History Film / XMenTheLastStand

** Bolivar Trask is played by an African American actor, while his original comic book incarnation was a white guy.

* MusicalSpoiler: [[spoiler:Two of the tracks Music/JohnPowell developed for the film were called "Farewell to X" and "The Funeral", hinting at Xavier's seeming fate. The film features Magneto saying the line, when he finds himself on the other side of the Mutants Vs. Humans war he's been pushing for and the Phoenix finally goes crazy and starts killing people, due in no small part to his manipulation.]]

* MusicalSpoiler: [[spoiler:Two of the tracks Music/JohnPowell developed for the film were called "Farewell to X" and "The Funeral", hinting at Xavier's. The film features Magneto saying the line, when he finds himself on the other side of the Mutants Vs. Humans war he's been pushing for and the Phoenix finally goes crazy and starts killing people, due in no small part to his manipulation.]]

* MusicalSpoiler: [[spoiler:Two of the tracks Music/JohnPowell developed for the film were called "Farewell to X" and "The Funeral", hinting at Xavier's Xavier's The film features Magneto saying the line, when he finds himself on the other side of the Mutants Vs. Humans war he's been pushing for and the Phoenix finally goes crazy and starts killing people, due in no small part to his manipulation.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: The film features Magneto saying the line, when he finds himself on the other side of the Mutants Vs. Humans war he's been pushing for and the Phoenix finally goes crazy and starts killing people, due in no small part to his manipulation.

* StupidSacrifice: Magneto sacrifices his troops against soldiers he knew were armed with the serum, rather than have Phoenix just nuke the island from afar or crush the entire island and everyone on it with the Golden bridge, or form the metal of the bridge and cars into a swarm of shrapnel and eviscerate all the guards. Phoenix's inaction was at least explained in a deleted scene where she simply refused to help. The rest not so much.

* DavidVersusGoliath: Kitty Pryde, played by 5'1" Creator/EllenPage, pretty much humiliates Juggernaut, played by 6'2" Vinnie Jones.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: What kicks Jean’s SplitPersonality-induced SanitySlippage into high gear, to the point that in a moment of clarity she ''begs'' Logan to kill her, is him asking her one question; “Where’s [[spoiler:Scott]]?”

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Not technically a question, but "You need to tell me what happened to [[spoiler:Scott]]" certainly counts.

** Professor Xavier has a supporting role in the movie[[spoiler: and pulls a HeroicSacrifce at the start of the second act of the film]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The day is saved, Magneto is defeated, and the Phoenix is gone. But Wolverine still mourns the loss of Professor X and other deceased mutants who were killed, but remembers that they were inside him all along.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The day is saved, Magneto is defeated, and the Phoenix is gone. But Wolverine still mourns the loss of Professor X and other deceased mutants who were killed, but remembers that they were inside them all along.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The day is saved, Magneto is defeated, and the Phoenix is gone. But Wolverine and his team still mourn the loss of Professor X and other deceased mutants who were killed, but remember that they were inside them all along.]]

-->-- '''Charles Xavier (DeletedScene)'''

* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: There's a scene where Logan catches Rogue leaving to get the cure, and he asks her if she's sure that's what she truly wants, and if she's doing it for the right reasons.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Psylocke, Quill , Spike and Multiple Man are all associated with some branch of the Comicbook/XMen in the comics, but in this movie, they all appear as members of ComicBook/{{Magneto}}'s Brotherhood of Mutants[[note]][[OlderThanTheyThink Although in the]] [[ComicBook/UltimateXMen Ultimate Universe]], [[OlderThanTheyThink Multiple Man was a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants]][[/note]].

* AllThereInTheManual: The character of Nightcrawler was a popular part of the ''Film/X2XMenUnited'', but was mysteriously absent from this movie. Apparently [[PutOnABus his disappearance]] is explained in ''[[LicensedGame X-Men: The Official Game]]'' released between the two. [[note]]He is forced to brutally fight Hydra soldiers, several Multiple Man clones, Sentinels, and hallucinations of demons- all while being haunted by the ghost of Jason Stryker. He is not comfortable with the recurring violence involved with being a member of the X-Men.[[/note]]

* AntagonistInMourning: Magneto sincerely grieves over [[spoiler:Xavier's death]] and cuts off his Dragon Pyro's irreverent talk about the deceased abruptly. As in most versions of X-Men, [[spoiler:Xavier and Magneto were very close friends who eventually found themselves on separate sides due to their ideological differences]].

* AscendedExtra: Kitty Pryde, whose role in the first two films essentially amounted to walking set dressing, has a ''significantly'' increased role in this film by essentially taking Rogue's place on the team, ''and'' stealing her boyfriend while she's at it.

