Dark Phoenix may not have ended the X-Men film series with a bang, but that doesn't mean it has a shortage of moments like these.
Warning: Spoilers Off applies to Moments pages.
Trailers
- The film's plot is essentially this. In X-Men: Apocalypse, Charles was able to convince Jean to embrace her Phoenix powers, instead of suppressing them, to stop Apocalypse. As a result, we thought that history wouldn't repeat itself like X-Men: The Last Stand, where the Phoenix was barred away in Jean's mind by Charles' mental blocks, which causes the deaths of hundreds. Now, seeing Jean in her fiery form means that Hank's time-travel theory became true in retrospect.
- The first trailer has a few moments that can qualify as such.
- The song choice, "The End" by The Doors. The lyrics are a heavy indicator that this may well be the final X-Men film featuring the original team.
- Jean accidentally killed her parents in a car crash caused by her powers. When she was just a child.
- Kinda Fridge Sadness when you realize that, in the original timeline, Jean had her parents way into adulthood. Logan might have made Jean's life even worse by changing the timeline.
- At one point, Charles, Scott, Ororo, Kurt and Beast are seen at a funeral, with a bouquet of purple flowers in the middle of the grave. If the implication that Mystique is the one they're mourning is true, it would mean that the X-Men have lost a very dear friend and leader. And keep in mind that promotional materials have described her as protective of her students.
- This moment may hit harder when one realizes that Charles has basically lost his adopted sister. Who knows if he can hold it together after this loss.
- An extra scene may confirm the death, as Beast is seen performing a Headbutt of Love with Mystique, while the latter is on the ground.
- Just when you thought Erik had finally turned to the good guys' side, Jean's troubles forces a wrench through his and Charles' friendship again. And this is only solidified by Erik putting on his iconic helmet.Erik: The world is on the brink.
Charles: I'm sorry I didn't stop it sooner.
Erik: You're always sorry, Charles. And there's always a speech, and nobody cares.
- Hank and Raven each giving Charles a What the Hell, Hero?, with Hank brutally telling Charles that's what happening is his fault.Raven: Charles, what did you do?
Charles: I had to keep her stable. I protected her.
Raven: From the truth? There's another word for that.- When Charles reaches for a wine bottle, Hank angrily knocks it away from him. It's not only because Hank is angry, but he doesn't want Charles to drown his sorrows. He wants him to feel the full responsibility of him being partially responsible for releasing the Phoenix force within Jean.
- It also calls back to Days of Future Past which depicted Charles as an alcoholic and addict, with Hank as his enabler. Hank is probably reacting so harshly because he knows Charles' substance abuse problems and is sick of letting him numb himself from his pain.
- At one point, Hank is seen standing with Erik and his cronies, facing down Charles, Ororo, Kurt and Scott. What if Charles' "Don't do this." isn't directed at Magneto, but towards Hank instead?
- When Charles reaches for a wine bottle, Hank angrily knocks it away from him. It's not only because Hank is angry, but he doesn't want Charles to drown his sorrows. He wants him to feel the full responsibility of him being partially responsible for releasing the Phoenix force within Jean.
- The second trailer opens up with Jean sobbing in an alleyway and rainy weather, asking seemingly to herself (but in actuality, to the Phoenix or something controlling the Phoenix in her) in grief and horror, "Why did you make me do that?! She was my friend..." After the hard cut, as if in answer there's a flashback to the X-Men tracking Jean down to a neighborhood, and Raven heading towards her in reassurance.
- Even worse, Jean begging Raven to stop knowing she was going to lose control if Raven came any closer, but Raven’s love and concern for her, while comforting to Jean, would likely trigger the Phoenix and hurt Raven, possibly even killing her. And that exactly happens when the latter is forced backwards, though we don't yet see how the deed is done.
- And even worse, Word of God confirms that Raven is indeed killed in this sequence. You can trust the trailer for this one.
- Scott yelling at Charles for some sort of solution to save Jean and Charles for one of the few times in the series just doesn’t know what they can do to save Jean.Scott: Tell me how to fix this Charles! Tell me what to do.
Charles: (in frustration and anger) I don’t know what to do! - Just how bad Jeans actions due to the Phoenix divide the X-Men and possibly push Erik and Xavier’s friendship to the brink.
