Anyone who's been paying attention to recent movie news knows that next year's monolithic mutant movie, X-Men: Days of Future Past will feature just about every actor and actress who's had even a passing connection to the collective film franchise. However, according to actor, Alan Cumming, it most likely will NOT include his popular character, Nightcrawler.

With franchise heavies like Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and the recently-self-confirmed Halle Berry on board, it seemed like anyone with an "X" on their film resume would be getting the fateful call from director, Bryan Singer to hop on board this time-bending bash of epic proportions. Yet, according to Cumming, that call never came. -- Not that it would have mattered anyway. According to the actor in a recent interview with Sirius XM:

"No, they haven’t [asked me to return]. Someone asked me that the other day and I said no. I know the one that’s coming up shoots this Spring, but I wouldn’t be available anyways. I don't think they have. I was gonna meet my manager for dinner later, I was gonna ask him, but no, I’m sure they would’ve told me, had they approached."

Thus, despite the fact that Days looks to be the most surreal fanboy-feast of fighting mutants, it will do battle with the giant robot Sentinels minus the presence of the smoke-shifting acrobatic blue-skinned badass, Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, who practically stole the show in the 2003 sequel, X2. (Which is widely regarded as the best film in the series.)

The same grim news goes for the character of Azazel, who in the comic book canon, was the father of Nightcrawler. (With Mystique being his mother.) Actor Jason Flemyng, who played the red-skinned teleporter in 2011's X-Men: First Class, would also confirm his non-involvement in the film. The lack of Nightcrawler-esque activity may be a small price to pay for the embarrassment of mutant riches that is this cast, but it's still an unfortunate one.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (sans Nightcrawler) will nevertheless bamf its way to theaters on July 18, 2014.

Source: G4.com

Hey Otakus and Geeks Fans, Sean ( The Comic Guy ) and here is a video Review of Avengers vs X-Men. I wanna give you quick back story of the Phoenix saga and what has led up to Avengers vs X-men.

Avengers vs. X-Men, abbreviated as AvX, is a limited series comic book crossover to be published by Marvel Comics, beginning in April 2012, that involves the return of the Phoenix Force, and the subsequent war between the Avengers (consisting of the main team, the New Avengers, and the Secret Avengers) and the X-Men, and the emergence of a future Age of Ultron, as foreshadowed in Marvel Point One. It will be a 12-issue limited series, released bi-weekly, following the Avengers: X-Sanction and X-Men: Regenesis line.

The event is preceded by Avengers vs. X-Men #0, which was published in March 2012. According to Marvel, Avengers vs. X-Men is the result of all the threads from the Fear Itself, X-Men: Schism, and Avengers: The Children's Crusade stories coming together.

"The Dark Phoenix Saga" is an extended X-Men storyline in the fictional Marvel Comics Universe, focusing on Jean Grey and thePhoenix Force, and ending in Grey's apparent death. It was written by Chris Claremont with art by Dave Cockrum and John Byrne.

It is sometimes divided into two parts, with the "Phoenix Saga" (The X-Men #101-108, 1976–1977) referring to Grey's seeming assumption of the Phoenix power and the repair of the M'Kraan Crystal, and the "Dark Phoenix Saga" (The X-Men #129-138, 1980) referring to her corruption and fall. It is one of the most well-known and heavily referenced stories in mainstream American superhero comics, and widely considered a classic.

It was adapted for the X-Men animated series, and alluded to in the movie X2: X-Men United. A third movie, X-Men: The Last Stand, released in 2006, contains some elements from the saga. Wolverine and the X-Men adapted the Dark Phoenix Saga at the end of its first season, changing many things to make it a fresh and new version.

In comic books, readers know the Phoenix as a psionic cosmic entity linked to Jean Grey. This was not how the character was written in the original story — there, the Phoenix actually was Jean, at the very peak of her power. Returning from a mission in space, the story told of Jean being exposed to the deadly radiation of a solar flare, and briefly attaining her ultimate potential as a telepath and telekinetic. In this moment, Jean became a being of pure thought, and then reformed herself upon return to Earth with the new costume, identity and power of "Phoenix". It was with this incredible power that Jean repaired the fractured M'Kraan Crystal, but voluntarily restrained her powers afterward in order to keep them under control.

