Dark Phoenix
Movie, 2019, The First Class Era, Set in 1992
Dark Phoenix is #15 of 18 in release order and #5 of 18 in chronological order in the X-Men.
The story
The X-Men face their most formidable and powerful foe when one of their own, Jean Grey, starts to spiral out of control. During a rescue mission in outer space, Jean is nearly killed when she's hit by a mysterious cosmic force. Once she returns home, this force not only makes her infinitely more powerful, but far more unstable. The X-Men must now band together to save her soul and battle aliens that want to use Grey's new abilities to rule the galaxy.
Dark Phoenix recap
In 1992, the X-Men are celebrated as heroes. On a rescue mission to a space shuttle, Jean Grey absorbs a strange cosmic force, which makes her far more powerful and breaks down the mental walls Charles built in her mind as a child. She learns that she caused the car crash that killed her mother and that her father is alive and gave her up, and that Charles hid both facts. In a confrontation, Jean accidentally kills Mystique. Shape-shifting aliens called the D'Bari, led by Vuk, want the cosmic force to remake Earth as their home, and Vuk manipulates Jean. Hank, grieving Raven, joins Erik on his island of Genosha to kill Jean, while Charles tries to bring her back.
Dark Phoenix ending explained
The X-Men are taken prisoner on a train, and the D'Bari attack it. Jean takes full control of her power, destroys the aliens, and carries Vuk into the sky, where both are destroyed. Charles retires, the school is renamed the Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters, and Charles and Erik play chess in Paris as a phoenix shape appears in the sky.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Dark Phoenix
Dark Phoenix is streaming on Disney+, fuboTV, YouTube TV, and FXNow in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 5.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 22%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Deadpool 2, before The New Mutants.
- Chronological order: after X-Men: Apocalypse, before X-Men.
What to watch before Dark Phoenix
In release order, 10 X-Men essentials come before Dark Phoenix (2019), from X-Men (2000) to Deadpool 2 (2018). Dark Phoenix itself is optional in the X-Men order.
Cast
- Sophie Turner as Jean Grey / Dark Phoenix
- James McAvoy as Charles Xavier / Professor X
- Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy / Beast
- Tye Sheridan as Scott Summers / Cyclops
- Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr / Magneto
- Alexandra Shipp as Ororo Munroe / Storm
- Evan Peters as Peter Maximoff / Quicksilver
- Jessica Chastain as Vuk
- Kodi Smit-McPhee as Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler
- Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholme / Mystique
- Scott Shepherd as Dr. John Grey
- Ato Essandoh as Jones
Directed by Simon Kinberg.