DARK PHOENIX Concept Art Shows Jean Grey Looking An Awful Lot Like Captain Marvel

We've heard rumblings that one of the reasons Dark Phoenix underwent reshoots was because the finale was too similar to Captain Marvel, and this concept art may very well confirm that. Take a look...

By JoshWilding - Jun 25, 2019 09:06 AM EST

Filed Under: Dark Phoenix

Dark Phoenix has been a colossal failure, and at least some of that can be blamed on the extensive reshoots which completely changed the final act. We've heard conflicting reports about why they were ordered, but most seem to agree that it boiled down to Jean Grey looking too much like Brie Larson's Captain Marvel in the Marvel Studios movie.

It was hard not to notice the changes Jean went through from the initial teaser images and trailer to the final movie, which dialled down the fire effects and just put some cracks on her skin.

Now, as you can see below, it seems as if it was always the plan for Jean to have a fiery final look, and while it was obviously a coincidence, the similarities between her and Carol Danvers' Binary form are impossible to miss. That would explain why Fox decided to make some changes, especially when Dark Phoenix was delayed until after Captain Marvel arrived in theaters.

The final act was also supposed to take place in outer space, which would have been way more epic.

Check out the concept art below:

View this post on Instagram

Jean Grey (@sophiet) Blasting Off into Space. This shot for the final sequence was changed a bit in the released film. More concept art from @darkphoenixmovie2019 to come! #xmen #jeangrey #sophieturner #marvel #fox #phoenix #art #illustration #fire #conceptart

A post shared by Houston Sharp (@houstonsharp) on
Jun 23, 2019 at 7:22am PDT

Hit the "View List" button below for more details on Dark Phoenix's original ending!

The Skrulls Were Meant To Appear

The D'Bari are revealed to be Dark Phoenix's alien villains and Jessica Chastain is named as Vuk, an extremely obscure character from the comic books. That wasn't always going to be the case, though, and Tye Sheridan confessed that the movie's original ending would have featured Cyclops battling an army of Skrulls at the United Nations.

This explains how the villains were able to shapeshift, and common sense says that reshoots saw them become the D'Bari because the delayed release date meant Fox wouldn't be able to beat Captain Marvel to the punch.

After all, there have already been rumblings that the Marvel Studios movie led to the final act being changed (more on that later) so the last thing Fox would have wanted would be to face criticisms for using an inferior version of the Skrulls, as critics would not have shied away from taking aim at them for failing to live up to what had come before.

It Was Meant To Be A Two-Parter

Quite some time ago, Olivia Munn revealed that Dark Phoenix was being written as a two-parter. Well, it turns out that was true, but Fox balked at the idea and instead asked Simon Kinberg to rewrite it as just the one movie. A specific reason for that has not been revealed, but what could have been Fox's answer to Infinity War became a less than two-hour epic disappointment.

There's nothing to say the movie would have been any better had to played out across two movies rather than one, but it would have given Kinberg the opportunity to tell a larger, epic tale.

Chances are Fox simply didn't have faith in a first-time director to shoot two movies back to back, especially as previous instalments of the X-Men franchise have been plagued by problems behind the scenes which have only just now started coming to light. We'll touch on those a little later, though.

A Completely Different Ending

It wasn't just the inclusion of the Skrulls that would have given Dark Phoenix a completely different ending. As we mentioned above, the final act was originally set to take place at the UN rather than on a train and that entire sequence was actually the result of reshoots. The original ending was going to put the focus on Scott Summers, Jean Grey, and Professor X as they battled the aliens.

We don't know what that would have meant for the other characters, but test audiences reportedly rejected this version and made it clear they wanted to see the X-Men in action. Either way, things would have wrapped up in a similar fashion, as Jean was always going to take Vuk into outer space.

James Cameron Convinced Fox To Change The Release Date

Dark Phoenix was not meant to be a summer blockbuster, hence why it originally took aim at November and February release dates. Why was it released in June? Well, blame James Cameron.

Just two days after a new trailer was released touting Dark Phoenix's February 14th release date, Fox announced that it had been pushed back to June. That was a result of Cameron (a valuable asset to Fox) pushing for Alita: Battle Angel to be moved from a crowded December to that February slot in order to give it a better chance of success.

