X-Men

[00:00:00] It's finally here, an episode we've been counting down for. We're celebrating the 25th anniversary of X-Men, the film that helped kickstart the modern superhero movie era. And this one's extra special because of my deep love for the X-Men comics, along with some very spicy opinions about people we hate. So get ready for claws, commentary, and a whole lot of mutant energy.

[00:00:30] Welcome to the No More Late Fees podcast. I'm Jackie. And I'm Danielle, and we're just two best friends and ex-blockbuster employees re-watching some of the best and worst movies from the late 90s and early 2000s. And this week is a big one. We're celebrating 25 years of X-Men.

[00:00:58] This movie holds a lot of weight, both as a turning point for superhero films and as the start of a very mixed franchise. And as someone who's been obsessed with X-Men comics since I was a kid, I have feelings. Big feelings. Big feelings. But before we dive in, let's get into some housekeeping. Big feelings. Big feelings. Big moments. Big feelings. Big feelings.

[00:01:28] Big feelings. And that's what I'm gonna want. Big feelings. Great. Big feelings.防ino's. Bi-S-Lim 'I.あり. We've seen more. I'molve intoahah. solidarity. We're waiting. And I'm treff秋 studios. And I'm going to Google ce gravitational- reserve to fall on the weekend. Woo-bra alto sailor must be protein.

[00:01:51] that you can. You can buy us a virtual cup of coffee at ko-fi.com slash no more late fees. Every contribution helps us to keep the blockbuster vibes alive and if you throw us 50 bucks you can choose a movie in our time frame. Looking to add some mutant merch to your collection? Check out our Amazon store for curated picks inspired by the X-Men nostalgia finds and more. Just head to

[00:02:16] amazon.com slash shop slash no more late fees podcast. And if you want even more even more than the upcoming bonus episode later this week which is by far our longest because we get in deep y'all but if you want more hot takes deep dives behind the scenes fun join our patreon for exclusive bonus episodes and perks at patreon.com slash no more late fees. Buckle up folks.

[00:02:47] We're ready to dive in and we're not alone. We have one of our favorite guests back. My cousin. Patrice. Hello. Hello. Good to be back. Back like I never left. We are so happy to have you back and we have a theme going because last time you were here you were on our

[00:03:13] blade episode so now she's back and you also don't want to miss this week's bonus episode where we discuss comic book inaccuracies drag Brian Singer and find out Patrice's employee picks. But Danielle it's time tell us about X-Men from 2000. Oh Just had to stretch real quick.

[00:03:44] X-Men 2000 introduces us to the world where mutants are feared and misunderstood as tensions rise between humans and those with extraordinary powers Professor Charles Xavier and his team of X-Men face off against Magneto's brotherhood to stop a plan that could change humanity forever. The movie stars Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Jensen, James Marston,

[00:04:11] and Anna Paquin. The movie was directed by Brian Singer. It was written by David Hader. Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. And the story was by Tom DeSanto and Brian Singer. You can currently watch the movie on Disney Plus. But before we start let's get into our ratings rewind.

[00:04:35] So you know the drill. Before we get into the movie we'll reveal the rating our Y2K versions of ourselves we give. Then at the end we'll see if our current selves agree with our initial ratings. Our scale consists of would buy it, would buy it again. The best would plan repeat. Five day rental. Would watch again. Two day rental. Eh, okay. But nothing to write home about. Insane day rental.

[00:05:04] Storm, light them up. It's trash. Well, Patrice, what was your Y2K rating of X2K? Bassara. Trash. Trash. I love that you say it with your whole chest. And in multiple languages. Oh, yeah. I love a bilingual queen.

[00:05:37] Danielle? Oh. I went to look at my DVDs to... I swear I have this on DVD. I know I bought it. And it... You know I'm mad. About me. But you also had lack of resources at that point. Yes. You took what you could get. I was thirsty.

[00:06:08] Yes. So I did own it. I just don't know... Like, I went to go look for it. And I... I just didn't take enough time. It's probably there. However, I do need to change my rating from whatever it takes. I think I said five day rental. But... Surprise, bitch! I own it! So... Did not realize that. I rubbed off on you. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:06:37] I should really check every episode to make sure. Because I didn't check for them. Well owned this movie. So... I didn't know what I was doing. I was just a little X-Men baby. But let's hop into the box office. Yes. Our money went towards this. Jackie and I did go see this movie together. The budget had 75 million dollars.

[00:07:08] So... A pretty good budget. And this movie made 296 million dollars. And this is why we have 80 plus fucking horrible X-Men movies. Fair. So... So... Lil Raj. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said... He started out liking this movie while waiting for something really interesting to happen. When nothing did. I still didn't dislike it.

[00:07:35] I assume that X-Men will further develop their personalities if there is a sequel. And maybe find time to get involved in a story. No doubt fans of the comics will understand subtle illusions and find points of behavior they should linger in the lobby after each screening to answer questions. He also gave it a thumbs down. Well, I'm Ebert and Roper. So... Yeah. And then Peter Travers from The Rolling Stones noted...

[00:08:04] Since it's Wolverine's movie... Any X-Men or women who don't hinge directly on his story get short-shricked. As Storm, Halle Berry can do neat tricks with weather, but her role is gone with the wind. Clock it. But... And it sucks that Stewart and McKellen, two superb actors, are underused. At least they spoke! Yeah. Truth. Truth.

[00:08:33] I heard no lies. Before we get into cast and crew, let's hear a message from our pod pals. And now, a message from Splat Stanley. That's me! Hi! I'm Splat Stanley! I'm here at my brand new set for Splat Attack! I'm excited to be joining the crew this upcoming season! Ha! Oh, oh, simmer down. What was I saying? New season? Yeah! New season! We have a new season coming up!

[00:09:01] We're going to have cast reunions, episode reviews, character studies, celebrity interviews, new bonus minisodes, and more! Oh, jeez, more. I don't know how they're going to manage all of that. They'll be talking about game shows, Nicktoons, Pete and Pete, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Clarissa Explains It All, Stick Stickly, and more! You may even see more of me throughout the season! Ha! Can I get a P.O. box or something? The other stick had one.

[00:09:27] So, cast and crew, let's start with granddaddy Sir Patrick Stewart. He was the first actor to be cast as a mutant and, in fact, had been the fan favorite for the role of Professor X since the 90s, especially after X-Men in 1992. Was that the cartoon? Right? They, they, yeah. Okay. And I think they were trying to do this movie back in, like, 95. So, yeah.

[00:09:56] Because they said that they invited some guy named Glenn Danzig to audition in, in 95, as his weight, I mean, not his weight, his height and build was closely resembled that of the, you know, character. But he declined due to scheduling conflicts with his band. So, I guess he's a singer. Interesting.

[00:10:20] The director was also a huge fan of Star Trek movies and television shows, so Patrick Stewart was his only choice for the role of Professor X. Though other more bankable actors lobbied for the role, the director always felt only Stewart, who had long been a fan favorite, could play the part. I loved Patrice's reaction to reading our next fact, so I'm going to have Patrice reenact that. Yeah.

[00:10:49] This is, this is news to me. Sir Patrick Stewart was not familiar with the X-Men, and he believed that it was related to the X-Files. That, my flabbers are gasted. I really thought that he, I don't know, it just feels like he was just born to be Professor X, so I don't understand how he didn't know what X-Men was about. But, I don't know. He's old. He was old even back then, so. It's true. It's fine, I guess. Yeah.

[00:11:18] I am shocked to learn this one, that Jim Caviezel was originally cast as Cyclops, but backed out due to scheduling conflicts with Frequency. Praise Jesus for Frequency. I never thought I would say that. Like, James Marsden did what he could with what the material he was given, but Jim Caviezel, I fucking hate that dude. Me too. I hate Jesus, y'all. Don't be saying that on the Lord's internet. I'm sorry.

[00:11:47] I don't really mean Jesus. Jesus, I'm sorry. He knew what I meant. He laughed. I'm sure. Jesus knows her heart. He does. But the guy who played Jesus is the worst. Yeah. So, Wolverine, a lot of information about Wolverine. The director's first choice was Russell Crowe. He turned it down. I can see it. Yeah. Same. Other actors.

[00:12:17] That would have been such a toxic-ass fucking set. Oh my gosh. It wouldn't have gotten made. It would have just been people walking off set all the time. Other actors considered for the role were Mel Gibson, ew. Aaron Eckert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Viggo Mortensen, Edward Norton, Bob Hoskins. This list is buried and wide. It's all. There's no common theme here. No.

[00:12:47] Sure. Some are short. Bob Hoskins and Keanu Reeves and Gary Sinise. How did we go from Mario Mario to Neo in the same breath? I don't know. But that is a wild lineup. Rachel Lee Cook was considered for the role of Rogue. Rogue. I wouldn't be mad at that. Although, I need to see her accent.

[00:13:16] You're right. And to think Anna Paquin dropped out of the lead role of a movie called Tart in favor of X-Men. Good choice. Because has anyone seen Tart? Raise your hand. Nope. Yeah. Nope. Didn't think so. What else we got? Oh, I've seen the cover box to Tart. I just had to pull it up.