Movie
- Everything that happens to Jean in this film. Aside from the opening scene where she accidentally causes the car crash that kills her mother, all of this starts with her doing something heroic that she is ordered to do, and taking the full harm for it. After, something has happened to her, and she knows this, can feel it happening to her - but she can't control her powers, and she struggles desperately between trying to control her powers' outbursts and trying to warn people away from her when her powers overwhelm her. They don't listen. And because people remain in her vicinity despite her warnings while she's fighting for control, they inadvertently get hurt or killed. And it is truly accidental each time it happens - even after she has her past completely torn apart, she never means to hurt anyone. Until the military shows up in Genosha.
- Jean learning her father deliberately gave her up to Charles, as he blames her for what happened to his wife. The worst thing coming from this is the Hope Spot: Jean finally arrives at her house, and this is one of the few times she is genuinely happy after absorbing the Phoenix Force. Her father welcomes her, and she asks for tea. As he goes to make it, Jean wistfully looks around her home... and then she notices that there are no photos of her. After that, everything goes to hell.
- Mystique's death. Granted, we all saw it coming thanks to Word of God, that doesn't make it any less worse. Here's how it plays out: as mentioned above, Mystique is trying to calm Jean down, but is thrown back into a pole...where she's impaled in the stomach with blood and all. Even worse is that Jean flies away because she can't bear to see what she has done. Ouch.
- The last person Mystique sees is Hank, the one person who she almost started a romantic relationship with, and encouraged to remain "mutant and proud". She cannot even say much, only mouthing the words "I love you". After she says this, Hank is in utter denial over her death, begging that she wake up.
- Just look at Charles' face after this moment. The poor soul looks like he is about to cry, as he had telepathically froze everyone else but Mystique and Jean, hoping the former would talk down the latter. And that failed in the most brutal way.
- Mystique's funeral afterwards. Storm isn't even using her powers to stop the rain, opting for an umbrella, and Hank is standing in the rain as Beast, as it was what Mystique would have wanted. And Charles delivers this hopeful, yet depressing eulogy:"We are all at war, at war with ourselves. And Raven had been waging that war for most of her life. I hope now she’s found peace. Raven died doing what she did best. Helping a friend. A friend in need. She is not gone. She lives on through me, through us, and through the spirit of the X-Men."
- In the aftermath, Charles and Hank end up arguing about what the former did to Jean.Charles: Do you know, this is where I first met Raven. She was just this little girl, and she’d broken in, looking for food. I said she could stay, and that she’d never have to go hungry again. And then I think I promised her a better life.
Hank: And then you took it from her.
Charles: I beg your pardon?
Hank: You heard me.
Charles: Hank...
Hank: This is your fault, Charles. It’s your fault that she’s dead.
Charles: Come on, that’s not fair.
Hank: Fair? Oh, don’t talk about fair. You messed with the mind of an eight year-old girl.
Charles: Jean?
Hank: You pushed out all that pain and anger. Where do you think it's gonna go?
Charles: I did that to help her. What I do, I do to help all of you.
Hank: Oh, please. Come on, please! You still can’t see what you did wrong?
Charles: Let’s just...
[Charles attempts to reach his whisky bottle, but Hank angrily bats it away.]
Hank: NO, YOU NEED TO FACE THIS, CHARLES! YOU NEED TO FACE IT! COME ON, ADMIT IT TO ME RIGHT NOW! COME ON! ADMIT IT! Charles, just admit you were wrong, please.
[Beat]
Hank: You still can’t.
Charles: I really hope you feel better, Hank. I hope that raving on me five minutes after I put my foster sister in the grave, is making you feel a damn...
Hank: This isn't about me. You know what? I know what I did wrong, okay, Charles? She was gonna leave. Raven was gonna leave, and I talked her out of it. She saw what the rest of us didn’t.
Charles: And what was that?
Hank: This whole time, we’ve been trying to protect these kids from the world, when really, we should’ve been protecting them from you. - Jean's reaction after she left. She is slumped against a wall in the rain, tearfully attempting to get blood off from her cardigan, and repeatedly asking why she lost control of her powers at the worst time.
- A soldier is killed in the final battle. Why is this sad? Because he has stated before that his son was a fan of Nightcrawler, which promptly sends Nightcrawler into a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
- Early in the movie, Raven and Hank are talking about leaving and they mention they are the last of the first class. It takes a moment to realize that this is because their other friends and teammates were all killed off before the events of this movie.
