This was originally written as a list for WhatCulture before Dark Phoenix came out. It had a nice, round ten initiallu, but then Dazzler appeared in Dark Phoenix so I’ve taken her out. Due to timing issues and a couple of other things, it defaulted back to me, so here it is.
Once upon a time, the X-Men franchise was one of the strongest in cinema. Since debuting in 2000, more then 10 movies have been set in the universe. Before it died though, the X-Men stuttered. Their strongest offerings in a decade had been Logan and Deadpool, neither of which are ‘mainline’ movies for the canon.
With such a rich history in the comics, there’s a host of exciting characters they could have turned to. Instead, they relied too much on on fan favourites Phoenix, Xavier, Magneto and Mystique in one way or another, but here are some which might have been.
9. Doop
No, Doop probably wouldn’t have improved the searingly dark world created within the Logan movie. But surely there’s a place for him in Deadpool’s universe? Or if the X-Men get an MCU reboot with a more Ragnarok/Guardians style humour, he’d be right at home.
Doop is a green, floating, legless alien, and all in all is a bit of a gag character. Sometimes he’s a visitor from outer space, sometimes he’s a bizarre CIA experiment.
There’s one storyline where his brain explodes and he has to regather up the pieces. Thankfully, he has a back up brain in his butt and, unlike his regular brain, this one speaks English. There is another storyline though where he’s tasked with disciplining new recruit Corkscrew. He takes him camping to psychologically torture him, then slashes him to pieces with an axe.
He’s one of those characters that adds a lot to the group when part of a larger story, but is never likely to get anything in the way of solo stories. Was he ever likely to be added to the movies? Probably not. Would it have been amazing if he was though? Absolutely.
8. Monet St Croix
She sounds like the only movies she’d be starring in are the kinds you watch on your inPrivate browser, but can you honestly say different for Mystique or Jubilee Lee?
Monet St Croix, often shortened to M, has one of the most interesting backstories of all the characters who never transitioned from page to screen. She’s a strong role model, a devout Muslim, has a very cinematic power set and comes with an engrossing origin story. What’s not to love?
Beginning with Rogue all the way back in 2000, hard luck stories have been a massive part of the X-Men’s presentation. Monet St Croix changes that. Fabulously wealthy, she’s spoiled rotten and loved by her father.
Her life falls apart all the same though, with her brother banished for the her mother’s murder. After her brother then kidnaps her, she’s impersonated by her twin sisters merging their bodies. With one of the twins being autistic, it throws up fascinating storylines, especially once they’re reunited with the real Monet.
7. Fantomex
After Wolverine and Deadpool, Fantomex is the best thing to come out of the Weapon X program. Granted, he’s a very distant third and is unlikely to receive solo love the way those two are.
He’s one of the newest creations here, having only debuted in 2002 at the hands of the incredibly talented Grant Morrison. Following in the spirit of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, Fantomex would bring a host of weaponry to the big screen. The fourth wall breaking splatterfest of Deadpool would likely be replaced by a more serious, stealthy affair, but that formula could have been a success too.
Fantomex skulking down dark corridors would certainly add in a level of immediate tension that the messy Apocalypse seemed to lack. He could be used more frenetically too; the White House scene with Nightcrawler in X-2 is one of the best action sequences a core X-Men movie has had, but they’ve never really used him that successfully since.
His misdirection ability would certainly fit the big screen, as we’ve already seen with the likes of Scarlet Witch and Thanos’ Reality Stone. Definitely feels like he could’ve brought something to the party.
6. Northstar
Despite the fact Northstar is a decent character, his appearance in the movies could be a curse as much as a blessing. He’s one of the few openly gay characters in the comic canon, and was in fact Marvel’s first. He’s also the first to have a gay wedding.
His coming out especially was a huge moment, especially considering X-Men is all about helping those who are different fit in. But his sexuality seemed to be largely ignored for a lot of his run, with the most interesting facet being his sister Aurora. She has split personality, with one half accepting and the other bigoted towards her brother. Would they have introduced the pair of them together, and a love interest for Northstar? Or would his sexuality (a defining part of his comic book legacy) be left out?