* BadassCrew: The line-up has changed from the first two movies, so now the team members are Storm, Wolverine, ComicBook/{{Beast|Marvel Comics}}, Iceman, Kitty Pryde and Colossus.

* BarcodeTattoo: Magneto's katzetnik, used to show off his history of being mistreated.

-->'''Storm:''' I don't believe this. What sort of coward would take that just to fit in?\\

* BroughtDownToNormal: The plot of the film revolves around a serum created from a mutant that imposes this trope on any other mutant around him. Throughout the movie, several characters take the serum, either forcefully or willingly. Major characters include: [[spoiler:Mystique, Rogue, and Magneto. In Magneto's case, it's revealed in TheStinger of ''Film/TheWolverine'' that it wasn't permanent.]] There is an alternate scene where [[spoiler:Rogue doesn't take the serum]].

* CanonDiscontinuity: The time travel shenanigans from Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast have erased this film from the timeline via CosmicRetcon.

** Former soccer player Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut, whose ''American football'' design is deliberately played up with his "unstoppable" mutant power.
** In Bryan Singer's original vision for adapting the Dark Phoenix saga, he was going to cast Creator/SigourneyWeaver as the White Queen. The White Queen and her Massachusetts Academy were often depicted as an antagonist of X-Man Kitty Pryde (both of whom were introduced during the Dark Phoenix Saga) during the 1980s. And when Kitty Pryde was created, [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed she was explicitly drawn to resemble]]....Sigourney Weaver. ''Uncanny X-Men'' issue #143 even highlights this by being an extended homage to Weaver's then-current starmaking role in ''{{Film/Alien}}''.

* ClothingDamage: Wolverine gets caught in a disintegrating attack. His body regenerates; his shirt does not. (And his MagicPants remain invincible throughout.)

* CoversAlwaysLie: Several of the posters showed Angel clad in an X-Men uniform and acting as part of the team. Not only does Angel not wear a costume in the movie, he doesn't even officially join the X-Men either.
** It also ties in with the promotional angle of "the original comics' team together in film for the first time": only Beast and Iceman are actually part of the team, considering that Jean has been taken over by the Phoenix, thus serving as one of the main antagonists, and Cyclops dies still in the first act.

** The film recreates the [[spoiler:mental duel between Phoenix and Xavier from the comics' ''[[ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga Dark Phoenix Saga]]''. Except this time, Xavier loses and is destroyed.]] However, TheStinger reveals that DeathIsCheap.

** [[spoiler:Jean/The Phoenix is]] KilledOffForReal, when DeathIsCheap in the comics.
*** [[spoiler: It's cheap here too due to the CosmicRetcon of ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast''.]]

** Psylocke, she usually has a fair amount of input on the plot in the comics.

* DigitalDeAging: An early example - CGI was used to make Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart look younger for the scene where they first meet Jean Grey.

** It's somewhat unclear who takes over as Magneto's dragon after Mystique's departure in the third film as there isn't a clear-cut second in command. The two top candidates would be Pyro, who is the only remaining member of the Brotherhood who was with Magneto prior to the beginning of the movie, and Callisto, who was the apparent leader of the Morlocks before they became Magneto's new {{Mook}} army. A case might also be made for Juggernaut, though he fits better in the role of TheBrute.

** Notoriously, the film eliminated several franchise regulars, with arguably the most controversial example being that of [[spoiler:Scott Summers, aka Cyclops. Despite acting as the team's field leader and, within the regular comic series, their linchpin since inception, he's quickly killed off-screen within the first 30 minutes of the film by his newly resurrected fiancee, Jean Grey. As though that wasn't bad enough, his death barely registers with the rest of the cast later on in the film, with only a brief mention by Professor X who doesn't seem overly perturbed by the loss of his surrogate son.]]
*** To some of the general public, [[spoiler:Cyclops']] anti-climactic death might not have been that big of an issue as his screentime got shafted in the previous 2 films in favor of Wolverine, who acted as the series' cinematic alpha hero. However, for fans of the comics, the death was also a slap in the face of sorts since the film's plot was heavily influenced by the comics' extremely well-regarded "Dark Phoenix" storyline that focuses on [[spoiler:Jean and Scott]]. Within the context of the film, that story became a secondary plot thread, and Wolverine was substituted in as the [[spoiler:romantic/heroic lead in light of Scott's less than stellar death.]]

* DungeonBypass: Both [[IntangibleMan Kitty Pryde]] and [[TheJuggernaut Juggernaut]] take the direct route to Leech's chamber. Kitty runs through the walls by phasing, while Juggernaut runs through them by ''running through them''.

** Just before the credits roll, [[spoiler:a depowered Magneto is seen sitting in the park, in front of a table with (presumably) metal chess pieces. He holds his hand forward, and one piece tilts ever so slightly before the screen goes black.]]

