What Could Have Been: Bryan Singer's X-Men 3

Taking a look at what Bryan Singer's "X-Men" The Last Stand" would have been like had he returned to direct.

⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
0:00 Intro
1:25 The Phoenix
2:08 Emma Frost
2:36 Cyclops
4:28 Mutant Cure
5:21 Rogue
6:03 Superman Returns
7:56 New Writers
8:29 Matthew Vaughn
9:16 Brett Ratner
10:47 Nightcrawler
11:26 Gambit
12:20 De-aging
13:33 Return of Bryan Singer
13:47 Dark Phoenix

Poster art by ArtOfTimeTravel

#xmen

[seanwjones]

X-3 felt so disconnected from the first 2 films and now this makes more sense.

[xiiloop]

There is no mention of Bryan Singer's antics on the set of X1 and specifically X2, which was detailed Alan Cumming's book, confirmed by Halle Berry and others. The situation where some of the cast attempted an intervention over Bryan's drug use and absences. This is very relevant in retrospect, because it definitely sheds new light on 20th Century Fox taking so long to sort out a deal for him to direct X3 as well as being so quick to replace him (although, hilariously they replace him with someone just as problematic). It also makes 20th Century Fox and big bad Tom Rothman seem slightly less evil than originally suspected.

[chiranjeevsaikia]

Cyclops finally taking charge and becoming the serious and stoic leader that he is from the comics would've been so nice to see on screen. It would've felt completely earned, considering how they did him dirty in the first two films. Making it truly feel like "X-Men" and not "Wolverine and Friends"
And having him kill Jean's body would've been such a great send off/ ending to both of them. Sadly none of that came to fruition and now that trilogy feels like one big character assassination of Cyclops. One that emasculates his character for the sake of glorifying Wolverine.

[Andrew-pont]

They did my man Cyclops dirty, I always wanted him to be the leader of the X-Men like he should have been.

[calumsanderson]

HOLY SHIT

THE NARRATIVE PURPOSE OF THE DANGER ROOM SUDDENLY EXISTING IS BRILLIANT in the unmade film. It's not just in there to be in there, it's a symbol of Scott's paranoia, grief and attempt to control variables.

In the finished film...it's a setpiece and then that's it. We don't even get an explanation as to why we're seeing it, how it started or anything. Having Scott come up with the Danger Room as a reaction to Jean's sacrifice is fucking poetry.

[Rezzanine]

To me, the cure storyline would have worked better if it was a response to the threat of the Phoenix. I'm surprised the studio didn't go that route, and instead has these warring storylines. Oh well.

Great video as always.

[thepubknight]

I just wanted to say that the late great Stan Lee stated that it was Wesley Snipes' "Blade" movie being successful that made the mcu possible

[freaky]

I remember watching x2 in theaters as a kid and that ending with the Phoenix being teased was amazing. Its too bad the movies after x2 never lived up to the hype until the wolverine spinoffs.

[OnlyOneCannoli]

If i made X-Men 3, I would've split it into 2 films. Part 1 would've focused on the gifted storyline, and part 2 would've focused on the phoenix saga.

[juand.g.]

Remember Nightcrawler's departure is explained in the X-Men Game which happens in between X2 and X3, there Nightcrawler says goodbye to the xmen because he was more of a pacifist man than a soldier

[RomaroBrandon]

Jean Grey should have returned as The Phoenix in the end credits. X-Men The Last Stand should have been solely about mutants trying to live among humans peacefully. The cure was a good inclusion but I also think Genosha should've been included as well for added drama, because like Xavier's school its a safe place for mutants but it's run by Magneto.

[adrianthearmorwarrior]

Now for X-Men The Last Stand, i have a soft spot for it because that movie was the first X-Men movie i grew up watching.
Even though i didn't hate X3, i would've love to see this version of X3.

[GagGreene]

Gonna need a what could have been for Superman Returns sequel.

[jasonblundelldobebussing]

6:10 Singer even said: "I like finishing boys".

[garzapinups]

The one thing I did really love about X3 is when the X-men arrive and all do their intros when landing to fight. That was super cool and reminded me of the intro in the cartoon.

[whiplash]

I would have liked to have seen a sequel where the X-Men fight the Wendigo, giving the movie more of a horror element to it, instead of them having to constantly deal with Magneto.

[pun_dimen]

X2 is STILL one of the BEST superhero films today

[danielhoffman]

There wouldn’t have been a Spider-Man or X-Men without Blade

[Nsinger]

The cure storyline could have worked here by using Jeans evolution into the phoenix:

Jean returns out of control while mutantkind is dealing with the development of a cure. Sides would be drawn between cyclops who wants to use the cure to stabilize Jean and avoid losing her again and those who reject the cure as an attack on mutants.

Jean would be caught in thr middle due to her desire to keep her powers versus her fear of where her powers are going.

Somethibg Something Jean realizes her struggles with her powers is because she has been fighting her own evolution and chooses to embrace her powers and go where they take her asking Cyclops to vaporize her body and release her rapidly expanding conciousness into the universe.

Cyclops begs her to stay but in the end, he agrees to let her go and with a primal cry releases the biggest concussive blast of his life and vaporizes her.

Jean's choice brings mutantkind together in rejecting the cure except in the most extreme of circumstances. Rogue who had also been struggling with the choice would choose to keep her powers with hints that she may yet gain control of them someday. The end.

[earthshaker]

The Phoenix Saga and the Gifted storylines are two huge and deep storylines to squeeze into the same movie. Although I do think they should have adapted the Gifted storyline to help with introducing the X-Men in space concept because while it focuses on the idea of a cure, the cure is a result of an alien (Ord of Breakworld) coming to Earth to kill mutants before they destroy his world. If I was the writer/director of the movie, I would keep this aspect, but make it so that Jean was the mutant they feared.