[00:13:45] Jean Grey, originally the Beast was going to be in the final part of the movie, but was cut out to be saved for the sequels. So his profession was incorporated into Jean Grey, which was a medical doctor and political supporter of mutant rights. When I saw her with a needle in her hand, I said, what's happening here? I was very confused. I was like, where is Beast? They could have had anybody else.

[00:14:14] Jean Grey. She would have fainted at the sight of blood immediately. Right. Immediately. Get this one. Janet Jackson was offered the role of Storm, but she turned it down due to tour obligations, and even that I would have been happier about in that casting. Oh, God. Oh, Hallie.

[00:14:40] And then Sir Ian McKellen was doing fucking double duty, because he was shooting this and Lord of the Rings at the same time, right? No. Oh, okay. No. So he was going to... He felt like he had to choose, but he talked to Bryan Singer. Bryan Singer, I think, changed when they were the start of the movie, so he could do Lord of the Rings.

[00:15:08] And he was convinced, but when he saw his costume. Which, I mean... Ian? Yeah. Like, the helmet's what did it for you? Because the rest of the costume's just regular smegular. Like, maybe he likes leather and whips and chains. I would say, we... I missed this very critical, important fact about Hugh Jackman's man parts getting caught

[00:15:36] in his harness after a six-foot jump off the Statue of Liberty. Okay. They're called on you. I did. So maybe this is why. Okay. Because his wife originally told him not to take the role, Hugh Jackman's wife at the time. Interesting. She told... Okay.

[00:16:04] So instead of... Russell Crowe's who recommended Hugh Jackman when he turned down the role. And Jackman was like an unknown actor at the time. And his wife told him not to do it after reading the three pages he was given. Debra. I see... I peep game, Debra. It was the best role for him to take. But she looked at that script and said, I don't think so. Trash.

[00:16:34] And Viggo Mortensen, speaking of Lord of the Rings, he... Singer brought him in to view the storyboards. But Mortensen's son was vocal about the character's imposing appearance. And he was also apprehensive of signing on for multiple films. But yet did three other movies instead. He did... He made the best choice. Yeah. I was gonna say, I mean...

[00:17:02] We have to compare franchises here. Yeah. Movie-wise. But Doug Gray Scott was supposed to be... He was originally cast. And... But he was forced to back out due to his scheduling conflicts with Mission Impossible 2. And he also sustained injuries on a motorbike accident. So... Scott also said that Tom Cruise made him drop out of the role as well.

[00:17:33] So then... Interesting. Jackman was cast three weeks into filming based on his successful audition. Wow. Yeah. Apparently he also didn't know what a wolverine was. He thought... He thought it was some type of wolf and studied wolves until he was informed that a wolverine is not a wolf.

[00:18:03] So that's interesting. A lot happening, I guess. Yeah. A lot of confusion on the set. No, it didn't seem like many diehard X-Men comic book fans signing on for roles in this movie. Yeah. At all. Apparently the original start date for this movie was mid-1999.

[00:18:32] With the release date set for Christmas 2000. But Fox moved X-Men to June. Because Steven Spielberg had been scheduled to film Minority Report for release in June of 2000. But he had chosen to film AI, artificial intelligence. So Fox needed a film to fill the void. So that meant that Singer had to finish X-Men six months ahead of schedule. Although filming had been pushed back.

[00:19:00] So the release date was then moved to July. July 14th. Yeah. It came out July 14th, 2000. It charted at number one. The week that it came out. Also in the top five were Scary Movie, The Perfect Storm, The Kid, and The Patriot. So that's what the competition was looking like. And The Patriot had come out.

[00:19:30] Like must come out like 4th of July weekend or whatever. Because I remember we graduated from high school. My godmother came like a month for my birthday. Because she didn't get to come to graduation. And then we went to see The Patriot. So that movie must have just been in theaters for a long time. And that's when we didn't hate Mel Gibson. Yeah. But on set, we end.

[00:20:00] Check out our bonus episode because we really go into more about Bryan Singer. But just to lay the landscape. During production, Singer would allegedly arrive late and experience mood swings and explosive tantrums. At the time, Singer claimed to be taking medication for back pain. Cast and crew members found Singer's drug use too problematic. Kevin Feige, the film's associate producer, was flown on set to ensure that Singer was kept in line.

[00:20:29] Singer was also accused of giving small roles to young actors and minors in exchange for... S-E-X. A source for pyro actor Alex Burton says... He was told the role was created for him by Singer and Mark Collins Rector. Burton was also flown from Los Angeles to Toronto for filming. An unusual occurrence for an actor with a minor role.

[00:20:57] Several sources close to the Hollywood Reporter claimed that story meetings were unprofessional even by eccentric auteur standards. With Singer allegedly bringing young guys who were not involved with the project to the meetings. He also banned comics on set and Feige had to sneak them on for actors to understand their roles. Also, let it be known...

[00:21:24] And this is all I'm going to say any further about the essay allegations. Brian Peck was also hired on this movie. Because when those letters came out, if you saw Quiet on the set and you know anything about what happened... You know Brian Peck's name for the allegations from... What's the guy's name from Drake and Josh? Drake Bell.

[00:21:55] That one of the letters that were given to the judge in that case was from James Marston. And I kept thinking to myself, when the fuck did James Marston ever get entangled with Brian Peck? Yep. And I just feel like anybody worth salt could look at that person and know he's a weirdo. But I'm also wondering like the air around Hollywood.

[00:22:22] How there's so many of these weirdos that is maybe just so normalized that you're just used to it. I don't know. So I'm guessing this is where James Marston got to know Brian Peck. He's actually in the scene at the beach when Senator What's-His-Face is coming out of the water and you see the Stan Lee cameo. Brian Peck is right there. Gross. Ugh. I hate it.

[00:22:52] Get away from my beloved Stan Lee. Right. Okay. Okay. So I just keep having this thought that the episode is going to be shorter than the- Blunt.

[00:23:08] So we are going to get into the nuances of the characters as well as, like Danielle said, the controversy and accusations with the director in our bonus episode that comes out later this week. So if you feel like we're not tearing it apart that much, it's because we literally had to separate this into two almost separate episodes to get through all of it. So, without further ado, X-Men.

[00:23:38] So the prequel of the movie- Sorry. Magneto is a great movie- Magneto is a great movie- Magneto is a great movie- And we see him being separated from his parents. And then we see his powers and what he is able to do as a child.

[00:24:07] The soldiers that are there, they knock him out. And that's how we come to find out he is the one that's manipulating this metal fence. And so this kind of sets the experience of Magneto through and his distrust of humanity moving forward. And so that kind of sets us up to as to why he is doing the things he is doing in present day.

[00:24:34] And so the funniest thing is that a lot of talk about like comic books being too woke and not understanding the lore of even how X-Men were created.

[00:24:48] And the archetypes of the viewpoints behind mutants, their take on how to engage with humans after being discriminated against and treated horribly. So you have Professor Xavier, which is supposed to represent Martin Luther King. And then you have Magneto, which is supposed to represent Malcolm X.

[00:25:17] Which I find funny because the nuance there is getting closer to Martin Luther King's death. He starts to realize that what he's fighting for, the equality of Black people and to be integrated.

[00:25:36] One of the quotes that he says is that I feel like, I don't know if he said it, I'm not saying this perfect, but it's like he's opened us up to go into a burning building. You know, all this fighting that he's done to get us to where we're at. But it's almost like he realized the joke was on us that we got set up for the okie doke when it comes to America in general.

[00:26:04] And then when you look at Malcolm X and his viewpoints towards the ends of his life, he started to change a little bit of some of his thought processes. Not too much, but I do find that the way that these two men are friends originally and fundamentally cannot align on how they approach the situation makes their story so interesting.

[00:26:32] And then rewatching this movie now and knowing what's happening right now. Felt like this movie was made yesterday and that is what is so cool, I think, about history. And that they were able to take from history to make this storyline of all of these characters so compelling because it's rooted in things that have happened already.

[00:26:59] Like what we're going through right now is not new. It's just and that's why it's so important for literacy. It's so important for us to to know our history. And I sometimes think that why we're having this backlash right now, because that's what's happening. Like this administration and everything is a backlash to progression.

[00:27:26] And wanting to stop Black people from engaging with white people is because Black people historically have always told our stories from person to person because we were not always encouraged to read. And we had to always figure out ways to make sure that our history was not forgotten and was always kept.

[00:27:53] And I think the more interaction that white people have with Black people and other marginalized people, it's making people wake up to white supremacy and understand that this shit is like false and not real. And the problem isn't that black people are getting more equality or equity. It's that white people are actually learning what the fuck is going on and that they too are suffering under white supremacy and it doesn't benefit them.

[00:28:22] I think that is the core issue that is happening. And so it's like the blockages and the rewinding and the whitewashing and getting rid of stuff is because you can't take from a population if they all are knowing what the fuck is going on. That's just my thought process.

[00:28:47] So watching this movie was like, damn, this is I this could have came out today. Yeah, this movie could have came out today. Yep. Hashtag my needle was right. And I'm going to keep saying it. Yeah. Meanwhile, down in Mississippi. Where is Rogue really from? Because that accent.