* GrandTheftMe: At the very end of the credits, there is an EasterEgg scene in which [[spoiler: Professor Xavier, who was killed during the movie, is revealed to have implanted his mind into the body of a man who had been earlier revealed to have a functioning body, but no working mind. It is ironic because Xavier had lectured to a class earlier in the movie about the ethical dilemmas involved in such a transfusion of soul, so to speak.]]

* IndyPloy: To take down Juggernaut, Shadowcat goads him into charging at her and Leech. [[spoiler:Leech's power nullifies the Juggernaut's, and when he slams into the wall he gets knocked out]].
* InertiaIsACruelMistress: Kitty uses this against Juggernaut. She realizes that the kid she's been sent to rescue has the ability to suppress powers. [[spoiler: Since Juggernaut's power makes him unstoppable, taking that power away without his knowledge means that he expects to just crash through the next wall]].

* InterruptedCoolDownHug: Just when Logan managed to calm down the Phoenix (Jean Grey), the military's reinforcements arrive and despite his "[[BigNo NO!]]" start firing [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells anti-mutant needles]] at her. Cue Dark Phoenix blasting everyone to shreds.
** It's worth noting that in that scene, Jean had been in a majorly unstable state thanks to the Phoenix but hadn't actually ''fought'' during the Alcatraz battle... until the military's attack, which made her snap.
* IWarnedYou:
** Professor Xavier says this to Logan after Phoenix escapes, having been awoken by Logan before Xavier could bring Jean Grey back to normal.
** Also, Magneto gets to play this when it's revealed the government put the cure in a gun.
** Said by Magneto to Logan, right before he's about to pull the adamantium from his bones.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Discussed between the president and Beast, when they debate weaponizing the cure as a safeguard against dangerous mutants. The president tries to rationalize it as a extreme circumstance, to which Beast responds by pointing out how quickly such a justification can snowball before resigning. The president ends up doing just that when Magneto's mutant army shows up, but by the end he's climbed back up and rehired Beast to help smooth things out again.
** [[spoiler:Of course, extra material on ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' shows that's exactly what happened after the movie, with a LensmanArmsRace between several companies to create a mutant cure, culminating in anti-powers collars.]]

* KarmaHoudini: Magneto is last seen, supposedly broken, sitting in a San Fransisco park playing chess. Presumably during the confusion at the end of the battle of Alcatraz he managed to slip away, instead of going back to prison to pay for all the death and mayhem he caused. [[spoiler: The end of the movie implies his depowering won't even be permanent, making this even more of an example]].

** He also gets major dog-kicking points in the scene where his forces fight against the government. He uses ChessMotifs, telling his protege, Pyro for them to wait until the pawns (his other followers) exhaust themselves. In this moment, like the above scene, Magneto violates his own standards of decency, since if nothing else, [[WellIntentionedExtremist he supposedly cares about mutants.]]
*** Of course, he was fully expecting to take down the soldiers' weapons in seconds, before finding out they're made of plastic. Nothing about that particular scene shows Magneto planned on simply letting his Mutants get shot down and killed ForTheEvulz, [[PragmaticVillainy he just planned on letting them do all the work and cut down the soldiers he planned on disarming]], [[TheStrategist without unnecessarily endangering his more powerful assets.]]

** Multiple-Man's only active part in the plot is distracting the military while the Brotherhood goes to San Francisco.

* {{Mooks}}: The film is based around Magneto raising an entire army of mutant mooks. He even {{lampshades}} using them as, in the final battle, when he sends his first wave of defenders (who make the classic mook mistake of charging impulsively at the attackers), he calls the defenders "pawns".

* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: Cyclops' body is never found after his death. Jean likely vaporized him, like she does with his glasses and then Xavier later on.]]

* NotHisSled: In the comic book version of ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga, Wolverine managed to open his way to Jean, and she accepted her fate and requested him to kill her. But he goes back at the last moment: he loves her, he can't bring himself to kill her. Same thing in the animated series. Same context in the film... [[WouldHitAGirl completely opposite outcome]].

* ObiWanMoment: While fighting the Phoenix, [[spoiler:Xavier]] briefly smiles at Wolverine before being disintegrated. And at the [[AfterTheCredits very end]] of the movie it turns out [[spoiler:Xavier's NotQuiteDead]]. In fact, this film's commentary track is the TropeNamer.

* ThePawnsGoFirst: Magneto holds back while his hordes of lesser powered mutants blitz Alcatraz, telling his right-hand man, "[[TropeNamer In chess, the pawns go first]]."