Her vast potential made her a target for the illusionist Mastermind, who was attempting to prove himself in order to join the prestigious Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club. With the help of a mind-tap device created by the White Queen, Emma Frost, Mastermind (using the alias Jason Wyngarde) was able to project his illusions directly into Phoenix's mind. These illusions caused her to believe that she was reliving the memories of her ancestor, Lady Grey, who in Mastermind's illusions, was Wyngarde's lover. Phoenix was subverted into joining the Hellfire Club as their Black Queen, a decadent role that would allow her to relish the extremes of human emotion and began to break down the barriers that she had erected.

When the X-Men came to her rescue, they were captured by the Inner Circle, and Jean's true love Cyclops faced Mastermind in a psychic duel. When Mastermind killed Cyclops' psychic image, it served to break his hold over Jean's psyche and shattered the final barriers on her power. Experiencing this power in its totality, along with the decadent role she had just played, overwhelmed Jean entirely, and she renamed herself the "Dark Phoenix". The X-Men battled her, but were easily defeated by her power before she departed for the heavens. Intent on satiating her hunger, Dark Phoenix created a wormhole and transported herself to a distant galaxy. Without a thought of the consequences, she dove into the heart of the D'Bari star and devoured its energy, causing the star to go nova — killing billions of innocent aliens in the process. Dark Phoenix was then attacked by a Shi'ar vessel to prevent her from destroying other stars. Dark Phoenix easily defeated her foes, but not before they were able to alert the Shi'ar Empress Lilandra. Gathering a host of intergalactic associates, including the Kree and Skrull empires, the council concluded that Dark Phoenix was an even more serious threat than the planet-consumingGalactus and must be destroyed because she had the power to destroy the entire Universe.

On Earth, the X-Men were greeted by Avengers member (and former X-Man) Beast. He had designed a device which would neutralize Phoenix's powers long enough for them to defeat her. Dark Phoenix returned to Earth, to her family's home, and was subsequently attacked by the X-Men. During a vicious psionic battle with her mentor, Charles Xavier, he was able to rebuild the psychic "circuit-breakers" in her mind which reduced Dark Phoenix's powers to more reasonable levels and allowed Jean's personality to reassert control, curtailing the destructive impulses of Dark Phoenix.

Phoenix consumes a star, inadvertently killing billions of people.

The Shi'ar then abducted the X-Men, told them of Dark Phoenix's casual genocide, and indicated that she must be put to death because of it. Xavier, who was romantically involved with the Shi'ar Empress, challenged Lilandra to Arin'n Haelar, a Shi'ar duel of honor that cannot be refused. After conferring with her allies, who insisted the contest be staged to ensure a guaranteed victory on their part, Lilandra ceded to Xavier's demand.

The next day, the X-Men and the Shi'ar Imperial Guard were teleported to the Blue Area of the Moon where they would do battle, with the victors deciding the fate of Phoenix. The Imperial Guard, led by Gladiator, was able to defeat all of the X-Men, leaving Cyclops and Phoenix alone to make a final stand against them. When a stray bolt of energy hit Cyclops, Jean Grey's panic overrode the psychic circuit-breakers Xavier had placed within her mind and the full might of Phoenix's powers was once more unleashed. At this point, Lilandra abandoned the delicate approach and ordered Plan Omega, which would consist of destroying the whole solar system in hopes of eliminating Dark Phoenix in the process.

With events spiraling out of control, Xavier ordered the X-Men to subdue Jean to preempt Lilandra's emergency measure. The team battled her until she regained her senses. Running to a back alley on the moon, Jean, struggling to keep control, activated a Kree weapon and disintegrated herself after an emotional good-bye to Cyclops. He later deduced that Jean had planned her sacrifice from the moment they had landed on the moon.

This pivotal story ends with Uatu the Watcher commenting that "Jean Grey could have lived to become a god. But it was more important to her that she die...a human."

Back Story provided by Wikipedia

ARTICLES

News: Kotobukiya's Evolved Rogue available December 2023

X-Men Dark Phoenix, Photos, Setting, Villian and Funeral Pic

Apocalypse War Variant Covers

X-Men: Days Of Future Past: Nightcrawler Will Not Be Back

Avengers vs X-Men Vol 0 & 1 Review

Otakus & Geeks