5. Chamber
Like Monet St Croix, Chamber was a part of the Generation X series. That bunch didn’t had the best time of things on screen though. Banshee was been underused while January Jones’ take on Emma Frost was a little disjointed. Jubilee got a bigger role in Dark Phoenix, but that’s not the movie you want the spotlight in.
Chamber, along with M, could have turned all that around. Chamber is a British goth, which already sounds worth watching. On top of that, he’s got an energy blaster in his chest to set up huge action sequences. After years of watching Cyclops struggle to control his eyebeam energy for a variety of reasons, Chamber offers something different.
He does struggle the first time though, but if done right it could’ve been one of the most visceral origin stories in the movie canon. Chamber’s first energy blast eviscerates his lower jaw, and from then on out he wears a bandit style bandana over his non-existant mouth. He only ever speaks through telepathic communication too, which a lot of Generation X find offputting. Every team needs a weirdo though, right?
4. Dust
The FoX-Men universe was crying out for someone like Dust on the big screen. The main problem you could foresee with Dust is how much she would blow the budget. In a movie so built on CGI and stunts, it’s understandable they weren’t willing to take a risk on an expensive B-lister.
Still, Dust’s intriguing mysticism might have helped X-Men’s often blunt narratives. She’d also have been an extremely political character to include. It’s unfortunate that her origin story of being captured by a slave trader attempting to remove her niqab would be controversial, but it’s unavoidable that it would be. It’s a pity we’ll never get to see her destroy they slave owner with her sand blasting power.
Most importantly, she’s more than just her powers. She offered a completely different perspective to any other X-Men in the film universe. Experiencing life in war torn Afghanistan, she’s pretty unique in the comic canon too.
3. Pixie
Welsh mutant Pixie has one of the most whimsical character designs in X-Men, although arguably her toes were stepped on a little by Zoë Kravitz’s Angel Salvatore. And if there was a list of characters severely underused by the movies, Kravitz would feature highly…
The pixie wings looked great on Salvatore, but she obviously didn’t have Pixie’s trademark pink hair. Their personalities aren’t all that similar, with Salvatore significantly spikier than the often naive Pixie. Their ability pools are completely different too, so if Pixie could have been brought to life, she’d give a totally different experience.
Her teleportation is her main power, but her hallucinogenic pixie dust could work brilliantly on screen too. After Magik tries to steal her soul, their souls become conjoined and Pixie gets a weapon (Souldagger) for her trouble. This turns her much darker and more cynical. Would this story may take too long to set up for it to ever appear in the movies, though?
2. Frenzy
Frenzy is an interesting character, but it also feels like she embodies the phrase ‘you had to be there’ more than anyone else in the franchise.
Think of Kid Omega’s bit part in The Last Stand. The fact Jubilee and Wolverine never met. The lack of any discernible theme in the McAvoy/Fassbender trilogy. X-Men movies felt like they lacked any distinct planning, set up or long term plots, especially when compared to the MCU. They missed their chance with Frenzy early on.
That’s because one of the most interesting thing about her is that upon her return from the alternate reality in Age Of X, she declines the memory wipe everyone else takes. While others want to forget these ‘fake memories’ and return to their real life, Frenzy uses them as inspiration.
Growing up in an abusive home and developing a spiky, confrontational attitude, Frenzy is very defensive. But in Age Of X, she was well respected and happily married to Cyclops. It’s a deep, engrossing, layered story, but would take too many movies to set up the emotions it deserves.
1. Butterfly
Butterfly was only created in 2005 by Brian Michael Bendis for the brilliant House Of M series. Since then though, she was added to the permanent X-Men roster as part of the X-Factor series. She could definitely use more mainstream love, and what better place to kickstart that than the movies?
There are two main powers she has that would need to mediated well to avoid her becoming the easy fix for any problems the team encountered. She can resurrect the dead, which lowers the stakes somewhat, and has the ability to see the past and future.
Away from that though, she’s an incredibly driven mutant, often making unexpected choices. As a withdrawn introvert, she rarely shares her knowledge of the future. This makes her very unpredictable, and more than makes up for any tension deflated by Butterfly’s visions.
Confident and headstrong, Butterfly isn’t always trustworthy and that’s what makes her so compelling. She might not be your favourite character, but she’s able to completely transform whatever story she’s in.
Screen Spike 