dr. Hank McCoy,” Beast in the comic. Whether he is the same character here remains unclear.

39 replies on “X-Men 2”

  1. Not altogether irrelevant

    and the last-minute voice-over regarding evolution, irrelevant and silly.

    The voice-over from Jean at the end happens to be the same one from the professor at the beginning of the first movie. And given the speaker’s identity, plus the faint reflection that can be seen on the water, I think it’s referring to something quite specific.

    SPOILER: [
    That is, the giant leap of evolution that Jean makes from a regular mutant into the Phoenix.
    ]

    • Re: Not altogether irrelevant

      You’re probably right, and so I might have to retract “irrelevant.” However, I still find it silly; it’s too much of an anticlimax, and (without the context you’ve suggested for the next film) it suggests we should take the film’s concept of mutant evolution seriously.

      • WARNING * ENDING SPOILERS*
        I’m amazed that everyone missed why certain key decisions were made.

        Spoiler [Remember the beginning of the film when Jean Grey starts manifesting the Phoenix power in the museum? Remember what happened to everything electronic in the museum when that happened?

        Jean could have parted the water from within the plane (though it most likely would have been more difficult). She left because she was what was causing the plane to malfunction. She had to get off the plane or they all would have died. For those that forgot about the interference her Phoenix powers cause there was even a bit of background dialogue between Wolvie and Cyclops in which you hear something along the lines of, “the fuel cells have power it’s just not getting to the engines for some reason.” This is a strong hint that the plane is mechanically fine and that it’s failure is inexplicable to everyone except Jean. She hears that dialogue and realizes whats going on. It’s then that she decides to sacrafice herself and gets off the plane.]

        And regarding the complaint about the coda, [In many ways think it is similar to the ending of Star Trek II. We get a long tracking shot over the resting place of a fallen hero while that presumably dead individual narrates the traditional opening dialogue of the series/film. It is meant to be a great big huge smack upside the head that this character will return.]

        There are a number of other subtle and not so subtle hints and subplots throughout the film that are going somewhere. If you miss them and complain that the ending feels unraveled it’s like complaining that the end of The Two Towers or Empire Strikes back in the same manner. This movie was definitely planned with at least one more sequel in mind. While I think it works admirably as a stand alone film, you are not going to appreciate it as much as you would if you thought of it as part II in a trilogy.

  2. Other Useless detail
    In striker’s list of mutants (the one Mystique looks at IIRC) there’s
    Gambit’s real name : )

  3. Jean’s death
    I’m trying to replicate the courtesty spoiler blackout Vandemar used but I’m not sure if it will work. Here goes.

    [
    On one hand, that was really, really nasty! I read the movie book before hand, and I expected some minor differences but Jean dying! That’s not minor.
    On the other hand, As I read the book I was half expecting Jean to sacrifice herself. All those oblique comments like “celestial music”(Claremont, 288), “She called [power] from this magical place within herself, and reveled in the celestial song,” that took her to a “place where there are no limits”(Claremont, 393). But there was also the really really obvious, “In her mind’s eye she rose once more from the ashes of creation and spread wide her arms, turning them to wings fo fire and glory…”(Claremont 390).
    ]

    Okay, now that that part is over with, I’m rather hoping that if any futher X-men movies are made, they don’t pursue this angle every X-men fan can see here. Part of what made X-men such a good movie was that the conflict wasn’t on a grand scale. On one hand, yes it was but that was secondary. Yes, Magneto was going to kill all of those delgates and most of Manhatten. This is bad, but do we really care about Manhatten? Or do we care about the innocent 15-16 year old girl that Magneto was using like a glorified Energizer? Easy question.

    What I’m saying is that the story line they were hinting at is very cosmic in scale. From a dramatic point of view, it is better to save one person and a thousand.

    Another thing that did irk me was Rogue’s powers. Obviously they have taken liberties with the universe and part of that is what made the first movie so good. We didn’t know what would happen next! This is good. It keeps us comic types guessing along with the normal people. But they must be self consitant. In X1 Rogue touches Wolverine and absorbs his healing power after he accidentally stabs her. When he wakes up, Xavier comments that if Rogue had held on much longer, she would have killed him. This is Wolverine we are talking about!

    Yet in X2, she plays tonsil hockey with Iceman and gets a full hand wrapped around Pyro’s ankle! Remember, this is not the “real” X-men universe. Not all the same rules apply. But this is a fairly substantial contradiction between the 2 movies. It could have been addressed by a simple comment like, “Hey Logan, the Proffessor has helped me to control my powers a little bit.” That’s all it takes.