Despite pleas from Kinberg, producer Hutch Parker, and Fox's Emma Watts not to do it, Stacey Snider gave in to the filmmaker's demands. Alita still bombed when it arrived in theaters.

It's Going To Make A Huge Loss At The Box Office

Dark Phoenix debuted with $140 million at the worldwide box office, a significant drop from Days of Future Past's $262.9 million and a notable decline compared to Apocalypse's $166.6 million.

With a budget of $350 million (those reshoots weren't cheap), Dark Phoenix looks set to lose at least $100 million - $120 million for the now Fox-owned Disney. However, that's only if it meets $300 million - $325 million estimates and some analysts believe it could go as low as $285 million.

If Fox still owned the X-Men franchise, they would surely be turning to Marvel Studios for help!

Behind The Scenes Chaos

One big question fans have been asking since Dark Phoenix's release was why Simon Kinberg was chosen to take the helm of a big budget blockbuster when he had no prior filmmaking experience.

Well, a number of reliable outlets have confirmed that when Bryan Singer went M.I.A. on the set of Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, it was Kinberg who took control of things and that impressed the cast enough that they pushed for him to do the same with Dark Phoenix.

It's also finally been confirmed that he shot Fantastic Four's disastrous reshoots.

Constant Rewrites

In what must have seemed like a fairly innocent remark when she made it, Sophie Turner revealed in an interview that rewrites were a daily occurrence. In fact, the actress - who has no prior experience as a writer - would often help with the script, and, well, it's no wonder the story ended up being a complete mess.

We're not laying the blame at Turner's feet, but any movie that's being rewritten while shooting is taking place will have the odds stacked against it, and it takes a far more capable filmmaker than Kinberg to make that work. We've also heard that Fox regretted not keeping a closer eye on him during principal photography, and they soon realised that the movie was going off the rails it seems.

Captain Marvel Comparisons

Late last week, we heard that a big chunk of Dark Phoenix was changed because of similarities to Captain Marvel. Since then, some sites have said that is the case while others have claimed Fox had no prior knowledge of what was to come in the Marvel Studios movie. Ultimately, it seems as if the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

When Kinberg and company saw the Skrulls in the trailers for Captain Marvel, they must have thought better than to do the same, and as for why Jean Grey's appearance was so greatly changed, we can probably put that down to worries about comparisons to Carol Danvers' Binary form.

As for rumblings that Jean no longer blew up a number of spaceships as the Phoenix because of the Marvel Studios movie, that seems harder to believe as there is no way that Fox could have known what was going to happen in the closing moments of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's movie.

Simon Kinberg Didn't Direct The Movie's Best Scene

Say what you will about Dark Phoenix, but that action-packed train sequence was pretty awesome. Well, Simon Kinberg was not responsible for that because it was actually stunt co-ordinator Bryan Smrz (Iron Man 3) who shot it. That's confirmed in the movie's credits, and a recent report reveals that additional photography took place at the same time a second unit worked on that scene.

As a result, it's hard to say what we have Kinberg to thank for beyond a bad movie.

Will he get more work in Hollywood moving forward? Well, he's attached to a project with Jessica Chastain but it wouldn't be at all surprising if some big changes are made after this collaboration!

Lauren Shuler Donner Disowns Dark Phoenix

Last weekend, longtime X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner sent out a Tweet in which she disowned Dark Phoenix and made it clear that she had nothing to do with Apocalypse or The New Mutants, either. At first, it seemed like she was pulling a Josh Trank, but then a few more details emerged.

After "creative differences" on Days of Future Past, she actually left the franchise altogether and has had nothing to do with the likes of Deadpool, Logan, or Deadpool 2. The only reason she received a producer credit on those movies is down to some pretty generous contract terms, so it's no wonder that her big plans for Gambit never ended up coming to fruition.

However, this still generated even more negative publicity for Dark Phoenix during its opening weekend.

Continue reading below to see how the X-Men movies have fared on Rotten Tomatoes!

X-Men (2000)

Critics Score: 81%

Audience Score: 83%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Faithful to the comics and filled with action, X-Men brings a crowded slate of classic Marvel characters to the screen with a talented ensemble cast and surprisingly sharp narrative focus.