[00:29:17] Jesus Christ. Why? So there was a point in the movie where people were protesting or whatever about mutants. And everybody had signs. And one of the signs said, send the mutants to the moon. And I was just like, you know, funny you say that because they tried. Right. Like part of the like Magneto tried to like in the comics, he tried to put all the mutants on an asteroid called Asteroid M. And what did the humans do?

[00:29:45] They were like, oh, they could blow up Earth. We got to shoot them down. So. I remember. So shot the asteroid down. Then we see in the X-Men 97 cartoon. He's like, all right, cool. We're going to put all my people on this island called Genosha. Separate ourselves. And then what happens then? The humans come, blow up the island, slaughter everybody. And so I'm just like, Magneto has tried with you people.

[00:30:11] Which is such a great representation of like the time period. I implore any American, especially or anybody outside of America. If you really want to understand where we are today to do research on the time period of reconstruction.

[00:30:34] So much is talked about when is taught to us as children in this education system about slavery. And then it skips to Jim Crow, but they don't talk about the reconstruction time period. Because the lie is that Black people should be able to pull themselves by their bootstraps and stop bitching.

[00:30:59] But what we've learned, and I think that's happened in more media lately, like the Watchmen. We learned a lot of people. Now it's like common thread of what happened in Tulsa. We were flourishing. We had our own cities. We had doctors. We were making money. We were rich in certain places. And what was happening? The white town next door, living rent-free in their brains.

[00:31:29] They had to tear that shit down. They had to go burn that shit down. They had to kill people. Lake Lanier. Like when you look up all these cities and towns that Black people were flourishing and doing well. So the history of like the conversation now is that, you know, we're lazy. We were not doing all these things. But when we were by ourselves, you wanted us to leave you alone.

[00:31:58] You wanted us to, you hate us so much. You want us to be over here. And when we did, you came in, you killed and burned us and buried our cities, flooded our cities. And then said, we're lazy and we don't, we're lesser than. Right. Make it make sense. Just like, so that's what I'm like with the Magneto thing. It's just like such a parallel to real historical things that happened. As you said, Magneto was right.

[00:32:31] And as a kid, I feel like I really did kind of see him as a villain. Just because, you know, I was a kid in my kid brain. But, you know, as an adult, as an adult now, I'm just like, like Professor X will be pissing me off. Sometimes. Like the scene, the scene when they're like in the, like just so many times, like he could have definitely. And maybe this is why I don't deserve to have any kind of superpowers because I would be morally gray.

[00:32:57] But the scene where like Jean Grey is talking and like Senator Kelly keeps getting up and interrupting her and talking about, oh, we don't want our kids going to school with these mutants. I'm like, Professor X, you could literally make them shut up and sit down right now. You could make all these people in the room sign a bill and pass it right now. Yeah. Like, why are you trying so hard to convince them? Like, they're not going to be hurt by you doing this, actually. You know what I'm saying?

[00:33:26] Like, by you, like I could get it if you were doing something terrible, like making some person sign away their life savings to you. Okay. Like, that's a crime, whatever. Got it. But in this instance, none of these people are going to be hurt or impacted negatively by you forcing them to write a law that makes you guys as mutants move further along in life. You know what I mean? Like, they're just going to not remember that they did it or something and then everybody just moves on.

[00:33:56] So I'm just like, wait. I just think the idea that, again, like, it's just so hard to, like, separate the two things from Blackness. You know, again, this is why I think I gravitate so much to this movie and comic books and everything.

[00:34:16] Because when you think about the part where Senator Kelly asked Storm if she hates humans, and she, you know, she said sometimes. There just gets to a point where you're tired. You know, like, I think from Professor Xavier's standpoint, he's trying to say hope there's more things that we have in common than there's things that we hate each other for, right?

[00:34:46] You know, yes, we are one species of human beings or, you know, living on this planet. But it just gets to a point where people are living so much in fear and treating you poorly. Why you, the minority, have to turn the other cheek every time makes no fucking sense.

[00:35:09] Like, how many times before you're angry or you're allowed to show your rage or say, you know what, it's actually better if you just go over there and stay away from me. Like, I don't want anything to, I don't want to have to prove why I deserve to be here. I don't want to make you comfortable because I'm a badass bitch with powers and you're not. Like, I don't know what to tell you.

[00:35:36] And Professor X, to an extent, I feel has some kind of, he has, he's like a, like, he's like how a person would be if they were like white passing, but they were black. He's human passing, right? Like, he doesn't, he doesn't, he doesn't look like mystique or look like beast or have the privilege. He has the privilege to just, I was going to say walk around, but roll around. And people don't know that he's a mutant versus.

[00:36:04] Just look at me in my wheelchair, this elderly bald white man. Right. Yeah, it's easy, it's easy for him to be like, well, we can make them love us. Meanwhile, like these people, these other people, they can't even exist, you know, and walk around and go to the freaking store or go to school because they look different. Yeah. Obviously, Magneto, the fact that he was literally a Holocaust survivor, he's experienced discrimination and genocide once and he's like, never again. So. Yeah.

[00:36:33] I, I, I get him. And Professor X, we get on the nerves. Yeah. Like, it's not, none of these themes are subtle. They are very blatant in your face. And for anyone to be like, comic books have gone woke. It's like, no, they were written from the lens of the oppressed. Like, that's why they were, these stories were written. And now you're mad about it? Like, what?

[00:37:04] Yeah. It's wild business. And one thought that hit me was like, could you imagine that you're a mutant and you're black and you could still run up on a white mutant? That's racist. Like. What? That's crazy. So you're still like having to endure. That's the most ridiculous shit.

[00:37:34] Ugh. Ugh. So you said we're in Mississippi. This is when we're meeting Rogue now. Correct. After we've seen what happened to Magneto. Question. Who, who dons her as Rogue? Because her name is Marie. I think she must give, gave herself that name. I'm not really sure. Just, just check in. Cause. She's, she's Rogue. She's on the run. Yeah.

[00:38:02] Because she introduces herself to Logan. As Rogue. So I'm like, it's not something that like. He calls you as a cute nickname down the line. Right. Because you went Rogue or whatever. Like. Just wondering. So yeah. She's in her room. She's talking to her boyfriend. They start making out. And she sucks all of his life force from his body. And puts him in a coma. Not in a good way.

[00:38:30] So I, what I don't understand is just like. Did it just. Happen? Happen? Like. Is it like hormones? Like. Just one day? I mean. A lot of mutants. Some of their stuff doesn't happen. Until they actually are going through. What you call it. Puberty. Puberty. Some of them. Yeah. So. I was just like. Cause it's like. You've never touched another human before. Yeah.

[00:38:59] Cause it's not isolated to like. Just her lips. It's like. If she touches them in any capacity. Yeah. I was kind of confused. And. I think this is probably. Maybe supposed to be her first kiss. And so. Yeah. That heightened emotional. Whatever. May have been what spawned it. I like that answer. And her mom is just like. So. Just staring at her. And I'm just like. Do you not see this boy. Grasping for air. Yeah. Like.

[00:39:29] And the dad's like. Calm fucking down. What? What? What are you doing? They already kind of were losing his parents. By having two teens. In a locked room. Upstairs. I mean. Cause I was just like. What's happening here? Right. Downstairs reading magazines. With your feet propped up. And two hormonal teens. Are just. Upstairs in a room. Alone. So. Rogue puts his ass in the hospital. And now she's on the run. She's in Alberta. Canada.

[00:39:59] With her green hood and shit. I don't know what that. Situation is. I'm like. Where is her outfits? You know. Mississippi to Canada. That is. Along. That is a. A track. Yeah. Maybe it was. For a teen with no. No money. Well this was the. Maybe it was the. The road trip. That she had planned already. So this is what she. She's like. I might as well do it. Oh. Okay. And she's lucky she's okay. And didn't get trafficked and shit. Yeah.

[00:40:30] Yeah. So. It's at this point. And like you said in Canada. We're introduced to Logan. Who goes by Wolverine. He does cage fights to earn money. And. He's giving poor season Ryan in the OC. Oh bitch. I'm about. I'm about there. The next episode is when Marissa dies. I'm almost there. What'd you say?

[00:41:02] I. And. Sadly. I'm very excited. Cause like. I. It's time to go. I. Yeah. I. I may be in the minority. But like the fourth season. I really enjoy. Yeah. It's so good. Okay. Anyway. Back to. X-Men. So. We're kind of shown. Wolverine's abilities. A little bit. Like. Like. We know he heals very quickly.

[00:41:30] Do his claws come out during the cage fight? No. So. All we know is that he is a good fighter right now. Like. This guy hits on him a few times. And then he. Literally. Like. Insinuates that like. He's very strong. Cause the guy hits his. Hits Wolverine's knuckles. And like. His fucking hand. Cracks. Breaks. Whatever. Whatever. And so. We don't see. Anything mutant like. Per se. But like.

[00:42:00] He's not really bleeding. Or anything like that. So. And then. Yeah. And it made like a sound effect too. Like. Yeah. When they were. When he hit him. That like. Sounded like banging on metal. Metal. Yeah. Which I found. I found odd. Because later. Mystique was whooping his ass. But. You know. With no problems hitting him. Yeah. And she's naked. But you know. Whatever. Right. So then. He does. Show his claws at one point. Cause someone picks a fight with him. Right. Right.