    Works Cited
    Claremont, Chris. X-Men 2. New York: Ballantine, 2003.

    I’m a lit major. This is what we do.

    • Re: Jean’s death
      Regarding Rogue’s powers… kissing Iceman did cause a few problems. The first kiss was very experimental, and only resulted in her breathing out some ice. The second one did cause him pain.

      As for what she did to Pyro, why would wrapping a whole hand about his ankle necessarily mean she’s sucking more out of him than when she touches Wolverine on the cheek with her fingertips? Both of them caused her to gain the full extent of her victim’s powers, and she would have wanted to make sure that Pyro couldn’t interfere with what she was doing when she was cleaning up his mess.

      Not that I’m saying everything’s perfect, of course… a Jean Grey in a more reasonable state of mind might have considered a more suitable rescue technique, especially since they had a teleporter, weather controller AND icemaker on hand.

      [concealed bit:but then is it a plausible suggestion that the Phoenix thing (which I only know about from a friend who’s been following the X-Men for a lot, lot longer than I have and has a good grasp of things outside the film franchise, more than I can say for myself) might have seriously impaired her judgement?]

      I did like Jean and Cyclops having their little fight though. We assume that Cyclops’ eye beam is actually some kind of particle beam if Jean can affect it like that – or can she manipulate photons now?

      A final point, although it was clichéd a lot, it was quite nice to see Magneto still going after his own agenda of putting mutants at the top of the world, even after banding up with the X-Men. That really showed that he was only there because it served his interests to be there (as in not dying).

      • Re: Jean’s death

        Regarding Rogue’s powers… kissing Iceman did cause a few problems. The first kiss was very experimental, and only resulted in her breathing out some ice. The second one did cause him pain.

        As for what she did to Pyro, why would wrapping a whole hand about his ankle necessarily mean she’s sucking more out of him than when she touches Wolverine on the cheek with her fingertips? Both of them caused her to gain the full extent of her victim’s powers, and she would have wanted to make sure that Pyro couldn’t interfere with what she was doing when she was cleaning up his mess.

        Not that I’m saying everything’s perfect, of course… a Jean Grey in a more reasonable state of mind might have considered a more suitable rescue technique, especially since they had a teleporter, weather controller AND icemaker on hand.

        [concealed bit:but then is it a plausible suggestion that the Phoenix thing (which I only know about from a friend who’s been following the X-Men for a lot, lot longer than I have and has a good grasp of things outside the film franchise, more than I can say for myself) might have seriously impaired her judgement?]

        I did like Jean and Cyclops having their little fight though. We assume that Cyclops’ eye beam is actually some kind of particle beam if Jean can affect it like that – or can she manipulate photons now?

        A final point, although it was clichéd a lot, it was quite nice to see Magneto still going after his own agenda of putting mutants at the top of the world, even after banding up with the X-Men. That really showed that he was only there because it served his interests to be there (as in not dying).

        I concur with your blacked out comment.

        I would also like to clarify that my comment about Rogue grabbing Pyro’s ankle. Whoops! I meant to refer to the duration of contact. If we use her first contact with Wolverine in X1 as a model, Pyro should be dead, or aleast out cold for a few days.

        Sorry for the confusion. This is your brain on finals.

        • Re: Jean’s death
          Yea i know what ya mean i had to take SAT’s today. And although Pyro’s contact seemed to be as long as Wolverines the camera switching wasnt necassarily progressive so he might not have been drained for as long as it seemed. When Wolverine held on he was holding for like two minutes and then some and since he loses his powers when Rouge gains them he could possibly die from adamantium poison or some other such thing. I loved the movie though i didnt thing it was twice as good as the first but it was definitly better. Wolverine defending the mansion had to be the greatest scene out of all the comic book movies made recently. I’m not sure i understand why Jean can manipulate tons of water and a jet and not be able to pull herself outta the way but then again we all know she’s not dead. Is it just me or did Wolverine crying seem a little out of place i would have much preferred him claw the sh** out of a chair and brood a little haha

