Set a number of years before Logan adopted the Wolverine moniker, the series
lacks many of the characteristics that the character is best known for: he never
appears in costume, almost all of his trademark personality traits are absent,
and none of his super-powered acquaintances are shown or even mentioned.
The series begins with Logan being captured and prepared for the adamantium
bonding process. There are several mentions of his being tough, and the
Professor, the director of the Weapon X program, along with his assistants Dr.
Cornelius and Miss Hines, wipe his mind and bond him to adamantium, the hardest
known substance on Earth, to prepare him to be a mindless, soulless killing
machine. Prior to Wolverine volume 2, #75, the plot had too much
adamantium bonded to his forearms, resulting in his claws, leading to the
development of tubes in his flesh to keep the skin apart for claw
extraction.
Throughout the program, Logan is constantly referred to not as a person but
as a subject, and his humanity is almost completely disregarded in the course of
the experiments. Logan frequently comes to odds with his mental programming, and
eventually escapes into the wilderness after killing all of the soldiers there
(except for one, future Weapon X Director Malcom Colcord) while the Professor,
Cornelius, and Hines lock themselves in a secured room that Logan cannot break
into.
Sequel
A sort of sequel to Weapon X, written by Larry Hama, appeared in Wolverine's first ongoing
series starting with issue 48, entitled The Shiva Scenario. The 3 part
storyline referenced much of what happened in the Weapon X story. It is
collected in Wolverine Visionaries: Marc Silvestri, among other Wolverine
stories from the era.
Collected editions
The story has been collected numerous times, first in a 1993 hardcover (ISBN 0871359464) then a 2007
hardcover (ISBN 0-7851-2667-8) which was
reprinted in 2009 as a paperback (ISBN 0-7851-3726-2).
Additionally, the story is one of several others in the Best of Wolverine,
Volume 1 hardcover, published in 2004 (ISBN 0-7851-1370-3).
Wolverine: Old Man Logan is an eight-issue storyline from the
Wolverineongoing series by writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven, published by Marvel Comics. It began in
June 2008, ran through Wolverine #66-72 and ended in Wolverine
Giant-Size Old Man Logan in September 2009.
Set over fifty years in the future, it uses a similar premise to another
Millar book, Wanted, in which the world's supervillains
band together to finally destroy all superheroes. The hardcover collected
edition was published January 1, 2010.
Plot
At the onset of the story, the entire United States has been overtaken and
divided amongst supervillains, with territories belonging to The
Abomination (later conquered by the Hulk), Magneto (later
conquered by a new Kingpin), Dr. Doom and the
Red Skull, who has
named himself President. Heroes have been wiped out of existence, with the few
survivors in hiding and scattered throughout the country. Logan lives
with his wife Maureen and young children Scotty and Jade on a barren plot of
land in Sacramento, California, now part of the
territory known as "Hulkland." Logan needs money to pay rent to the landlords of
this territory: the hillbilly grandchildren of the Hulk, who are products of
years of incestuous procreation originating with Banner and his first cousin She-Hulk. In order to pay
the rent, Logan accepts a job from a now-blind Hawkeye: help him navigate east
across the country, to the capital of New Babylon, and deliver a secret, illegal
package which Logan initially assumes to be drugs.[1]
Logan and Hawkeye encounter several diversions on their journey east. They
rescue Hawkeye's daughter (who is the granddaughter of Peter Parker
and appears to be an aspiring hero herself), from the clutches of the new
Kingpin, before she murders Kingpin and reveals her intention to seize his
territory.[2] They escape a
cluster of Moloids,
who have gone about sinking entire cities from beneath the surface.[3] And they are chased
by a Venom
symbiote-infused dinosaur (imported from the Savage Land) before being
rescued and teleported by the White Queen and Black Bolt, who live in hiding.[4]
Throughout the story it is reiterated that the "Wolverine" personality died
the day the villains attacked, and Logan has steadfastly refused to use his
claws ever since, even when in danger. Via flashbacks it is revealed that on the
night the world's heroes came under attack by an organized coalition of
villains, a group consisting of forty supervillains including Mr.
Sinister, Sabretooth, Dr.