[00:42:30] So he's got his infamous. Leather jacket on. He's got a cigar. Hanging out. And this guy. Says like. Insinuates that essentially. That he's a mutant. And there's something's off with him. Because. He doesn't think it's a fair fight. And he tries to attack him. From behind. With a knife. And Rogue. Sitting at the bar. Drinking water. Looking at the tip jar. Like. I don't know what she thought. She was gonna do. And. She tells Logan. To watch out.

[00:43:00] Because the guy comes with a knife. Logan don't give a fuck. Because he knows. He gonna heal. Regardless. But. That's when the claws come out. I honestly don't think. He needed the claws. To come out. But it's almost like. Animalistic. That his. That they would come out. In. Like. Quick. With a quickness. You know. And. That's when. Everyone in the bar. Is like fuck. And. The bartender. Bar guy. Whatever. Comes from behind the bar. With his.

[00:43:30] Shotgun. Logan. Tears that up too. I'm like. If this man. Has blades. In one hand. One plus one. Equals. Two bitch. Like. What are we doing? And you know. That mutants. Are a thing. Right. Right. Yeah. The guy in the first place. Coming up to him. I know what you are. So then. You should. Probably know. Not to fuck with him. Right. Yeah. What kind of.

[00:43:59] What kind of threat. Is this? Yeah. The humans are. But you know what? It's very. Giving red hat. All the way. Yeah. Like. Not. Not thinking. So. Not surprised. So. So. So. Logan retreats. Just because he like. Is. Doesn't want to deal with bullshit. So he's going back to his. His. Truck. Which. Truck camper thing. Yeah. And Rogue's like.

[00:44:29] I need a ride. Hi. I'm Rogue. I'm getting in. And he's just like. The fuck? Well. She gets in the back of his. Thing. Without him knowing. Yeah. I also love that. A cigar. He left. I watched him leave the cigar at the bar. But he. As soon as he got to the car. He had another one. I was like. Damn. How many you got? But he. I guess he heard Rogue moving around. And so he stops the car. And he sees her in there. And then she gets in the car.

[00:44:58] And then she just. Becomes a two year old. With all the questions. What's that? Why you heal quick? Why you got claws? Where are you going? What you doing? What's your name? What's your real name? Like she's just full of questions. You got games on your phone? Yeah. And then he. She gives. I think. I'm assuming it's jerky. He gives her. She tears that shit up. Yeah. Yeah. She's like. I'm hungry.

[00:45:28] I need a snack. And he's just like. Maybe it'll keep you quiet for a couple of minutes. Chew on this. And then she. She tells him. Her name is. Rogue. And. I mean. We're. We're honoring what they want to be called. So. We're calling her Rogue from now on. And. She like. Just proclaims that she has no home. Like. I. I. I ran away. I have no home. Where are you going?

[00:45:57] Take me with you. And so Logan's like. Well fuck now. I got responsibility. And then she's like. You know. You should be wearing your seatbelt. And he gets distracted. A fucking tree falls in front. And he straight. Flies out. Into the snow. And. Anybody else would have been dead. She's stuck. Now the. Campers on. About to be on fire. Here comes. Some. White Walker.

[00:46:27] Fucking out of the world. Who comes in a sniffing. For Wolverine. And. Then. They are miraculously saved. By. Cause. Logan gets up. He heals. And he's about to go help Rogue. But that's when the White Walker. A.K. Sabertooth comes. I love. Chad GPT says. Suddenly.

[00:46:55] Their truck is attacked by Sabertooth. A hulking. Feral. Mutant. Accurate. Accurate. Description. Yeah. And then. Just when things look bad. Cyclops and Storm. Marmorize. They save Rogue. They save Logan. Because. I think. Logan was. On the. The hood of the. Car. Because he got. Beat up by Sabertooth. And.

[00:47:25] Then they're. Back in the mansion. Now. Tell me why Professor Xavier is. He's a little bit of a jokester. Because why he did that to Wolverine like that. Why you in his head. Over here. Over here. Like. Why you put your man in the hallway like that. What was it? And then. The way Logan's just like. Who? What? Who goes there. And he's just running. And it's like a maze. Like. It's so.

[00:47:55] It's so weird. And this whole scene. Could have given Storm. Three more lines. Instead. Yeah. Because. Right. Why? Why? I could just see Professor. Professor X. Just. Giggling. As he's doing this. Because. Why did you do that? Like. It's so unnecessary. So unnecessary. Like. It would have been like. Hey Logan. Just want to introduce myself. Don't be scared. You have my mansion. We cool. Right.

[00:48:25] You know. White party at three o'clock. Like. Something. Yeah. We wear uniforms. They're in the cabinet. To your left. Hope you love leather. We got lots of that. We automatically have your size. Don't worry. Next thing you know. Professor X. Got a mutant. Sweatshop in the back. Making other outfits. Because. Yeah. Why did they have.

[00:48:55] His size. Ridiculous. And. Is this. Is this the point where. He wakes up and. Jean is trying to put an IV in him. She's doing something. Yes. Because she's not medically licensed. I don't care what anybody said. She's just experimenting. Experimenting. Like. Just the way that she's doing stuff. Like. She's touching this man's body. In such a weird. Non-clinical way.

[00:49:25] It's giving. Happening. Like. Sensually. Rubbing his arm. Right. You know. In the first Captain America movie. Where. After he takes the serum. And the machine opens. And Peggy. Like. Involuntarily. Like. Touches his chest. Is like. Ooh. Like. The. The actress did that. By the way. Yes. Fucking hate her. Go ahead. Sorry. But it's giving that. Just like. I can't help myself. I need to touch it. Right. But literally. The way she. Like. You're putting an IV.

[00:49:55] Which is here. Yeah. Why are you here? Caressing. Like. What is this? No wonder he's like. Automatic. We about to go to. Right. It's like. When you approach a horse. From the rear. And you have to like. Put your hand on its butt. And guide it. So it knows you're there. Yeah. That's what it felt like. She's just like. Okay. I'm a coming. I'm a coming. And then. That's when. So. He's getting molested. By.

[00:50:25] Jean Grey. I don't blame. Wolverine at all. For his reaction. Right. He chokes her ass out. She's fucking got. Telepathy. Telekinesis. And she's like. Bitch. Blink your eyes. And he out. Like. What are you doing? Or can't she talk to him. And his brain. And be like. Hey. I'm trying to help you. Instead of trying to talk through your mouth. Literally.

[00:50:54] Any number of things. But then you see. Even before that happened. The way that. She had to focus. So hard. To bring the. The needle across. The room. She was like. I was. Oh. That's why she was fatigued. I was just. She had mental fatigue. Yeah. She had already. She had already used. You know. She could only use one. One. One little bit of her powers. Per scene. Okay. So. She was drained after that. She didn't faint. So. You know. That's progress.

[00:51:28] She was. Oh. Oh. Oh. Yeah. Crazy. So. We'll. We'll. Finds himself now. In professor. Xavier's. Office. Now. You see. All the kids. So. Now. We see. Supposedly. Jubilee. Because you see the yellow jacket. You see. Bobby. Iceman. Who is a. Teenager. Which. Is crazy. Because Bobby's one of the original X-Men. Like. Give me a fucking break. Brian Singer. And like you said. Kitty Pryde.

[00:51:59] Which. Then we find out. Elliot Page. Ends up playing. That character later. So. Not making sense. But okay. And another character. Pyro. That we see later. Recast. So yeah. Yeah. Oh. And another. Super fun fact. This. The mansion used. At the. Xavier school. Is the same. Mansion. As in. Billy Madison.

[00:52:29] Yeah. I think we talked about that. But I. Is it also. The mansion. From the mummy too. I feel like a lot of movies. Were filmed there. Because I remember us talking about it. In multiple episodes. It says. It's also the Luther mansion. In Smallville. And Queen mansion. In Arrow. Arrow. Oh. Okay. Oh wow. Yeah. That mansion gets around. It does. So. Now. Professor Xavier.

[00:52:59] Introduces himself. To Logan. And Logan's like. I'm not about this shit. But when Professor Xavier. Kind of just like. Gives a hint. That he knows. What. He's been through. What Wolverine's been through. A little bit. That kind of helps him. He also asks about like. What happened to Rogue. If she's okay. We meet Scott. And. So. Is he. This scene. Cracks me up so much. It's probably like. The only part of the movie. That I really laughed at. When he's like.

[00:53:29] So. Wait. Let me get this straight. You're Cyclops. Storm. What do they call you? Wheels. I mean. That. That. That made me laugh too. I cracked up too. Which. Also made me think about. Like. I feel like that was a. Funny way. But. I don't know if it was like. An ableist comment. But it was. Funny. Because everyone has. Like a moniker. Whatever. But then it got me thinking about. The. The.