          • Re: Jean’s death

            Yea i know what ya mean i had to take SAT’s today. And although Pyro’s contact seemed to be as long as Wolverines the camera switching wasnt necassarily progressive so he might not have been drained for as long as it seemed. When Wolverine held on he was holding for like two minutes and then some and since he loses his powers when Rouge gains them he could possibly die from adamantium poison or some other such thing. I loved the movie though i didnt thing it was twice as good as the first but it was definitly better. Wolverine defending the mansion had to be the greatest scene out of all the comic book movies made recently. I’m not sure i understand why Jean can manipulate tons of water and a jet and not be able to pull herself outta the way but then again we all know she’s not dead. Is it just me or did Wolverine crying seem a little out of place i would have much preferred him claw the sh** out of a chair and brood a little haha

            According to a fan far more knowledgeable than me, Jean Grey wasn’t even in this movie. It goes back to the fight at the Statue of Liberty from X:1. Spoiler :[Jean’s embedded in an energy bubble in the bottom of the harbor. The Phoenix, some sort of galactic busybody took her place.] Perhaps we’ll have X:3 The Search for Jean Grey?

            • Re: Jean’s death

              Perhaps we’ll have X:3 The Search for Jean Grey?

              Heck, so much of the end seemed like Star Trek 2, I expected a coffin in a jungle at the end. (What, did they lose a screenwriter for the last 20 minutes? The “oh, it’s cold” thing sucked, and the sacrifice part…

              Someone else mentioned the P word – anyone care to explain?

              And finally, y’all are making me feel old – and I’m only 30.

            • Re: Jean’s death

              According to a fan far more knowledgeable than me, Jean Grey wasn’t even in this movie. It goes back to the fight at the Statue of Liberty from X:1. Spoiler :[Jean’s embedded in an energy bubble in the bottom of the harbor. The Phoenix, some sort of galactic busybody took her place.] Perhaps we’ll have X:3 The Search for Jean Grey?

              actually, from what I’ve been reading, I expect that (the part in your blackout) to be what too place in THIS movie.
              Spoiler:and the phoenix isn’t really “some sort of galactic busybody” as much as she is the full manifestation of jean grey’s powers. the only people ever to manifest the phoenix have been jean grey and her clones/daughters../end.

              • Re: Jean’s death

                actually, from what I’ve been reading, I expect that (the part in your blackout) to be what too place in THIS movie.
                Spoiler:and the phoenix isn’t really “some sort of galactic busybody” as much as she is the full manifestation of jean grey’s powers. the only people ever to manifest the phoenix have been jean grey and her clones/daughters../end.

                That makes sense(?) I guess. :) I don’t know the universe other than the movies. Looks like we have a strong idea of what X:3 will be about, though. To the fellow who said he’s feeling old at 30, I’m 37, you whippersnapper. :P

              • Re: Jean’s death

                actually, from what I’ve been reading, I expect that (the part in your blackout) to be what too place in THIS movie.
                Spoiler:and the phoenix isn’t really “some sort of galactic busybody” as much as she is the full manifestation of jean grey’s powers. the only people ever to manifest the phoenix have been jean grey and her clones/daughters../end.

                Actually, (geez, I guess I should do the spoiler thing too): Jean and her daughters/clones are the only ones to manifest the Phoenix force that we know about. It’s pretty obvious that since the Shi’ar knew about the Phoenix force that it was likely manifested sometime in the past in order to create their legends about it. And it is much more than “the full manifestation of jean grey’s powers”. If that were all the Phoenix was, the Shi’ar would probably have known nothing about it and the resolution of the Dark Phoenix Saga would have been much different. It’s been around for a long time, it just found a kindred spirit, so to speak, in Jean, allowing it to manifest physically for probably the first time in eons.

                Whew!

                Oh, and I dug the movie. The only thing that really bugged me was seeing Wolverine tower over Jean by six inches or so. I don’t recall Hugh Jackman’s height being so blatant in the first movie.

                Anyone else get a Buffy flash at the “Have you ever tried not being a mutant?” line?

            • Re: Jean’s death

              According to a fan far more knowledgeable than me, Jean Grey wasn’t even in this movie. It goes back to the fight at the Statue of Liberty from X:1. Perhaps we’ll have X:3 The Search for Jean Grey?

