In a room, it all began with an aggressive conversation about what they wanted films to bring to life.
Mutants have existed in secret for decades. Global events—wars, climate crises, social collapses—activate the mutant gene on a massive scale. Xavier founds the school as a refuge; many mutants are revealed, and the plot begins to gain real weight. This time, Naomi Watts will be used as Phoenix, so she can carry the films forward. Magneto creates an international clandestine mutant network, trying to build a state founded on freedom. Governments begin developing weapons and mutant-control programs.
What had been hidden starts to become public; events begin to take shape. From the first series—but this time they will do Wolverine: Origins with Hugh Jackman, a far more animated series, set before the third film—and this time the Sentinel Project is given a visual identity.
Mutants are declared a global threat. Provoked by Stryker, who wants to spark a civil war, mutants split into factions: some radical, others moderate. However, the Professor and Magneto decide to unite to solve the problems caused by Stryker. But the damage is done. "Preventive" detention camps are created. Magneto becomes a symbol of resistance. Xavier struggles to prevent a worldwide civil war.
The Sentinel Project emerges. At the same time, a drug is developed to prevent the X-gene from spreading—introduced into food—while the Sentinels are being built. Then there is a journey to the future by Jean Grey, which results in a grave mistake: during time travel,l she encounters Dark Phoenix and returns.
An open war is declared to wipe out mutants. Two sides.
In the middle lie Wolverine's origins, in one way or another. It explains the origins of villains, the hunt for other villains, and Sabretooth's tyranny, with a raw tone. At the same time, a light is cast on Professor X and Magneto in two opposing positions; this time, both are young. The original films from 2009 to 2013 are reimagined.
This leads to the third film of the X-Men trilogy, focused on all-out war, positioning many other mutants—each of them fighting against the government itself. Characters from other comics appear in small cameos, such as Spider-Man; Daredevil also appears, and there's a moment with the Punisher talking to Spider-Man.
As the Shark Empire accelerates the third Phoenix act, S.H.I.E.L.D. joins in, with a younger Fury—Samuel L. Jackson—in a ninth film that dares to be itself, even rotating the spotlight completely. Sometimes some are protagonists and others supporting, and then the roles reverse, all to shape a single film.
Communities like the Morlocks are shown, helping one another and hiding in the forest. Flashes of Captain America appear in Logan's life. The ending brings death, while preparing the reveal of the final villain: Mister Sinister, Nathaniel Essex, obsessed with mutant genetics.
-—We have outlined a plan for at least ten films,—Jim Gianopulos replied to Stan Lee, who was now devising a secret plan to give it a beginning and an end in under ten years, because they wanted everything wrapped up by 2008. Because when something is done well—or poorly—control becomes a form of containment.
-—So how many actors will you use?—Stan Lee asked.
-—Thousands. Many of them—perhaps twenty or thirty at the top tier,—Jim Gianopulos commented, referring to first-line villains. That was what it took for a series of such magnitude.
Because then the Avengers series would come, which played a bit with the X-Men tone, but was stricter.
-—So why did you call us?—José Quesada asked.
-—Because Billy wants to create different kinds of series, different universes. There will be a main film line, while we make animated films to our advantage. That's why we want to do films—an animated series of ten movies—with Pixar's support, on a much broader scale. I don't care about the rest; I only care that the next films have a better script than what we're already planning,—Jim Gianopulos replied.
Stan Lee couldn't help but whistle at what he was seeing. He knew then they could make a bolder series, with thousands of plots and all the necessary transpositions, centered on mutants rejected by society—and from there build the Morlock community.
Blending cultures and distinct, more singular storylines, leaving world-building to Magneto's origin—different this time—showing him as Charles Xavier's friend, yet always a radical man shaped by the Holocaust. They meet when Xavier seeks to understand the X-gene, and a recap unfolds of different mutants who do good or evil depending on the position they occupy.
Here, the Hellfire Club is created, and the Phoenix story is explained from another angle. Different characters are positioned, all added by another team that will bring the X-Men to life, taking on various villains like Doctor Doom. The Sentinel Project truly spirals out of control here and decides to eradicate humanity, attacking anyone different and labeling any genetic anomaly as a threat.
-—How many films do they want to make?—Stan Lee whispered.
-—In this universe, we'll have series—at least three. We'll use the entire Marvel universe and shape different superheroes, like Captain America and the Fantastic Four. Here we'll make politics aggressive and give it form as much as we can,—Jim Gianopulos replied, setting aside the idea of creating at least four flagship series.
-—Well, this leaves me speechless,—Isaac Perlmutter said, having long known that Marvel would never rest on series and ideas.
-—Because Billy has wanted to do this for months,—Jim Gianopulos replied.—He's given me instructions to start laying the foundations of each series in the coming months, because our only need is to fill people's lives with different series.
-—Only X-Men?—José Quesada asked.
-—No. He also wants to create a series for other characters. Animation allows us to play with different films, explain universes and secondary characters—like Odin and the first wars that left Asgard as the leader of the Eight Realms,—Jim Gianopulos replied, handing over more pages—thousands upon thousands of ideas—filling out thirty to fifty films and twenty to twenty-five series, separate or interconnected. It didn't matter.
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