[00:53:59] Commentary that's happening. About. Jasmine Crockett. Calling. What's his face. Hot wheels. Greg Abbott. Yeah. I just want to. Say. She pop. She made it popular. But people have been calling him. Hot wheels for years. I know. That's what everyone was saying. Like. She's just. It's not new. It's not new. Is it right? No. Like. Though. Because he's such an asshole. I get it. But I do love this scene. I do laugh.

[00:54:29] Because. He's. Valid point. Because how do you go from. Storm. Cyclops. To. Professor Xavier. Like. Why don't you have a mom. Why don't you have a name. That's just your title and your name sir. Right. And Jean Grey doesn't have one either. Except when she's the phoenix. Which again. Aliens. I said. I said. I said this on the bonus episode. That bitch doesn't naturally evolve.

[00:54:58] Into the phoenix. Okay. Don't let these movies misguide you. Aliens. Gave her their power. Or their. I don't even know what. What did you call it before? Supreme. Cosmic energy. Cosmic energy. And she's just. Powerful enough to. Withstand it and. And merge with it. Or whatever. But she. Doesn't naturally. Evolve to this. Right. Just gotta say that.

[00:55:28] And I was mad. I was mad. She came back in the room. You know. When they were. Naming everybody. And she just walks right past Wolverine. Like this dude just choked you out. I would have came in. And flung him across the room. Like don't ever put your hands on me. Like that again. Yeah. And that's why he thinks. He could be flirting with her. She kind of liked it. Yeah. And Scott. Is like. This my bitch. This is my bitch Scotty.

[00:55:59] Oh man. And then we also get. Some sort of conversation that. Professor X is. Is like kind of warning. Wolverine. That Magneto. Wants to use him. And to kind of. Stay away from him. Right. Yeah. Cause they're not like. They know Magneto's people came to. Attack. Rogue. And. Oh cause Sabertooth. Yes. Right. So they.

[00:56:28] So Professor Xavier. Kind of feels like. He's not sure. If it's actually. Wolverine that he's after. But to be safe. He's trying to keep. Both Rogue. And him. In the house. So that. He could. Figure out what the hell's going on. First. But I would be like. Like. Maybe it's just a brother spat. Like. Right. Why do I. I.

[00:56:56] Immediately associate that with Magneto. I know. Because there's loophole. Or flaws in this movie. But. Like. From a. Professor X perspective. And being able to see like. Wolverine's. Past. I'd be like. Oh. They're brothers. Maybe they'd just be fighting. I mean. I don't. Sorry. I was just gonna say. And. If he wanted to actually know. Like. We get it. He said. He said later in the movie. That okay. Magneto is shielding himself. From his powers.

[00:57:26] But Sabertooth. And the rest of them are not. So if you really wanted to know. What was going on. At any point. You could have read. Sabertooth's mind. One of his henchmen's minds. Figured out exactly. What the fucking plan was. Yeah. I just feel like. Professor X. Don't be getting in the field. That's a problem. I feel like. Sabertooth. And Toad. Really don't got much going on. And I feel like. A really good representation. Is if you watch the X-Men Evolution cartoon. Toad. Not so great. He's. Yeah. He's pretty dumb.

[00:57:57] Yeah. We need Mystique. In there. To like. Really. Understand what's going on. Because Xavier. Has to find that bitch. For a question. She managed to sneak it to the school. Right. But as for. Like. I don't think he can really read. Logan's memories. I feel like. Logan's mind. Is like. All jumbled up. So he can only pull pieces out. Because if he could. Then he would just tell him. This is your history. But he doesn't. Because he doesn't know. And I think. Also.

[00:58:27] This movie. Has historically shown. That Professor Xavier. Can't spot a brother. For nothing. Because his own stepbrother. Was in a fucking movie. Didn't acknowledge it. Correct. So. And we do get a next. The next scene. Is we are formally introduced. To Magneto's brotherhood. So Mystique. Sabertooth. Toad. And then he kind of hints. Or alludes to the fact. That like. Logan isn't. Who he's after.

[00:58:57] But we're still not. A hundred percent sure. Of like. What his plan is. Yeah. We do see. At the UN. When. Fake ass. Jane. Jean Grey. The MD. When she's speaking. That we see. Professor Xavier. And Magneto. Like engage. Or whatever. And. At one point. Wolverine does ask him. Like. Why can't you just read. Magneto's brain. He's like. I'm trying. But I can't. He's doing something. So.

[00:59:26] I'm guessing. That he hasn't established. That that man is wearing. That. That. That helmet. Helmet. And this also. Establishes for. Other people. To realize. That both. Eric. Who like. Professor Xavier. Is like one of the only people. Who calls him Eric. Magneto. That they have. A friendship. Because he establishes that. From. It. Is built. Eric helped build it. So we also learn that.

[00:59:55] Eric can be building shit. Cause. You're like. Wait a minute. How is he building this machine. To make people mutants. Eric is a fucking genius. Okay. Just want to let you know. So. Then we get the. The Senate. Meeting. Where we see. Senator Kelly. Is arguing. For the Mutant Registration Act. Where everyone's put on a list. If you were. Identified as a mutant. Because he claims that.

[01:00:26] Mutants are dangerous. And need to be controlled. Professor X. Is watching this. And like he. He has a concerned face. But. Not fucking concerned enough. Like. This is your whole. This is everyone you love. They're talking about. Not. He don't be getting in the field. He just sits there. In hopes. He just. He. I do believe. That his. Like you said. His privilege.

[01:00:56] Keeps him. But like. He really believes. The best. In people. And I don't think. There's anything wrong. With that. But. Significantly. What Eric. Is constantly saying. Is that historically. I've seen the worst. Of mankind. And what happens. When fear. And greed. Take over. And my dude. We are on the pipeline. Towards that. And we've. We can't. I'm sorry. Rainbows and butterfly time.

[01:01:26] Is fucking over. We've got to do things. To survive. And make sure. That we're not attacked. And guess what happened. And sentinels. All that shit. Starts happening. Yep. They could have stopped. All of this. But Magneto. Magneto's like. Hold my beer. Senator Kelly. Let's see. How you like it. And. Uses his new machine. And.

[01:01:56] Turn Senator Kelly. Into a mutant. It's like. Okay. You gonna. You gonna. Put yourself on. The registry now. Bitch. Right. But. Now. All of a sudden. He's got a whole new leaf on life. Yep. Because. He's scared. He shows up on this beach. This is the scene I was talking about. Where we get a Stan Lee cameo. He's fully naked in front of a bunch of children. Which I'm like. That's a weird. Thing. But also. Tracks.

[01:02:26] If you know the history. Of. The director. Right. So then. He. Instead of going to a hospital. He tells. Them. He goes to find. The X-Men. And say. I was afraid. That. People would treat me bad. That I wouldn't be taken care of. That. Whatever. Because. Really. Because you've done it. Yeah. And why. And why does he even know the location of this school? What did Professor X not say? Oh. To the. To everybody else.

[01:02:54] It's just a school for gifted youngsters. So how did this man know where to find this exact. Find a school. And knew that it was a mutant school. Because he's already on a list. Yeah. Because. He'd be working with the government. And stuff. So. Because. Charles. Is so. Gung-ho. On. Having everybody love him. Or whatever. Peace and hope baby. People of the world. All right. Make me a better place. They know. And you know.

[01:03:24] I'm sorry Charles. I was not scared. When. So. Eric says to him. What are you going to do. When they come one day. To come get your kids. And he's like. God help the people. Whoever come and try to get my kids. Yeah. I'm not scared. He tried to say. He tried to say. I pity the fool. Right. We don't. We don't take you seriously. No. I am not. I'm not scared. You know who I am scared of?

[01:03:54] Charles is. His child. Legion. Because that dude. Oh yeah. But that's a whole other story. Yeah. We can. We can also get into how. Charles Xavier. Is a deadbeat to his own children. Yes. I mean. He's a deadbeat to his own children. But you know. Fucking worst daddy of all time. I mean. I. He. He's not the worst. But he gives Magneto a run for his. Fucking money. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I do. So.

[01:04:24] No. Where are we? We're. We're back at. The school. And Logan's having a nightmare. And Rogue's trying to like. Wake him up. And he. He stabs her. Okay. This scene was uncomfortable. Yes. Because. Was. Was he screaming out? Like. If. Logan was making that much noise. I feel like the adults. Would have like. Come to his room. She's wearing like. This very.

[01:04:54] Weird. Nightgown. Gale. Like little kid. Nightgown. Yeah. And she. Is whispering. Instead of. And. She's like. In the bed with him. Instead of just standing. Yes. Over him. And saying. Logan. You alright? Like. Because you know this man has claws. Come on. So she's like. What's going on? This bitch wakes up in a sweat.

[01:05:24] And claws out. I wonder if his claws. Are out in the morning. Kind of like. How a guy's. Oh like a boner? In the morning. Yeah. Anywho. I can see that. His claws. His claws come out. And he stab a bitch. And knowing that. He healed. Like she just. He's. Still in her. I hate saying that.

[01:05:54] Terrible. But he just. His claws are just. There. Like he's not moving. She's like. Then he goes. Help. Help. Everybody comes in. The kids come in. Nobody thinks this scene. Is weird. Like. Right. If I was warm. Like. Why was. She in here. And. Rogue is like. It's an accident. Like. Because eventually. She goes to touch. His face. To take. His healing powers.