              Well it was definitly Jean. She was probably possessed somehow or maybe the phoenix manifested her identity after bubbling her but it was still Jean which is besides the point. Whatever it was it was still alive at the end of the movie and it still manipulated a jet, tons of water, and left herself screwed which was all i was trying to point out. I doubt the possibility of X3 the search for Jean Grey it’ll probably be the Pheonix Saga which was a landmark saga in X-men. It’ll probably be changed at least a little like so many things are in the movies.(Not complaining i enjoy the thrills of not knowing everything just like everyone else) The story will probably also center around Magneto re-launching his mutant campaigns and who knows what else because there are just too many angles to cover in the next movie that all we can do is speculate for now

      • Re: Jean’s death

        A final point, although it was clichéd a lot, it was quite nice to see Magneto still going after his own agenda of putting mutants at the top of the world, even after banding up with the X-Men. That really showed that he was only there because it served his interests to be there (as in not dying).

        Magneto was absolutely true to his cause, wasn’t he? I thought the interplay between him and Pyro in the jet was well-done. Evil is charismatic. :) I also really enjoyed Mystique messing with Wolverine.

        Something that shocked me was the body count whenever normals came into the picture. I wasn’t expecting that at the school. I guess it highlights the struggle the mutants are facing, but whoa, Wolverine’s body count was huge.

      • Re: Jean’s death

        I did like Jean and Cyclops having their little fight though. We assume that Cyclops’ eye beam is actually some kind of particle beam if Jean can affect it like that – or can she manipulate photons now?

        As far as I’ve figured out, Cyclops’ eye beams aren’t what you think they are. Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong about this: For years I thought that he shot laser-like beams, that is, that the beams were light-based. From what I’ve more recently gathered, they’re actually kinetic blasts. If it is in fact kinetic rather than light-based, then I suppose it makes perfect sense that Jean could hold it back. And, her being pushed back bodily was a nice indication of just how strong those kinetic blasts are.

        And, might I say that Cyclops suddenly and arbitrarily snapping out of the mind control was pretty weak.

        • Re: Jean’s death

          And, might I say that Cyclops suddenly and arbitrarily snapping out of the mind control was pretty weak.

          Except they established earlier that without regular application of the mind control secretion the zombified mutants will eventually shrug off the effects. The timing was a little convenient for Cyclops to snap out of it, but it could also have something to do with the sudden massive release of the [Phoneix power] in that sequence.

          • Re: Jean’s death
            That, and Nightcrawlers attack on the President established that pain can knock them back into reality (he was shot, then wondered where he was).

    • Re: Jean’s death

      I’m trying to replicate the courtesty spoiler

      Oh yeah? Then don’t say WHO DIES in your TITLE!

      • HAHAHAHAHA … D’oh!

        Oh yeah? Then don’t say WHO DIES in your TITLE!

        There’s more to it than that, but yah, MAJOR spoiler in the message title. Shees.

        • Re: HAHAHAHAHA … D’oh!

          Oh yeah? Then don’t say WHO DIES in your TITLE!

          There’s more to it than that, but yah, MAJOR spoiler in the message title. Shees.

          The spoiler warning was for possible X3 plots. You’re going find out about what happened in X2 PDQ around here.

          • Re: HAHAHAHAHA … D’oh!

            Oh yeah? Then don’t say WHO DIES in your TITLE!

            There’s more to it than that, but yah, MAJOR spoiler in the message title.
            Shees.

            The spoiler warning was for possible X3 plots. You’re going find out
            about what happened in X2 PDQ around here.

            Wild speculations about a hypotetical movie that is years away and does
            not yet have a script, not even a draft, does not constitute a spoiler.
            Naming characters that “die” at the end of a movie that just came out,
            however…

            • Re: HAHAHAHAHA … D’oh!
              By going back from the beginning of this page and reading down i realize that a lot of people dont even know about the Pheonix thing so if anyone wants me to explain about her then e-mail me and i’d be more then happy to. Either that or ill just write a post up on this board . My e-mail is [email protected].

              • Re: HAHAHAHAHA … D’oh!
                Here’s a synopsis of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” (a trade paperback reprinting the relevant issues of Uncanny X-Men) that will give some information on what happened to Jean Grey after she became – or was replaced by, as you find out much later – Phoenix and then Dark Phoenix.

                An interesting sidenote is that issue 137 (the last issue of the aforementioned “saga”) originally ended with Jean losing her powers but because they felt it diminished the evil that had been done (Dark Phoenix “ate” a sun, destroying a planet full of sentient lifeforms – a panel in a previous issue that had been virtually “thrown in” by John Byrne) and so changed the last pages to what was eventaully printed.