X-2: X-Men United (2003)

Critics Score: 85%

Audience Score: 85%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Tightly scripted, solidly acted, and impressively ambitious, X2: X-Men United is bigger and better than its predecessor -- and a benchmark for comic sequels in general.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Critics Score: 58%

Audience Score: 61%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: X-Men: The Last Stand provides plenty of mutant action for fans of the franchise, even if it does so at the expense of its predecessors' deeper character moments.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Critics Score: 37%

Audience Score: 58%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: Though Hugh Jackman gives his all, he can't help X-Men Origins: Wolverine overcome a cliche-ridden script and familiar narrative.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Critics Score: 86%

Audience Score: 87%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise.

The Wolverine (2013)

Critics Score: 71%

Audience Score: 69%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)

Critics Score: 90%

Audience Score: 91%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: X-Men: Days of Future Past combines the best elements of the series to produce a satisfyingly fast-paced outing that ranks among the franchise's finest installments.

Deadpool (2016)

Critics Score: 84%

Audience Score: 90%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Fast, funny, and gleefully profane, the fourth-wall-busting Deadpool subverts superhero film formula with wildly entertaining -- and decidedly non-family-friendly -- results.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Critics Score: 47%

Audience Score: 65%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: Overloaded action and a cliched villain take the focus away from otherwise strong performers and resonant themes, making X-Men: Apocalypse a middling chapter of the venerable superhero franchise.

Logan (2017)

Critics Score: 93%

Audience Score: 90%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Hugh Jackman makes the most of his final outing as Wolverine with a gritty, nuanced performance in a violent but surprisingly thoughtful superhero action film that defies genre conventions.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Critics Score: 83%

Audience Score: 85%

Certified Fresh? Yes

Critics Consensus: Though it threatens to buckle under the weight of its meta gags, Deadpool 2 is a gory, gleeful lampoon of the superhero genre buoyed by Ryan Reynolds' undeniable charm.

Once Upon A Deadpool (2018)

Critics Score: 51%

Audience Score: 50%

Certified Fresh? No

Critics Consensus: Once Upon a Deadpool retains enough of the franchise's anarchic spirit to entertain, but doesn't add enough to Deadpool 2 to justify its own existence.

Dark Phoenix (2019)

Critics Score: 23%

Audience Score: TBA

Certified Fresh? N/A

Critics Consensus: Dark Phoenix ends an era of the X-Men franchise by taking a second stab at adapting a classic comics arc -- with deeply disappointing results.

How They Stack Up

13. Dark Phoenix
12. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
11. X-Men: Apocalypse
10. Once Upon A Deadpool
9. X-Men: The Last Stand
8. The Wolverine
7. X-Men 6. Deadpool 2
5. Deadpool
4. X2: X-Men United
3. X-Men: First Class
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
1. Logan

Simon Kinberg Reflects On How To Properly Tell The DARK PHOENIX Saga For Film Or Television

Recommended For You:

DARK PHOENIX Star Jessica Chastain Hopes To Play A More Established Comic Book Villain Next Time

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Do you have what it takes to write for us?

Want to contribute?

92 Comments

1 2 3

WakandanQueen - 6/25/2019, 9:37 AM

GhostDog - 6/25/2019, 9:39 AM

There's a way around her looking like Cap Marvel. I will say they don't look that similar imo, as Carol is bursting with cosmic energy while Jean is bursting with psychic flames.

Put more emphasis on the fact that Jean is emanating flames and there's no issue

storyteller - 6/25/2019, 10:22 AM

@BlackBeltJones - The problem that that distinction is that there isn't one. I've never seen what psychic fire or cosmic energy looks like. I've seen what rain looks like and what fire looks like.

Captain Marvel in the MCU looks like she's on fire. So saying Jean needs to look more like fire doesn't help. I think in this case they need to look at fiction depictions of energy. The fire could look like that from a distance but close up it could have a different texture and weight. Maybe it looks more like ocean waves crashing against the shore with the texture of sand/dirt.

CGI has gotten really good at making fire that when everything looks like fire, nothing looks unique.

GhostDog - 6/25/2019, 10:41 AM

@storyteller - I think the distinction could be made. The ocean waves thing you mention, go with that but with fire. As much as you can.