[01:06:24] But she's about to kill his ass. And that's what. Everybody comes in. I was like. So you didn't hear him. Like. Screaming. None of these telepaths. Heard shit. No warning signals. Happened. No one heard when she got stabbed. No one heard when he screamed help. But they came. When he did. Damn dear. Dead. Mm-hmm. I found that scene to be very suspicious as well. Yeah.

[01:06:54] It was. Weird. Yeah. And then. Jean Grey does allude that. Oh. It seems that she seems to be sweet on you. Or like. Has a crush. So I just feel like they went so out of their way. To make this. Relationship between Rogue and. And Wolverine. When there. It's not canon in the. The comic books at all. Yeah. It's just.

[01:07:23] Trying to make fetch happen. Right. Right. So. At this point. Rogue. Runs away. Because now. She thinks she's like. Killed Logan. Or almost killed Logan. By sucking his powers. And so. They have to go and search for her. They find her. At a train station. And. They didn't even try. They searched for her. Xavier is just kind of like.

[01:07:53] Oh. She's at the train station. Right? Like. Yeah. What ended up happening. Was. The reason she thinks that. Everyone's mad at her. Is because. Mystique. Pretends to be Bobby. And is like. Really mean to her. And tells her to leave. And then. She also. Sneaks in. To. To Rebham. To. Fuck up. The thing. To take out. Professor Xavier. Essentially. So she messes with that. But.

[01:08:23] He. I think she does that afterwards. Because he uses it first. To find out. Where she. Where Rogue is. Because she's run away. And Logan. Doesn't wait for all of them. He takes Scott's. Motorcycle. To go find her. Scott and. Storm were sent to go look. They get. Fucked up. And this is. Where. They had me. All fucked up. At this point.

[01:08:56] What do you mean. You knocking around. Storm. All the media. I've ever seen. I've never seen her. Get knocked around. So easily. Right. Like. By saber tooth. And toe. Give me a fucking break. Give me a fucking break. Yeah. She's at the bus station. With her horrible accent. Getting her two lines in. Asking. If they seen this girl. Scott ain't.

[01:09:25] Can't smell a clue. Is she. Yeah. Not a good look. And eventually. They. They track her down. To a train. And they knock. Oh. They dart her. Well. Knock her the fuck out. Yeah. Wolverine finds her. Has like a sweet. Moment with her. And they. This is when. We realize. Magneto does not. Want Wolverine. Which. Should have been a clue. Because it's like. What would he want. With him. That man offers. Nothing. But metal.

[01:09:54] He could just. Toss to the side. Like. He literally. Was recycling. Aluminum bins. Yeah. With Wolverine. And. He does. Dart robe. Because. Also. He knows how. Powerful. She is. Essentially. Yeah. And it's. It kind of. I don't. I don't get the science. Between her. Between what her powers. Is really supposed to do. For this machine though. Like.

[01:10:24] Eric. Eric is not trying to die. In this shit. Yeah. So. He wants her to have. His powers. To power up the machine. He knows this machine. Will kill him. So he's like. I'm gonna let this little girl. Do it. Because Eric. And shit. Yeah. But it's also so crazy. Knowing the relationship. That. That. Rogue. And Magneto. Have. The sexual relationship. They have.

[01:10:54] In the comic books. For this situation. To be happening. I'm just. It blows my mind. She's like. Eric is like. One of the only people. She can have. A relationship with. Physically. Mm-hmm. Brian Singer. So. Meanwhile. The. Senator Kelly. Arrives. At. The mansion. And.

[01:11:24] Jean Grey. Poking and prodding. Is like. Oh. His DNA. Is not holding together. Essentially. We're just gonna watch. Stand around. And watch this man die. Of course. Because. Yeah. Ain't got. No degree. If Beast was there. He would have said. Oh. We've got to stabilize. The DNA. And. Extract the mutant. Whatever. You know.

[01:11:54] Oh. This dummy. They were like. Jean Grey. Grey's Anatomy. Potato. It's fine. Like. I don't know. What to do. We just gonna watch it. Like. And. He just dissolves. Into water. And like. Just drips onto the floor. And then. Rogues. Or. Not Rogues. Storm. Storm's just. Kind of like. Oh. This is what she has to do. You're telling me.

[01:12:24] This badass bitch right here. Right here behind me. Uh huh. Had. Her. Had. Like. Twelve lines. Got knocked around by two. Underlings. And then had to hold. This racist ass. White man's hand. And watch him blob out. Like water. All over her. Like he was skeet skeeting his way. To heaven. Get the fuck out of here. Not the skeet skeet. To heaven Danielle.

[01:12:53] I'm just saying. It's disrespectful. Agreed. Ugh. So yeah. Magneto's master plan. Is revealed. He has hidden. His machine. In the torch. Of the statue. Of liberty. So it could be broadcast. Over. There's like a. A. Some sort of convention. Being held. With all these political leaders.

[01:13:22] And so he wants to get to. Mutinize everyone. Right. In New York. In New York. So now we're all just fighting in the Statue of Liberty. I do think it's so significant. That they did. That like. Eric is a scholar. Of history. History. And he talks about. How when he came over to this country. After the Holocaust. He came in through.

[01:13:52] You know. Ellis Island or whatever. Was it? Was it Ellis Island? He came through. There. And what dreams and hopes he had. Before. He came over. And then just understanding the history. Of the Statue of Liberty. Knowing that the French gave it to America. To represent. The struggles and the pain. Of black people. And was. She was supposed to have chains. I believe on her hands. And on her feet.

[01:14:22] And America was like. Nah. We can't do that. So they came to a compromise. To this day. She has chains at the bottom of her feet. But they changed the. To have her. You know. Not having it. On the top of her hands. Or whatever. And it took. It took scholars. To fight. To. To get that. As a part of. When you are. Taking the tour. Of the Statue of Liberty. So I thought that was. Very significant.

[01:14:51] I don't know. If even. Bryan Singer himself. Understood the significance. But I appreciated it. Did we miss the part. Where. Professor X. Had Sabertooth. Choking him. Choking Magneto. Oh. So. What. Yes. We did. You're right. This is the. Does that piss me off. Not getting in the field. Again. You tell us. What happens at this scene. What happens in the scene. So. So. Magneto.

[01:15:21] Has successfully. It seemed. Gotten rogue. And he's coming out. With. Toad and Sabertooth. Toad is holding rogue. And. Professor X. Is somewhere in a car. With Jean Grey. Uses his telepathy. To make Sabertooth. Like grab. Magneto's throat. And. Is too pussy. To pull the trigger. I mean. He didn't even have to kill him. He could have. Because people have been. Choked unconscious. Yeah. So I was just like. What.

[01:15:51] Like what was the point of this. Is. And. You could have made him. You could have had him. Take off his helmet. So that you could then. Get into his mind. Like there's so many options. So many options. And what does Jean Grey do? Like she could be taken out. All this. Like she could be taken out. Toad. While this is happening. Like. She's just sitting there. Looking at. The whole time. Just looking at. Professor Xavier. And so it gets to a point. Where. He is fighting with Magneto.

[01:16:19] Because Magneto has shot a gun now. And he's trying to stop. The bullet. From going into one person. And. And. Magneto's like. Well. You got a strength to do all of this. Actually. He does. Like. Charles Xavier. Has enough power. That he could have done all of that. He could have. Really. Had a fight. With. With that situation. But he. He gives up. And Jean Grey. Just fucking. Sitting there.

[01:16:49] When I tell you. This bitch. Did nothing. In this whole movie. It actually infuriates me more. How little she did. In comparison to. How much. Storm got rocked. Right. I just imagine her. Just like. Sitting next to him. Just like. Filing on her nails. Just like. Reading a book. She's just along for the ride. Like. She has no interest. Do it. Danielle. Do it.

[01:17:19] Burn book. Jean Grey. Is. A. Is. Is a. Is a. Useless. Unimportant. Unhealed. Cancer. You didn't use. Cunt this time. I'm proud of you. Cancer. Cunt.

[01:17:51] Cause. She gives me. Cunt. A cancer. Who's unhealed. As a cancer. I can give that shade. And I also need to write. Bryan Singer deserves. To. Have. Hot. Burning. Stones. Lodged. His.

[01:18:21] Rectum. Well done. Agreed on both fronts. So. Now. We're back at the mansion. Because we done lost Rogue. Wheels. Sorry. Professor Xavier. Gets fucked up. By Cerebrum. Because. Now it's been tampered with. And it's such a weird thing.

[01:18:50] Once again. Anybody can find this mansion. Right. Anybody can find this mansion. Mystique knows where it is. Senator Kelly knows where it is. He talks like this place is so safe. It's giving Hogwarts vibes. Everybody can seemingly. These kids are not safe here. The Hogwarts had charms at least. To protect them. He has no alarms going on. So. He. The thing that happens is. He puts on the helmet. Something. Something happens. And then.

[01:19:21] Somehow. He still has enough motor function. To hit his wheelchair thing. To turn. Like he's trying to go somewhere. But then falls out. And I was just like. What if. Like. Because. Cerebrum. It's like a. A walkway. A seemingly. A suspended walkway. Right. Yeah. To Cerebrum. Like. What would have happened. If he had like. Passed out. And like. Hit his joystick. And like.

