'Dark Phoenix' cast discuss culminating 20 years of 'X-Men' films

Fans of 'X-Men' franchise should prepare to witness some significant firsts. No 'X-Men' film until now has put its primary focus on a female character. However, the latest 'Dark Phoenix' will be the first to boast both a female protagonist and antagonist taking the center of narration.

New York: For a 20-year-old franchise, the 'X-Men' series is not resting on its laurels. The latest, 'Dark Phoenix', delivers some significant firsts: No 'X-Men' film until now has put its primary focus on a female character - the split-personality mutant Jean Gray, portrayed by English actress Sophie Turner.

"She's front-and-center in this story and I think that's only right," commented actor Michael Fassbender (who portrays Magneto) at the film's Los Angeles premiere on June 4.

"She's the most powerful mutant. It was touched upon a little bit in 'Last Stand,' but didn't really do her justice, so here we had the opportunity to right that. And Sophie (Turner)'s fantastic in the part and it's basically about a young woman who is sort of in a moment of crisis."

Actress Alexandra Shipp (Storm) said she feels it's less significant that the 'X-Men' series finally landed a female lead than how that women are presented in 'Phoenix'.

"In this movie, we have both a protagonist and antagonist that are female," Shipp explained. "But what is so beautiful about it is that we do not mention their gender, because it does not matter, because they are incredible superheroes, they are incredible actors, they are incredible characters. Their genitals should have nothing to do with it. And I think that that's true feminism, is when you understand that it's not one-above or one-below or whatever that looks like. It's equality."

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'Dark Phoenix' is just the second Marvel Entertainment production of the millennium to put its primary focus on a female character, following 'Captain Marvel' released in March.

"I don't necessarily feel like it's too late, or anything like that," commented actress Kota Eberhardt. "Stories are told at the right time. There's a right time for everything, you know. I would love to see more female stories coming out of the woodwork - not just from Marvel but all over. There are meaty indie roles that are coming out that are just like a great display of female affection and attention and expression. I like holding space for roles like that."

Marvel is currently filming 'Black Widow', with actress Scarlett Johansson taking her 'Avengers' character for a solo gig, expected in cinemas next year.

The other new 'X-Men' element is tone. Fans should prepare to travel into some dark places.

"In many ways, this is 'The Dark Knight' of the 'X-Men' series," said 'Dark Phoenix' writer-director Simon Kinberg.

"It's the most intense, most dramatic, I would say also most intimate and personal and yet at the same time, epic X-Men movie we've ever made. And there's a seriousness of purpose that comes from the original comic. I mean, the comic was the most beloved, the most shocking X-Men comic when I was growing up, and continues to be the most enduring for X-Men fans. And so, we just, we treated this with a level of psychological, moral, emotional complexity that we haven't fully seen from maybe any of these films before."

A close look at the film's trailer gives a sense that no 'X-Men' character is safe in 'Phoenix', and makes it pretty clear that Mystique, portrayed by actress Jennifer Lawrence, isn't likely to last long into the movie.

"Well," Kinberg noted, "it was important to us, and all of our marketing, to indicate to people this is a different kind of superhero movie and very different kind of X-Men movie, where there are consequences to the action. You don't fall off a building and dust yourself off - that there is a reality to this movie, there's an intensity to this movie that I think audiences are really yearning for in a time when, you know, there's a lot of films that feel a little bit cartoonish."

So, does Mystique die early on?

"I'm not going to tell you that," Kinberg replied, with a laugh.

'Dark Phoenix' hit screens on June 5.

With inputs from APTN