Then again...

I thought Hellboy did a fine job with it

Spock0Clock - 6/25/2019, 11:56 AM

@storyteller - (While you're certainly not wrong in the broad strokes of your argument: a lot of CG energy and particle effects are hard to parse...) Captain Marvel's energy very specifically looks like plasma in magnetic fields.

And there are little quirks like the power lines frying out when she flew over them that make her distinct.

And Jean's powers were depicted as effectively pink fire (which I think was totally fine, for the record). But a lot of these particle systems are built around the same computer architecture, so it's very easy to get effects that are very samey.

The X-2 Nightcrawler bamfing is a good example. While it was a very good effect for the time, it was ultimately a very generic effect compared to the actual logic of the ability. When he teleported, his body essentially blended into the smoke, and the smoke disappeared after a split second. How much more distinct would he look if the smoke was more like a pocket of air that traveled with him and lingered a bit afterward, like the smell supposedly does. (That's not to shit on X-2, either. It was remarkable for its time and still looks cool.)

I thought the one saving grace of Dark Phoenix was that the effects (for the first time in a long time for this franchise) actually looked half decent. Granted, they were relatively few and I was watching a cam-rip, but still from what I could tell it looked good.

Origame - 6/25/2019, 12:12 PM

@BlackBeltJones - but in hellboy liz is pyrokinetic. So it was literally fire. Here its not supposed to be fire but psychic energy that looks like fire.

GhostDog - 6/25/2019, 12:22 PM

@Origame - "psychic energy that looks like fire."

If they have to lean into the "looks like fire part" to make the distinction then so be it imo. As a kid reading it, I understood it was psychic energy but the fact that it looked basically the same as fire was cool to me.

Origame - 6/25/2019, 12:26 PM

@BlackBeltJones - idk, part of the fun of adapting these is giving them a unique spin that makes sense. Like captain americas costume going from spandex to a colored military outfit. And we've seen fire surrounding people so many times before.

Nightwing1015 - 6/25/2019, 9:40 AM

I actually thought the film was decent. There've been worse X-Men films. But I'm not familiar with the comic storyline so maybe I'm not judging it the same way others on here are.

TRexx21 - 6/25/2019, 10:06 AM

@Nightwing1015 - It really wasn't that bad, definitely could've been better and more comic accurate, but overall I was surprisingly pleased with the movie. Certainly wasn't the worst one.

L0RDbuckethead - 6/25/2019, 9:41 AM

Looks like Captain Marvel? Nah.

To me, Jean Grey looks more like this:

Feralwookiee - 6/25/2019, 9:50 AM

@L0RDbuckethead - Don't insult dumpster fires like that! 😁

Oberlin4Prez - 6/25/2019, 9:41 AM

Both movies sucked. One just happens to belong to a far more successful franchise.

WakandanQueen - 6/25/2019, 9:43 AM

@Oberlin4Prez - "One just happens to belong to a far more successful franchise."
It also happened to be well liked.

Oberlin4Prez - 6/25/2019, 9:47 AM

@WakandanQueen - there are a plethora of movies that are "well liked", it doesn't make them good or ground breaking.

Oberlin4Prez - 6/25/2019, 10:01 AM

@WakandanQueen - Oh, I'm not doubting Captain Marvel had a higher likeability factor. But I'm also not denying the overall success of the MCU as a brand and the fact that Kevin Feoge lied when he said that Captain Marvel was a key component to Endgame as two key factors in it's success either. The truth of the matter is, if Captain Marvel wasn't apart of the MCU as it stands today, and if Kevin Feige hadn't made it seem as if missing the movie meant missing out on some key element for Endgame, I do not believe it would have been anywhere near as successful as it was. But hey, that's the game they played and they won. I know I payed to see it, but it garnered no relevant information about what would take place in Endgame. And while I "liked" the movie well enough, it's certainly not on the same level of other MCU films like Iron Man, Captain America 2&3, GOTG, and Ragnarok.

Kman - 6/25/2019, 10:05 AM

@Oberlin4Prez - how can you '"like" the movie well enough' and also say it sucked?