[01:19:51] Just wheeled off. The edge of the walkway. Dead. Tragic. Because it's. Very. Risky game. Yeah. I know. With no walls. Or. Fences. Or anything. I don't understand it. And. And this also. Like. Without Beast. Being there. All the shit. In that place. Makes no sense. Because Beast. Is the one. That helps.

[01:20:22] Like. Craft this stuff. I don't know. If other people have. But like. It always just makes more sense. To me. And especially. Like. In. The prequels. We see. A lot of that more. Like. How. Caring he is. For. Professor Xavier. And like. Like. So. That element. Is just missing. Anywho. So now. This bitch in a coma. Then we got. Lack of MD. Over here. In charge.

[01:20:52] Of Charles. Like. I'm fearful. For his life. And she's too. Fucking chicken shit. To. Because like. Wolverine's like. Well. Why can't you go. In cerebral. And figure out. Where the fuck shit is. She goes and starts. Figure out. What was wrong with it. So she's able to fix it. Or whatever. So she's like. She's a mechanic. And an MD. She's able to figure it out. She's everything. Except a good telepath.

[01:21:23] Right. Or. Or. Or fighter. Apparently. She. So. Now she's like. Brave. All of a sudden. And she goes. Into cerebral. And Scott's like. Gene. No. You're not strong enough. She puts it on. And she's like. Oh. Oh. I'm so tired. Your eyebrows. Your eyebrows. Are doing the craziest things. Right.

[01:21:54] So. She's exerted herself. But she does know. Where they've taken her. So now. They're like. Off to the jet. Y'all. Let's get in uniform. Which. They haven't established. Like. That the weird thing. Is that someone. Called. Magneto calls them. The X-Men. Mm-hmm. But like. If they were. The X-Men. At this point. Where like. TV would see them. Like doing all this stuff. Wouldn't Wolverine have known. That they exist. Yeah.

[01:22:24] Well. I feel like Wolverine. Doesn't watch much TV. Yeah. I guess so. So. He spends enough time in the bars. Right. I guess so. Yeah. But. This is when. They make like. An outwardly. Notation. That. These are not. The costumes. That we see. In the comic books. They're not comic book accurate. We don't see the ones. That you see. And even in the cartoons. The yellow. Whatever. And so. Many people. Bitched. About that.

[01:22:53] That I think it wasn't until more. One of the more recent films. That they actually did the yellow. And Wolverine finally did his full yellow outfit. In Wolverine and Deadpool. This last summer. But. I would have preferred it. But I feel like. The 2000s was very leather. Like. We have to also remember that. This came out right after. We. We had the Matrix. Everybody was wearing leather. We had blade with leather.

[01:23:23] Underworld. Like. Everything was that. So. I get it. But. Well. And. And apparently. The leather costumes. Were so stiff. That for several takes. Nobody could go. Over a two-foot wall. In one scene. James Marsden. Quipped. You couldn't feel less. Like a superhero. In these costumes. So. Now. We are at.

[01:23:53] The Statue of Liberty. We have tracked. Rogue down. And now it's just. Fighting. Fighting. And then. Mystique is like. Is Mystique in there? She transformed. Into a mini version. Of the Statue of Liberty. And I was just like. She can do that? Like. I don't know if you caught that scene. Where like. It's a Statue of Liberty. And she's like a mini version of it. In the museum. Or wherever that they're at. Before they reach the top of the.

[01:24:22] Can she do. Inanimate acts. Objects as well? That's. That's what I was saying. Because they showed her yellow eyes. And she like. Looked around. After they walked past her. And I was like. She can do that? Yeah. So I don't know. Yeah. I. I didn't even realize. I love that Wolverine can sniffer. Right. Somebody is there. They do get attacked. Again. My girl. Freaking Storm. Gets knocked down. A fucking. Molly. Molly.

[01:24:52] Molly. Wopped. And. It's like. So disrespectful. Because toads should know. Stop fucking with my girl. What? You thought she was gonna die? A little tumble. Down the elevator shaft? I don't think so. Bruh. No. Well. You know what happens to to toads. When they get struck by lightning. The same as everything else. Before that. Before that too. Jesus. Such a terrible line.

[01:25:22] Before that. So. Toad comes through. And. You know. Kicks the shit out of Storm. And also. Jean Grey. And then. When he jumps at her. And Jean Grey just holds him in the air. For like. Ever. And you spits at him. And I'm just like. Girl. Do something. Slam him on the ground. Slam him against the wall. Like. What? You just gonna hold him there in the air? Like. She's so useless. She's not this. This bad in the comics. Or in the. In the cartoons. Like. This was epically ridiculous.

[01:25:51] At this point. Yeah. She. It was almost like a child. Just finding out they're mutants. And they just got trained. Like. Like. Right. Look what I can do. Right. So. So bad. And then the Wolverine's. Fight. With. Against himself. Essentially. Which is really. Mystique. Again. Wait. What are you doing Scott? Scott is not. Like. The problem is that they.

[01:26:21] Made all of. His powers. Just depending on his powers. Scott is a strategic. Leader. He knows how to fucking. Fight. As well. And the way. All he does. Is just. Put his finger on his temple. And it's just. Like. That's all he's doing. I'm like. This is not Scott Summers. This is horrible. And the way he just. Stands there. With his eyes closed. After his glasses get removed. And then like. Is it Gene. Who has. Who has to be the one.

[01:26:51] Be like. Okay. Scott. Now. Like. Right. We can't be doing anything else. Right now. Scott. Like. Might as well. Call him motherfucking. Thomas J. Where's his glasses? He needs his glasses. Can't see without his glasses. Because. It's like. Why is that the only thing. That you can do. Against him. Is take his fucking glasses. Yeah. It's wild. I. So. I was. Physically unwell.

[01:27:22] Watching this movie. I will say. Cyclops got some redemption. With me. From the X-Men 97 cartoon. He was way cooler. The. The reboot. They made. They really. Fleshed his character out a lot more. And really showed his prowess as a leader. And him doing cool stuff. In the newer reboot cartoon. And I was like. You know what? Hell yeah. Scott. They needed to. And they also. They gave him redemption. They also played down. What a bitch ass he was.

[01:27:52] About his cheating. And the whole Madeline thing. With Jean Grey. Like. Yeah. That shit is fucked. And Cable deserves to hate his daddy. Every day. If you want to talk about bad father. Yeah. Right there. But yeah. They. They definitely redeemed him. And showed him more. Fleshed out. They did everybody justice. That storm. When she. She got her powers back.

[01:28:21] But was not believing in herself. So that they really weren't there. And she had to go through that ordeal. To remember who the fuck she was. I fucking cried. It was so good. I think after this. I will rewatch that episode. It was so good. It was. If you have not watched X-Men 97. What are you doing with your life? That's all I got to say. So good. Better than this shit. The palette cleans up.

[01:28:51] Well let's. Let's bring it home. So Sabertooth. It gets thrown off the Statue of Liberty. Everyone's fighting. Magneto immobilizes everyone. Makes Rogue do the. The power thing. Which also explains her white hair. Question mark. Jesus Christ. She's seen death Danielle. Yeah. But wouldn't Wolverine. And.

[01:29:20] The make out boy. Have the same thing. Right. So. Wolverine. Finally. Breaks free. By essentially like. Cutting himself. To tear himself away from the metal. And climbs to the top. And is able to destroy. The device. And he makes the choice. To touch. Rogue. So he. Transfers his healing powers. To her.

[01:29:51] I don't remember where Magneto goes. Oh. Cyclops eventually shoots him. Oh thank you. Because he. Because. Yeah. Open your eyes. Yeah. Yeah. Because. He was. He was like stopping. Wolverine from destroying the machine. And then. Scott. After. 99 hours. Was like. I think I have a shot. I'm gonna take it. Like. Magneto has been standing still there. This whole time. Like. I get you couldn't shoot. You couldn't shoot the machine. Yeah. I get you couldn't shoot the machine.

[01:30:21] Because you were afraid. You might hit her. But Magneto was right. There. So. Just. So you know. The rogue's white streaks in her hair. Are a result of her mutant power. And her ability to absorb memories abilities. And life force of anyone she touches. The white streaks are a physical manifestation of her powers. As a result of her absorbing the powers and memories. Of the first person she ever touched. Which was the villainous Miss Marvel. A.K. Carol Danvers. In the comics. Rogue's power.

[01:30:51] Caused her to permanently absorb. A portion of Miss Marvel's powers. Including her superhuman strength. Durability. And flight abilities. The white streaks in rogue's hair. Are part of her appearance. Ever since. And they have become a defining feature of her appearance. Interesting. Well. In the aftermath. We see Magneto. Magneto is now imprisoned. In a plastic cell.

[01:31:19] But he and Xavier are still buddies. We play chess together. We have combos. We kiki. You just have to be imprisoned. In like this cell. And like everything is acrylic. Or plastic. With a retractable bridge. So. You can't go anywhere. You know what? Professor Xavier. Is. How I feel about Superman. And Magneto. Is Batman.

