X-Men Archives

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015

‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ Comes to Life in Set Photos

Many fans have worried about how X-Men: Apocalypse will look after seeing a leaked and blurry trailer of the film from San Diego Comic Con.

On July 16, Entertainment Weekly released high-resolution, behind-the-scenes images of the cast in full costume.

The film will take place in the ’80s where the ancient Egyptian mutant Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) returns to gather his four horsemen. So far, he will gather Pyslocke (Olivia Munn), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Angel (Ben Foster) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender). This gathering of powerful mutants will put Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) on high alert to defend humanity.

In addition to the regulars, there will be new mutants premiering in the franchise and younger versions of mutants who were prominent in the earlier films.

The film is set to be in theaters May 27, 2016.

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015

Halle Berry Talks Storm and Possible ‘X-Men’ Solo Film at SDCC

In an interview with Deadline, actress Halle Berry discusses Storm and a possible solo film in the X-Men universe.

Berry has become a regular attendee to San Diego Comic Con over the years due to Fox’s X-Men franchise that has resurged in popularity in the last two years.

The studio and actress are hoping to continue that success by rolling out more films like X-Men Apocalypse, Deadpool, more Wolverine and much more. But with all of that, where are the Black superheroes in this equation?

For Berry, she wants a Storm solo film.

“In a heartbeat. In a heartbeat I would do a Storm movie. I love that character through and through. So if that ever became an opportunity for me, if it’s before I’m 65 years old, I would absolutely do that,” says Berry.

She goes on to say:

“Well, I think they should do it. If the fans want that the fans need to speak up and I’m sure it would be a possibility. If Fox felt like they could make money off of a Storm movie I’m sure they would do it.”

The sad reality is that Storm, as portrayed by Berry, is not very well received by fans. Many people have wanted the character to be darker-skinned because of issues of representation and comic continuity.

Alexandra Shipp has been chosen to play the younger Ororo Munroe/Storm.

As for Berry, the actress has ventured into the realm of TV with her summer hit Extant. The CBS show has done well and is into its second season.

April 10, 2015April 10, 2015

Is Ororo Munroe an Omega-Level Mutant?

Fam, it has come to our attention that a grave disrespect is being paid to our very own Ororo Munroe — Street name: Storm. Mundane title: Headmistress of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Regal title: Former Queen of Wakanda — and we can’t really stand for that anymore. What’s the offense? Throwing shade on the mohawk? No. There seems to be some confusion as to whether she is an Omega-Level mutant. Now Carrie McClain has been loving The Goddess of Thunder since Word One. And Leslie Light is the resident Storm comic reviewer. We’ve read the canon, y’all. For us there is no question, Ororo ranks at the very top of any mutant power rankings, alive or dead. For those who may doubt it, we’ll walk you through it step-by-step.

What’s an Omega-Level (OL) Mutant?

As with most Marvel things, there isn’t a canonical answer. The most accepted criteria is that the mutant must have the ability to extremely manipulate matter or energy at will and under their control. Other OL criteria include, but are not limited to: virtual immortality, strong psionic ability or telekinesis and the ability to exist outside of the current universe.

Who Are Some of the Omega-Level Mutants?

All the biggies show up here: Professor X, Magneto, Stryfe … perhaps due to her ability to be the avatar of the Phoenix, Jean Grey often shows up as the best example of an Omega-Level under the “ability to exist outside of the current universe” bullet point. More recently, Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, has been added to the list. He is an example of a character who has grown to become an OL mutant as he’s come to understand his powers more fully.

So, What Are Ororo’s Credentials?

Ororo is best known by her ability to control the weather. It sounds mundane when you put it that way, but let’s unpack that some. How does she control the weather? What she can actually control is the electromagnetic field of the entire planet, and other celestial bodies to boot. She can cause everything from a pleasant mist up to a full-blown Category-5 hurricane.

Confirmed Deal Between Marvel and Sony Sparks Rumors of Spider-Man, Avengers Crossover on the Big Screen

For years, comic book fans have recognized Spider-Man as one of the Avengers, but after some complex business deals granted Sony the rights to Spider-Man and his universe in the 1990s, fans feared that a big-screen crossover would never come true. Fortunately, the latest announcement by Marvel and Sony revealed that Spider-Man may finally co-exist with his fellow Avengers in upcoming films.

Spider-Man lovers received heart-stopping news Monday night thanks to a long-awaited announcement from Marvel and Sony.

After months of speculation and unconfirmed rumors, it has finally been revealed that Sony and Marvel closed a deal to bring Spider-Man into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU).

While they did not reveal which film Spider-Man will make an appearance in, the speculation and guessing games have already begun with most signs pointing at an Avengers-related movie.

In the comic books, Spider-Man joined the Avengers back in the ’90s but has yet to appear alongside any of his super-powered allies in theaters.

This latest deal not only confirms that Spider-Man will be swinging his way into the MCU, but it also revealed that the next installment of the multibillion-dollar Spider-Man franchise will be undergoing a serious creative overhaul.

“Under the deal the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe,” the statement on Marvel’s website revealed. “Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger.”

Based on Marvel’s confirmed film release dates, three likely films have surfaced as front-runners for introducing fans to the new and improved Spidey.

He could appear in Captain America 3: Civil War, which is set to be released in May 2016; Doctor Strange, which is set for release in November 2016, or Guardians of the Galaxy 2, which is set to be released in May 2017.

Fans expect that Spider-Man will be joining the patriotic hero himself, Captain America, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

Either way, Marvel is just happy to be bringing Spider-Man to his rightful home on the big screens.

“Spider-Man has more than 50 years of history in Marvel’s world, and with this deal, fans will be able to experience Spider-Man taking his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU,” Marvel’s statement continued.

With Fox and Marvel having a similar deal as Sony and Marvel when it comes to the rights of X-Men, some fans were hopeful that the latest crossover deal could encourage Fox to loan out the beloved academy of mutants.

Unfortunately, there are no signs that this deal is in the works nor is it likely when considering the history between Fox and Marvel.

Sony and Marvel have had a much better relationship than the comic giant has had with Fox, so it could still be quite some time before we see the X-Men joining forces with any other Marvel fan favorites.