Iman Vellani wants everyone to know why X-Men: The Last Stand "failed"
In the “Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday Official Podcast,” the Ms. Marvel star dissected why The Last Stand flopped, pointing to the decision to kill off James Marsden’s Scott Summers within the opening ten minutes. By stripping Cyclops—Jean Grey’s pivotal love interest—from the narrative before the Phoenix arc even begins, the movie lost the relational stakes that give the comic’s tragedy its weight. Vellani also slammed the film’s compression of the multi‑issue Dark Phoenix storyline into a single, “Cure‑centric” plot, calling the result “reductive” and noting that the movie earned a meager 2.5 rating on Letterboxd, far below the modest 3.5 of the original 2000 X‑Men.
The criticism lands amid a broader reassessment of Fox’s X‑Men library as Marvel Studios prepares to integrate the mutant franchise into the MCU. Industry observers have long noted that the Fox era suffered from fragmented storytelling, with each installment trying to resolve sprawling comic arcs in a two‑hour format. Vellani’s call for a three‑or‑four‑movie treatment mirrors the MCU’s proven model of multi‑film arcs, as seen with Infinity Saga and the upcoming “Doomsday” crossover. The podcast’s focus on the Phoenix saga also highlights a persistent fan desire to finally see a faithful, high‑budget adaptation—something Disney+ is poised to attempt with the upcoming “Dark Phoenix” series, potentially correcting the missteps Fox made.
Looking ahead, the conversation suggests that Marvel Studios will likely prioritize deeper character development and longer narrative windows for complex comic material. If Disney proceeds with a multi‑film or serialized approach to the Phoenix saga, it could set a new benchmark for adapting dense comic storylines, but it also raises budget and scheduling pressures. Watch for casting decisions that retain the Cyclops‑Jean dynamic and for how early‑stage MCU cross‑overs will weave mutant lore into the broader continuity, as missteps could repeat the same emotional disconnect Vellani highlighted.
Key Takeaways
Vellani argues that killing Cyclops early removed the emotional anchor needed for the Dark Phoenix tragedy.
She contends that compressing a multi‑issue saga into one film made the story feel shallow, reflected in the film’s low 2.5 Letterboxd rating.
The critique underscores a pattern in Fox’s X‑Men movies of sacrificing depth for brevity, a flaw Marvel Studios may avoid with longer‑form storytelling.
Future MCU mutant projects will be judged on whether they give the Phoenix arc the narrative space Vellani says it deserves.
About the Source
This analysis is based on reporting by GamesRadar. Here is a short excerpt for context:
Iman Vellani voices her displeasure over the third X-Men movieRead the original at GamesRadar