[01:31:48] Because Batman is always thinking ahead. Dead. And Superman. Superman. Is kind of like. Oh. Shook. So. You know. I'll figure it out. I'm not saying that Clark is not smart. He'd just be doing dumb shit. And he does. He's not proactive. At all. Not in the slightest. This. And. I just feel like. If it was. Reverse. Magneto would have had. A solution. To make sure. Like his helmet. That Eric wasn't going to stand.

[01:32:18] In his fucking way about shit. Yep. And I feel like Eric. I mean. Charles should have some sort of plan. Knowing. That he told him. Told him. I'm not going to be in this. How long you got me in this plastic toy house for? You think I'm going to stay here forever? Right. Like I could take. The iron. Turn out of the human's blood. There is metal. In everything. I can. Take it out of the atmosphere. Like stop. Playing with your boy. Okay. And that's.

[01:32:48] Literally what happens in the next movie. That's how he escapes. And then. Our final scene. Is. Professor X. Gives Logan. Some clues to. About his past. So Logan goes to search. On a. On a quest. To find his origin. On the same spaces. The vague. The vaguest of clues. As far as I'm concerned. Like. You're supposed.

[01:33:17] Like you're supposed to be. The world's best telepath. Why. Why were you not able to. Give him more than that. Yeah. And then. Rogue's like. This. This school seems safe. I'm going to stay here. And that is. X-Men. I would like. Compensation. For my distress. For the last. 25. Fucking. Years. Yep.

[01:33:47] PTSD. I'm just. Tonight. Me and my girl. We gonna sleep. And say. Affirmations. Together. Together. Because she was done wrong. And let us hope. That. She gets the redemption. That she deserves. Yes. Well. And then. Additional fun facts. Hugh Jackman. Took ice cold showers. Every morning.

[01:34:17] Of filming. In order to help get in character. This tradition. Started when jumping into the shower. At 5 a.m. Before realizing. There was no hot water. Shocked awake. But not. Wanting to wake. His sleeping wife. He gritted his teeth. And bore it. Before realizing. That this mindset. Wanting to scream. And lash out at something. But having to hold it in. Was the mentality. That Wolverine. Is inconsistently. Or constantly. He then made cold showers. His Wolverine. Preparation routine. For each movie.

[01:34:46] Featuring the character. This. Motherfucker. Bryan Singer. Turned down this movie. Three. Times. Believing that. Comic books. Were unintelligent. Literature. Who was offering this. To him. Three times. However. Exactly. After reading. The X-Men comics. You know. He just skimmed it. And watching. X-Men. 92.

[01:35:16] He found. The story. Themes of prejudice. And discrimination. Compelling. And finally. Agreed to do. The live action movie. I want to go back. Like. If there's. It's going to be times. For me to get back. In a time machine. I'm going back. To slavery. I'm going. Back. To this. Situation. Right here. And murking. In this. Motherfucker. And. Like I said.

[01:35:45] All of these. Movies. Well. I didn't say it on here. But on our bonus episode. I talked about how. Most of these movies. Had. Some. Basis. In. One of the comic books. X-Men. Is the. Other. Okay. This is the only. Main X-Men movie. Other than. X-Men. First Class. That was not based. On a specific. Comic book story. But it bears. Like. It bears no resemblance. To anything. Really.

[01:36:16] So. But. X. X2. Was based off. God Loves. Man Kills. By Chris Claremont. And Brent Anderson. Then you have. X-Men. The Last Stand. The Dark Phoenix Saga. And Gifted. Then you have. X-Men Days. A Future Past. Which is based on. Days of Future Past. X-Men Apocalypse. Is on. The Fall of the Mutants. And X-Men Dark Phoenix. Is on the Dark Phoenix. Saga. So like. Everything is based on. Something. Logan. Was the old man. Logan.

[01:36:46] I don't know. Like Jackie said. This one was just. Vibes. Let's see what happens. Returning back to Mystique. We talk about her. In the bonus episode. But. This. Hurts. Hurts my soul. So. I'm going to do this in two parts. So. Rebecca Remain's makeup. Consisted of. 110 custom design prosthesis. Which covered 60% of her body.

[01:37:14] And took nine hours to apply. She could not drink wine. Use skin creams. Nor fly the day before filming. Because it could have caused her body chemistry. To change slightly. Causing the prosthetics to fall off. In conjunction with this. She said. In order to keep her look a secret. She had to sit in an isolated. Windowless room. When not required for shooting. I had almost no contact with the rest of the cast.

[01:37:43] It was like I was making a different movie from everyone else. It was hell. What in the actual fuck. Is crazy. Just for her to be what I'm sure was criminally underpaid. Right. I'm sure.

[01:38:14] You see any. You want to say. Patrice. Yeah. Neither Sir Patrick Stewart. Nor Sir Ian McKellen. Knew how to play chess during filming. A chess master came in to teach them. I thought that was interesting. I feel like. British men of their stature. Are like born knowing how to play chess. Yeah. Like it just feels like that would be something. That they would know how to do. I don't know. Oakley Glasses. Who manufactured the custom spec. Cyclops.

[01:38:43] Played by James Marsden. Wears in the movie. Gave Marsden a lifetime supply of sunglasses. As they should. Bitch kept losing them. Bryan Singer had one of his stuntmen. Scott Leva. Leva. Dress in a Spider-Man suit. And confront James Marsden. Famke Jansen and Halle Berry on set one day. As a joke. Leva had actually dressed up. In an identical Spider-Man costume. Once before.

[01:39:12] For Marvel comic books in 1985. For the cover of the amazing Spider-Man comic book. It's supposedly an outtake. Where Spider-Man realizes that he's in the wrong movie. So you can see this Easter egg on the DVD. The first edition. What else do we got? After the movie was completed. The wheelchair that Professor Xavier used was sold in an auction to Sir Patrick Stewart's attorney.

[01:39:41] To Sir Patrick Stewart's attorney. And then rented back by the production company for X2 X-Men United. Most of the eye effects were achieved by the actors and actresses wearing special contact lenses. The cast hated this shit. It was uncomfortable and dangerous to wear. Rebecca Romijn said she could only wear her mystique lenses for an hour at a time.

[01:40:10] And had only 10% vision. This gets worse and worse for her. Tyler Maine said that he kept his saber-toothed lenses in for too long and ended up temporarily blinded for a day. And Halle Berry wore her opaque white storm lenses only once. Found them unbearable and insisted she have CGI for her eyes. As they all should have. Yeah. Right. The hell.

[01:40:37] I will note that the CGI for being 25 years old wasn't terrible. No. And to celebrate her last day on set, Rebecca Romijn brought in a bottle of tequila. Which she gave to her fellow cast and crew during a break in filming. Unfortunately, that day she happened to be filming the Wolverine and Mystique fight scene. And she threw up blue colored vomit from the chemicals in her makeup all over Hugh Jackman.

[01:41:04] I feel like that's symbolic of experiencing this. Yes. Well, before we get into readings. Please be sure to check us out at NoMoreLateFees on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and threads. If you have any opinions, hot takes, you disagree, whatever. Or leave comments on Spotify if you listen there.

[01:41:30] Patrice, why don't you tell everybody where they can find you and interact with your commentary on your favorite movies, TV, dating, life, whatever. So you guys can find me mainly on Instagram and threads at Empress Akilah, E-M-P-R-E-S-S underscore Akilah, A-K-I-L-A-H. I'm on Facebook also as Patrice Akilah. And you can follow me and my goofiness and engage.

[01:42:00] All right. Let's get into present day ratings. Patrice, now 25 years later, what is your rating of X-Men from 2000? It's the same. Same day. Same day rental. Trash. Messora. Jackie? 10 out of 10 would not recommend. I'm going same. I don't know.

[01:42:29] I don't know. Okay. Does, do I hate the director more than life itself? Yes. Is the writing not great? Yes. CGI is pretty good. It's, I don't know what to say. Like, in the beginning of the movie, I wasn't so angry. But then they started.

[01:42:59] That's the same thing. That was the same thing that happened to me when it started. I was just like, you know, maybe this isn't as bad as I remember it. Yeah. It was like, oh, okay. Yeah. Nevermind. You know what? Fuck it. I don't know who I'm trying to protect. Same day rental. Like, I don't even own it anymore. So. Well, if you have opinions of X-Men, please hit us up at our quick drop. 909-601-6653.

[01:43:25] You can twat us at the Twitters, hem us at the threads, butterfly in the sky, blue skies, and you could be featured on a future episode. And join us next week as we celebrate five years of no more leafies with the 30th anniversary of Clueless. I love whenever I do this section. Jackie always makes a face. But when I. And then you cover it up. I cover it up. Because. Yeah.

[01:43:56] Because. Well, Patrice, it was a ride and we are so happy you were on this train with us. I still feel like I could do four more episodes. I'm sure you could. How angry I am about this movie. And I think X2 is the only other movie we have after this because The Last Dance came out outside of our time period.

[01:44:26] Do I get to come back? Of course. Yeah. Because that one makes me even angrier. That one makes my ass itch. Horde. And with that, be kind and rewind. Yeah.