Octopus, Omega
Red, Bullseye apparently attacked
the X-Mansion. Unable to locate
his teammates, Wolverine was forced to slaughter the attackers to ensure the
safety of the mutant children. As the last "attacker" was killed, Logan realized
that the entire assault was an illusion created by Mysterio, and his perceived enemies were
actually his fellow X-Men. This destroyed
him emotionally and mentally, and he wandered from the Mansion in shock. Logan
notes that while he made a subsequent suicide attempt, he could not actually
destroy himself, though in effect "Wolverine" was destroyed for good.[5]
When they finally reach the capital, Hawkeye delivers his package to an
underground resistance group hoping to begin a new Avengers-esque team to fight
the villains' oppression. The package is revealed to be a case of Super Soldier
Serum, enough to form an army. But Hawkeye's clients reveal themselves to be
undercover S.H.I.E.L.D agents. They then shoot Logan and Hawkeye multiple times,
killing them.[4] However,
Logan's body heals from the gunshots and he awakens in Red Skull's trophy room
amongst the armaments and costumes of the world's fallen superheroes. Without
using his claws, he kills Red Skull's men and engages Red Skull himself,
eventually decapitating him with Captain America's
shield. He grabs a briefcase of money (their intended reward for the
delivery) and uses pieces of Iron Man's armor to fly back home.
Upon arriving, Logan discovers that in his absence the Hulk's grandchildren
murdered his family. Doing so, they leave the bodies unburied, seemingly as a
gruesome message.[6] This causes Logan to
finally unleash his claws once again. He seeks out and slaughters the entire,
massive Banner clan before encountering old Banner himself, who displays
monstrous strength even in his human form. Banner reveals that while the murder
of Logan's family was intended as a message to others, he really just wanted to
get Logan angry so that he could fight him. In his Hulk form, Banner defeats and
consumes Logan, but Logan recuperates within Banner's stomach and bursts from
within him, killing him. Afterward, he discovers a baby hulk, Bruce Banner
Junior.
A month later, Logan and his neighbors hold a small memorial for Logan's
family. Logan then says he plans to defeat all the new world villains and
thereby bring peace to the land—with he, and Bruce Banner Junior, being the
first members of a new group of superheroes. Together they ride into the sunset
on horseback.[7]
Reception
The individual issues of the series were highly rated
by various IGN critics. The final issue
received the highest score, an "Amazing" 9.0 out of 10.[8]
Sequel
On June 29, 2010, Mark Millar posted on his message board that he was working
on a sequel to Old Man Logan. "It opens with this insane Spidey flashback which
pretty much sets the tone. My God, it’s going to be fun to write.” At the time
of the posting, he had yet to pitch the idea to Marvel.[citation
needed]
Extracts Taken From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man_Logan
Madripoor is a fictional island apparently modeled on Singapore; they are both Southeast Asian island port
nations with a single major city. Its capital and single large city is
Madripoor, which is divided between Hightown and Lowtown. This
serves to represent the extreme social inequality in Madripoor, described as "a
place for the very rich and the very poor".
Madripoor was once a haven for pirates, and that tradition is somewhat continued today
with its lawless quality; the principality does not allow other nations to extradite criminals. However, it
is one of the business capitals of the Pacific Rim, with its own Trade Center.[citation
needed]
Other locations of note in the Central Business District are the Bank of Hong
Kong and the Bank of Malaysia, luxurious Sovereign Hotel, and the Prince's
Palace, said to rival Versailles.[1]
The nation was taken over by HYDRA with
Madame
Hydra as de facto ruler, using the nation to finance terrorist plots against
the world. Side-effects of this are seen in Spider-Woman: Agent Of S.W.O.R.D.[2] With HYDRA's
terrorist operations causing deaths in the thousands, Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. took it upon themselves to overthrow
the HYDRA regime and place the nation in the hands of Tyger Tiger, as she was the only person - apart
from the long-absent Patch - who the natives would follow in the
event of a revolt, Stark wanting someone who would run Madripoor the right way
without needing someone else to monitor them and ensure that the situation did
not repeat itself. [3]
Madripoor is now controlled by Wolverine's son Daken, after he managed to wrestle and manipulate power
away from Tyger Tiger by acquiring control of various financial resources,
maintaining Tyger Tiger only as a figurehead due to her pre-existing
connections.