** Multiple-Man has a total of TWO lines.

* ReducedToDust: The Phoenix's favoured killing method. The process is slow enough that the victim feels the agony before being fully disintegrated. [[spoiler:This gives Logan's healing factor a chance to keep up with the Phoenix when she changes her attention to him]].

* SequelNonEntity: Nightcrawler's absence was {{handwaved}} in the ''X2'' video game, so the die-hard X-Geeks knew. All us normal people were left in the dark. (in real life, Alan Cumming didn't want to use that painful make-up again without Creator/BryanSinger at the helm).
* ShaggyDogStory: ''The entire movie''. [[spoiler: The cure is temporary]].

* ShippedInShackles: Blurs the line between this and the TailorMadePrison with the government's mobile prison-van. [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Mystique]] is kept behind bars ''and'' with her hands shackled to the ceiling. [[TheJuggernaut Juggernaut]] and [[SelfDuplication Multiple Man]] both got locked in standing metal coffins to seal off their abilities. The guards on the van were also armed with weaponized [[KryptoniteFactor Mutant Cure]].
* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler: When Jean Grey has completely lost control of her alternate personality "The Phoenix", Wolverine is the only one with the fortitude (both moral and physical) to put her down in the end, despite being in love with her. To take the edge off the trope, she regains enough control to request that he kill her. In the original comic saga, Wolverine pointedly ''can't'' bring himself to do it.]]

* SpoilerTitle: Two of the pieces on the soundtrack are listed as [[spoiler:"Farewell to X" and "The Funeral". As their titles suggest, they're played during Professor Xavier's apparent death and his funeral.]]

* TimeshiftedActor: Averted. Creator/PatrickStewart and Creator/IanMcKellen play their characters' younger selves through digital effects. Played straight with Jean Grey, who is played by Creator/HaleyRamm in the same flashback.

** Iceman and Rogue. Iceman seems disappointed that Rogue "cured" herself, even though she did it for both of them. It's unknown what their relationship is now, especially since [[spoiler:the cure is temporary.]]

* WolverinePublicity: Other then the obvious TropeNamer, there are some additional examples:

** Rogue is also in the background, but is only part of a subplot that could be easily excised without affecting the film's plot much. She doesn't even get to participate in the titular last stand, being the only X-men member to not play a role during the climax.

* WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide: Magneto interrupts a mutant committee meeting over the development of a [[DePower cure]] for mutation to deliver [[{{Lampshading}} a scathing appraisal]] of what he considers to be avoidance of this issue, drawing from [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany his own experiences]] with mass extermination:

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Downplayed. Magneto [[spoiler:leaves Mystique behind when [[BroughtDownToNormal her mutation is removed]]]] and genuinely feels bad about it. She repays him in kind by working against him.
** It makes a bit more sense [[spoiler:when you consider the original ending of the movie. When Magneto is at the park bench at the end, Mystique was supposed to be sitting next to him, implying that Magneto's rejection of her and her subsequent betrayal were both actually staged to lower the defenses of Alcatraz Island later.]]

-->''"Hello, Moira."''

The last of the ''X-Men Trilogy'' even though there was [[TrilogyCreep the possibility]] of a fourth entry, the series would branch outward into [[SpinOff spin-offs]] and {{prequel}}s such as ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' and ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' before ultimately being rebooted.

* FoilerFootage: For the ending, they filmed the "Bobby discovers Rogue" scene both ways. That is, one where she took the "mutant cure" and one where she didn't. The commentary said that a poll was taken on set about whether she should take the cure or not.

** Cyclops also counts, his screentime is ''greatly'' reduced due to James Marsden's other commitments.

* AscendedMeme: "[[WebVideo/MyWayEntertainment I'm the Juggernaut, Bitch!]]".

* BigDamnKiss: Cyclops has one with Jean upon being reunited with her[[spoiler:...only for things to take a dark turn immediately after]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: The film features Magneto saying the line, when he finds himself on the other side of the Mutants Vs. Humans war he's been pushing for and Phoenix finally goes crazy and starts killing people.

* CameBackWrong: Jean.

* DragonInChief: Jean Grey

* FinalBattle: Magneto's attack on the Alcatraz research facility.

* KnightTemplar: Psylocke, Kid Omega and Callisto. Like the other Omegas.

* TheLastTitle: The title.

** Arclight.

* ShaggyDogStory: ''The entire movie''. [[spoiler: The cure is temporary.]]

* TheStinger: [[spoiler:Professor X transfers his mind into the man with the coma...]]

* SuperheroMovieVillainsDie: [[spoiler: Jean Grey/Phoenix is killed along with a few Brotherhood members.]]

* TrickBullet: The mutant-cure delivering bullets.

* VillainCorner: Professor Xavier.
** Except Xavier was right. [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Jean Grey was the correct instance of this trope.]]

** Mystique.