                For a somewhat amusing look at the Phoenix (and more information than you probably need), go here. :)

              • HELP
                Hi! I have recently become a fan of xmen after watching the movies. I have not yet got my hands on the comic books.N E IDEAS??? I tried contacting Gcdh @ aol…bbut it didnt work… I need a guide.. sorta.. I wanna know more about Jean’s phoneix powers. I am writing fast sorry about spelling mistakes.. anyways I’d like to learn alot more about xmen/// Anyone who has info please email me at [email protected]
                Thank YOU
                Ashlyn
                Texas

    • Re: Jean’s death
      One could argue that Rouge “very nearly killed” Wolverine because of the stress she was under at the time, i.e. three massive holes in her chest. Kind of like how a man dying of thirst drinks too much and throws up. In other words, it is perhaps not the duration of contact that determines severity, but the state of Rouge herself. This could be backed up by the Bobby kissing scene; the first time, no biggie, but the second time when she started to get into it caused him pain. This contradicts the comic of course, but it wouldn’t be the first thing obviously.

      I doubt seriously the arrival of the Phoenix story will bring in the Shiar or anything, if that’s what your worried about. Singer has proved his ability to successfully adapt the comic cannon for his movies; I think he can make Dark Phoenix work.

      • Unspoiler: Jean did NOT die
        Here’s an anti-spoiler, for what appears to be most of you, who weren’t paying attention:Jean did <b>not</b> die. If you pay attention at the end during the flyover of the newly flooded river area, you can barely detect the Phoenix form underneath the water. That’s kind of strange, given it’s made of fire, but there you go. Anyhoo, she did not die.

  4. Phoenix?
    So the scenes of Jean with red eyes were supposed to represent the Phoenix Force? That seems quite a leap for the movie to make. I thought that was simply the way her normal powers were represented in the film. Maybe if they make a sequel they’ll explain how Phoenix mysteriously joined with Jean off camera.

    The movie was very good though. It was nice to see the cameos of characters (especially Colossus!). Just out of curiosity, does anyone remember seeing Jubilee in the movie? Kea Wong is listed in the cast credits as Jubilee, but I don’t remember ever seeing her.

    My only real gripe (aside from Jean being killed, even temporarily) is the lack of character for Lady Deathstrike. She has no lines at all in the movie, and the only time we get to see her powers is during the fight with Wolverine. They could have done much more with her, especially considering she’s Wolverine’s ex and she’s being controlled by Stryker.

    • Re: Phoenix?

      It was nice to see the cameos of
      characters (especially Colossus!). Just out of curiosity, does anyone
      remember seeing Jubilee in the movie? Kea Wong is listed in the cast
      credits as Jubilee, but I don’t remember ever seeing her.

      Jubilee is sitting next to Xavier at the end of the movie, when he’s
      teaching a class.
      She’s not wearing her yellow jacket this time around, but she does get 1
      line. She was in the first movie, with the yellow jacket, but in the final cut
      she has no line and is simply sitting in the class that Storm teaches
      (where Rogue meets Iceman).

      My only real gripe is the lack of character for Lady Deathstrike.

      Well, just try to count how many character that movie has… lets just be
      happy we got to see her that much : )

      The cameo I missed was Hank McCoy…saw him in the credits
      but not in the movie.

      • Re: Phoenix?
        Actually, Jubilee is referred to by name when Storm and Nightcrawler rescue the kids. I guess the scene didn’t register in my brain because it was so short. It makes it much harder to identify a character when they’re only on-screen for a few seconds at a time.

        My problem with Lady Deathstrike is that she’s supposed to be a new main character (along with Nightcrawler) rather than a secondary character like some of the cameos. I just think they could have put more effort into making her a more realistic character than how she is seen in the movie. I loved the scene where she cracks her knuckles, though :)

        Hank McCoy appears on the TV in the bar just before Mystique attacks the guard.

  5. Clearing up Pheonix
    For those of you who were debating about the whole Phoenix Force thing…here is language describing exactly what it is from the Marvel website (http://www.marvel.com/bios/bios.htm?id=21&family=X-MEN):

    “When the government unleashed a second iteration of Sentinels, the androids abducted Jean and the X-Men, and imprisoned them in an orbiting space station. The team escaped to Earth in a space shuttle but were forced to fly through a lethal solar-radiation storm. Because the pilot’s cabin lacked sufficient shielding, Jean insisted on flying the shuttle, reasoning that her powers would protect her. The solar radiation, however, proved too great for her to hold back. Already succumbing to the agonizing effects of radiation poisoning, Jean was touched by the cosmic being known as the Phoenix Force. The entity created a body for itself that was identical to Jean’s, duplicated her memories and personality, and absorbed a portion of her consciousness. It then guided the shuttle to a crash-landing in Jamaica Bay off New York City. The Phoenix Force placed the real Jean in suspended animation within a cocoon-like pod resting on the bottom of the bay.

