The X-Men movies did not have a 100% track record as those films blew hot and cold. Some of them were absolute gems and some were utter garbage. The one thing we’ve noticed in all of Fox’s X-Men movies is that they’ve only focused on a few great characters. The rest of their powerhouses have been neglected, or utterly wasted. So, let’s look at all those great X-Men characters that were wasted and should have been utilized in a better way:
Cyclops
There’s no denying the fact that Cyclops started off really well. James Marsden was amazing as Scott Summers in X-Men and X2. But then he was killed off in X-Men: The Last Stand. Cyclops is a great leader in the comics. We only saw glimpses of that in the initial stages. But he just tailed off in the future movies. Tye Sheridan’s version of the character was being built up slowly, but things just couldn’t elevate to a level where Cyclops would get a lot of importance. Hopefully, the MCU will change that, and use Cyclops in a much better way.
Dark Phoenix
Fox screwed up the Dark Phoenix saga twice. I mean, even X-Men The Animated Series did justice to the storyline. Having telepathic and telekinetic abilities, Jean Grey could have proven to be a God Level mutant. But what The Last Stand showed us was just hideous. Then, X-Men: Dark Phoenix tried to take a better route by involving the Phoenix Force, but things weren’t great this time either. Now that Fox has used up the Dark Phoenix storyline twice, I don’t think that Marvel will ever pick that up again. So, let’s just hope that they’ll at least do justice with Jean Grey.
Quicksilver
All three X-Men movies involving Quicksilver had at least one great super-speed sequence. Evan Peters made a brilliant debut in X-Men: Days of Future Past. But he was removed from the film after that one glorifying scene of his. That’s probably because he could have solved most of the third act problems by himself. Then, X-Men: Apocalypse did keep him around for a longer period of time, but it wasn’t good enough. By X-Men: Dark Phoenix, things were back to the way they used to be as Quicksilver had nothing to do once again. Sadly, the MCU’s Quicksilver wasn’t used extremely well either.
Bishop
He was among the many characters that Days of Future Past brought in. He is such a bad-ass mutant in the comics, but his arc was strictly limited in the movie. All we saw him do was run around, charge himself and fire his blaster. And then, he was killed off! A character like him could be responsible for some great fight sequences. So, let’s hope that Marvel sees that potential in him.
Jubilee
This is a mutant that has appeared in 4 X-Men movies. But she has had no impact on those stories whatsoever. X-Men The Animated Series showed us how great Jubilee could be as a character. But average moviegoers may not even know what her powers are. In fact, I highly doubt that people would remember her cameos. She has been wasted on a level that’s hitherto, undreamt of.
Iceman
Shawn Ashmore’s Bobby Drake was set up as the next-generation mutant for future films. But sadly, his so-called “better future” never really came. His character was just sidelined, and then miserably killed in Days of Future Past. We’re pretty sure that Marvel will use him well once he becomes a part of the MCU’s X-Men.
Rogue
The first mistake that X-Men made with Rogue was that she wasn’t given her comic accurate powers. On top of that, her ability to absorb and use the powers of other characters was massively underused. Yes, she was an important part of the first X-Men movie. But just like Cyclops, her character tailed off in future films. She needs to get a bigger spotlight in the MCU. Hopefully, she will have her flying ability, and we’d get to see her as a villain, or an antihero.
Apocalypse
Fox had an amazing opportunity to give us a Thanos-level villain with Apocalypse. But, starting with his looks and moving to his mediocre motivations, nothing worked for him. He wasn’t threatening enough. Oscar Isaac’s attire didn’t look any better than a cosplay. Sadly, Marvel may not even use Apocalypse after this blunder that Fox was responsible for.
Emma Frost
She made her on-screen debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Then, Fox made a completely non-sensical move by using a different version of the character in X-Men: First Class. This new version of Emma Frost in First Class was played by January Jones. Nobody liked what Jones did with the character. Fox totally wasted her. Furthermore, First Class takes place before X-Men Origins: Wolverine. So how was January Jones’ Emma Frost older than the one we saw in Wolverine 1? The handling of Emma Frost was very clumsy.
Archangel
He was introduced in X-Men: The Last Stand and the fans complained about the way he was used. Then, a different version of Angel was brought in X-Men: Apocalypse. This time around, he was given a bigger role and a major upgrade with metal wings. But all that just felt wrong, and Angel joined the list of the characters that were completely wasted.
Gambit
Remy LeBeau is such a cool and unique mutant. Taylor Kitsch did well enough as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But he wasn’t given a major role. After that, Channing Tatum was supposed to create a franchise around Gambit, but the opportunity never came either. And now, Marvel is going to recast the character.
So, these were all the great X-Men characters that were wasted in the films. Which of them do you think would be used better in the MCU? Let us know in the comments.
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