Dark Phoenix was a total mess, but when it was still going to be a two-parter, it sounds like there were plans to incorporate the comics to a larger degree than what ended up on screen.
For example, the Hellfire Club were set to factor into proceedings, with artwork created featuring characters like the returning January Jones as Emma Frost, Harry Leland, Shinobi Shaw, Freidich Von Roehm, the Red Lotus Gang, and even the Von Strucker twins (something we're sure fans of The Gifted would appreciate).
Ultimately, the villainous faction fell by the wayside, but it might have been fun seeing how they had evolved since Sebastian Shaw was calling the shots way back in X-Men: First Class.
When our first look at Apocalypse was revealed courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, the response was...well, it was terrible. Fans ridiculed the make-up effects which covered actor Oscar Isaacs, and it was clear from the start that Bryan Singer had made a massive mistake with the villain.
Ultimately, common sense says he should have been a fully CGI creation, but this concept art reveals a more grounded, comic accurate take on En Sabah Nur fans would've appreciated more.
Jerad S. Marantz is responsible for this piece of artwork, and it's frustrating that something like this didn't end up making it into X-Men: Apocalypse. Singer just couldn't handle those comic book visuals!
In Tim Miller's version of Deadpool 2, Colossus wasn't set to face The Juggernaut; instead, Fantastic Four hero The Thing was going to make a surprise appearance in the Merc with the Mouth's franchise!
Played by Jamie Bell, you have to believe that Wade Wilson would have had plenty to say about the failings of the 2015 reboot, and Miller even confirmed that Fox agreed to this cameo appearance (making it the first X-Men/Fantastic Four crossover to ever grace the big screen in live-action).
It didn't happen, but this take on The Thing was undeniably cool if you're a fan of the character.
Bryan Singer failed to really take advantage of Peter Dinklage in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but his Bolivar Trask was once set to make his return in X-Men: Apocalypse. We don't have a lot of details on that, but as you can see in this artwork by Bartol Rendulic, he was going to once again come face to face with Mystique (who is aiming a gun at him in this atmospheric shot).
What we do know is that this was at Stryker's base, so chances are the man behind the Sentinels was also going to have some involvement in Weapon X as well.
Interestingly, there's even artwork of Beast in a pilot's uniform where he's described as Trask's pilot, so perhaps the villain was going to find a way of controlling him, and that's why Mystique can be seen threatening him here. We'll never know, but he could have had a really fun role here.
Unfortunately, the Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past didn't really look much like the iconic robots from the comic books. They were still suitably terrifying, of course, and easily killed many of the X-Men in that desolate future. However, they could have boasted a totally different look.
Created by artist Maciej Kuciara, this piece is likely from Matthew Vaughn's version of the sequel, and those scales are a reference to the fact they have access to Mystique's powers.
That was still the case in Bryan Singer's movie, of course, but there's something a tad more impressive with this take on the Sentinels, and a resemblance of sorts to the powerful Nimrod.
Not only were the Hellfire Club once set to appear, but Dark Phoenix was also set to introduce us to the Skrulls. There are conflicting reports about why that didn't happen, but Simon Kinberg's movie underwent significant reshoots, and lost a lot of its cosmic elements in the process.
As you can see from this artwork, the shape-shifting aliens - who Jessica Chastain's character was set to be the leader of - weren't exactly comic accurate, but they do look...okay?
There are lots of alternate versions out there, but there are arguably the best, and having them make their presence felt in this adventure would have resulted in a very, very different film.
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