    Eventually corrupted by its own limitless power, the Phoenix Force became a threat to all creation. Jean’s persona ultimately regained dominance, and her psyche caused the entity to sacrifice itself to save the universe, committing suicide before Cyclops’ horrified eyes. Months later, the Avengers discovered the pod and turned it over to the Fantastic Four. Finally breaking through the cocoon’s psi-damping, the real Jean released herself. Fully healed, she reunited with the X-Men — and Scott, whom she later married.”

    It is not a manifestation of Jean Grey’s powers, but a seperate entity. I like the idea that maybe she was replaced like she was in the comics.

    • Re: Clearing up Pheonix
      The thing to remember is that the movies don’t follow the comic continuity that’s already been established. What apparently happens in X2 is that the Phoenix (if that is what it is) has effectively manifested itself in Jean Grey out of nowhere in between the two movies. That’s a big difference from the established continuity.

      Since the only visible difference in Jean’s powers between the movies is that in X2 her eyes glow whenever she does anything, it’s hard to distinguish.

      • Re: Clearing up Pheonix

        The thing to remember is that the movies don’t follow the comic
        continuity that’s already been established. What apparently happens in
        X2 is that the Phoenix (if that is what it is) has effectively manifested
        itself in Jean Grey out of nowhere in between the two movies. That’s a
        big difference from the established continuity.

        No, actually, there’s a hint in the museum: When we first see the Phoenix
        power in Jean (when she gets a headache that makes all the electronics
        go screwy), Cyclops tells her she’s been different “ever since liberty
        island” (the ending of X1).

        So I watched X1 again, and the Phoenix got to Jean either while she used
        Cerebro (she collapsed afterwards, her mind was not trained enough to
        be opened up that wide) or when she was exposed to Magneto’s mutant-
        generating device (to Quote Xavier’s about the machine’s effect on
        mutants: “There appears to be none”).

        So its neither “out of nowhere” nor “in between movies”.

        Since the only visible difference in Jean’s powers between the movies is
        that in X2 her eyes glow whenever she does anything, it’s hard to
        distinguish.

        Its not “whenever”, its specifically when she’s doing things that go
        beyond her “normal” powers. When she’s doing things she did back in
        the first movie, there is no flamy phoenix hints. There is also the small
        matter of bursting
        into flames (when she’s levitating the plane, parting the waters, chatting
        with Xavier…).

  6. Logan’s pants…..
    in the first scene with him at Alkali Lake, did you notice the horrible flare thing going on with his pant legs, what the heck was that??

  7. Rougues powers
    After watching this movie i had the urge to find out why rougue has the powers that she does and why they arnt in the movie. Im only fifteen so granted i obviously can probably never get a hold of all the beginning comics and i assume others also havnt gotten their hands on these early comics and dont know about rougue. Her flight and strength and indestructibility powers were taken by holding on to i think her name was Carol Danvers or something. Since she held on for so long Danvers powers were transferred to Rougue forever and this was one hell of a long duration for contact. Obviously in the movie Rougue never met this other super hero and rougue hasnt been evil in the movies so she would have never absorbed these new powers.

    • Re: Rougues powers

      After watching this movie i had the urge to find out why rougue has the
      powers that she does and why they arnt in the movie. Im only fifteen so
      granted i obviously can probably never get a hold of all the beginning
      comics and i assume others also havnt gotten their hands on these
      early comics and dont know about rougue.

      This material may become available if the “Essential Avengers” line
      continues. Carol Danvers was an Avenger named Ms. Marvel for a
      while, and it was during Rogue’s phase of evil (living as the adopted
      daughter of Mystique, Nightcrawler’s comic book mother) that she
      attacked Ms. Marvel and permanently absorbed her powers. She also
      took on part of her personality, including her southern accent, which is
      why she eventually started fighting on the side of good. “Essential
      X-Men Vol. 4” includes the issues when she first came to the X-Men
      asking to join them, after the Ms. Marvel encounter.

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