SuperManes - 6/25/2019, 10:05 AM

@Oberlin4Prez -
A G R E E D

TRexx21 - 6/25/2019, 10:07 AM

@Oberlin4Prez - So who's the judge of what makes a movie "good or ground breaking" if it's NOT the audience??

Oberlin4Prez - 6/25/2019, 10:09 AM

@Kman - I'm basing it's suckage on the fact that it did nothing new or original, and for all the hype (positive or negative) surrounding the movie, it's just meh, and in the internet world "meh" means it's the worst thing ever. But I didn't hate it. I didn't hate Dark Phoenix either, I just found them both tedious and by the numbers. Captain Marvel maybe did it a little bit better.

WakandanQueen - 6/25/2019, 10:11 AM

@Oberlin4Prez - Part of the point of having a successful shared cinematic universe is to guarantee the success of the films set within it. None of the MCU films coming out now, Endgame included, would have been as successful as they are without this connection. Feige hyping up Carol was a marketing tactic and that's also fair. Point is, Captain Marvel far exceeded the amount of success it should have had due to its MCU connection and even due to being this missing key for Endgame, most likely because of the positive word of mouth. I don't think not being on the same level as Iron Man, Cap 1 & 2, GOTG & Ragnarok means a film "sucks".

Kman - 6/25/2019, 10:13 AM

@Oberlin4Prez - So basically we now set unrealistic expectations for these movies that can likely never be obtained.

Oberlin4Prez - 6/25/2019, 10:27 AM

@Kman - That's literally what everyone on this site does. Something new gets announced and it gets dog piled on (Unless it's Marvel) as the worst thing ever.

Oberlin4Prez - 6/25/2019, 10:35 AM

@WakandanQueen - And I acknowledge that Feige knows what he's doing to get butts in seats, but aside from that, would the same level of restraint be given if it weren't tied to the MCU, and I contend it would not.

Kman - 6/25/2019, 10:40 AM

@Oberlin4Prez - not necessarily true - Shazaam has been getting a lot of praise here and that's not MCU... it's the hated WB

Kman - 6/25/2019, 10:41 AM

@Oberlin4Prez - Aquaman too - nobody has been calling that non MCU movie shit. It's about right on pas with Capt Marvel, if not slightly better IMO

Oberlin4Prez - 6/25/2019, 10:46 AM

@Kman - Touché

mastakilla39 - 6/25/2019, 10:50 AM

@TRexx21 @Kman - Oberlin4Prez didn't say it sucked, he just explained that an average af movie like Captain Marvel can be elevated critically and financially if a powerful behemoth like Disney/Marvel is selling it. Captain Marvel is nothing special, but the influence of Disney and Marvel can change its perception to the masses to believe its a must-see film. It's marketing is misleading as it's not even vital to understanding Endgames' plot. It's not even as groundbreaking as Wonder Woman as it's feminist propaganda was tamed. Capt. Marvel is not memorable, it's just an enjoyable film that won't piss you off like AntMan & Wasp. The majority went to go see a groundbreaking feminist Marvel film and got a generic marvel film. The critical and audience reviews of many websites RT, metacritic, imdb, etc. all reflect this.

If Captain Marvel was a Fox or Sony film, it would've flopped or performed on par with the Fox-Men. Disney's brand is the only reason why it's making so much, just like the new live action Aladdin film.

LongMayHeReign - 6/25/2019, 10:56 AM

@Oberlin4Prez -

"That's literally what everyone on this site does. Something new gets announced and it gets dog piled on (Unless it's Marvel) as the worst thing ever."

Well that's...just not factual at all.

Shazam universally praised, and people are genuinely fighting for it's honor on a daily basis it seems.

Aquaman mixed but still got a lot of love.

WW84 one if not THE most anticipated film of next year.

James Gunn's Suicide Squad very anticipated and most of the few hate comments came from DC centric fans that hate comedy.

The Batman extremely positive despite the few who still see Battinson as Edward Cullen.

The only film getting a full on dog pile is BOP. Not quite sure you have been reading the room properly.

Kman - 6/25/2019, 11:09 AM

@mastakilla39 - well technically he did say it sucked in the original post - but we've worked all of that out.

"Feminist propaganda" lol - relax dude, they're just female superhero movies.