Geography
Madripoor is estimated to be 100 miles (160 km) in diameter. Its coastline is
pockmarked with deep water bays and inlets. The center of the island is a large plateau with
steep cliffs.
Points of Interest
The following are locations found in Madripoor:
Buccaneer Bay - This is where Madripoor corsairs ranged far and wide
for their prey.
Hightown - A district of Madripoor for the wealthy.
Lowtown - The crime-impoverished district of Madripoor.
Princess Bar - A drinking establishment in Lowtown. It was run by a
man named O'Donnell and Wolverine (under the alias of patch).
Stinger - A S.H.I.E.L.D. safehouse and second generation
secret base whose location is only known to Nick Fury.
Associated residents
Notable current and former residents of Madripoor include:
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born James Howlett[1] and commonly known
as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant who possesses animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities,
three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing factor that allows him to recover from
virtually any wound, disease or toxin, at an accelerated rate. The healing
factor also slows down his aging process, enabling him to live beyond a normal
human lifespan. His powerful healing factor enabled the supersoldier program Weapon X to bond the near-indestructible metalalloyadamantium to his skeleton and claws without killing him. He is
most often depicted as a member of the X-Men, Alpha Flight, or later the Avengers.
The character first appeared in the last panel of The Incredible Hulk
#180 (his first full appearance is in issue #181, November 1974) and was created by
writer Len Wein and Marvel art directorJohn Romita, Sr., who
designed the character, and was first drawn for publication by Herb Trimpe. Wolverine later
joined the X-Men's "All New, All Different" roster in Giant-Size X-Men
#1 (May 1975). X-Men writer Chris Claremont played a significant role in
the character's subsequent development,[2] along with
artist/writer John Byrne, who insisted on making the
character older than the other X-Men. Artist Frank Miller collaborated with Claremont
and helped to revise the character with a four-part eponymous limited series
from September to December 1982 in which Wolverine's catchphrase, "I'm the best there is at what I do,
but what I do best isn't very nice," debuted.
Wolverine was typical of the many tough, anti-authority, antiheroes that emerged in American popular culture
after the Vietnam War;[3] his willingness to
use deadly force and his brooding nature became standard characteristics for comic book anti-heroes by the end
of the 1980s.[4] As a result, the
character became the clear favorite for fans of the increasingly popular X-Men
franchise.[5] Wolverine has been
featured in his own solo comic since 1988 and has been a central character in
most X-Men adaptations, including animated television series,
video games, and the live-action20th Century FoxX-Men film
series, in which he is portrayed by Hugh Jackman.[6] In May 2008,
Wolverine was ranked #1 out of Wizard magazine's Top 200 Comic Book
Characters of All Time[7] and was ranked as
the 4th Greatest Comic Book Character by Empire magazine
in July 2008.[8] On their
list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania.com ranked
Wolverine at #21.[9] In May 2011,
Wolverine was ranked 4th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes.[10]
Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment
and Pop Culture (previously titled Wizard: The Guide to
Comics and Wizard: The Comics Magazine) was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States
by Wizard
Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011.[1] It included a price
guide, as well as comic book, movie, anime, and collector news, interviews, and
previews.
Publication history
Wizard launched in July 1991. With issue #7, the magazine switched to glossy
paper and color printing. Wizard strongly supported new publishers Valiant Comics and Image Comics, heavily
promoting their new releases.
The magazine has also spawned several ongoing magazines dedicated to similar
interests such as ToyFare for
toys and action figures, Inquest Gamer for collectible game cards,
Anime Insider for
anime and manga, and Toy Wishes for mainstream toy enthusiasts, though
all have subsequently been cancelled.
In 2006, the magazine was revamped with a bigger look and more pages,
switching from the "perfect bound" or staple free look, to that of a more
traditional magazine. After issue 200, Wizard made several changes to the
magazine, shifting focus from reviews and humor to information about upcoming
comics and the industry as a whole. The 3-page "Magic Words" section, which
consisted of reader questions, was dropped and replaced by "Fan Mail", a
half-page section allowing 3 short (and often humorous) letters.
In November 2006, Wizard editor-in-chief and co-founder Pat McCallum
was fired, after more than a decade with the company. Wizard declined to
say why he was removed.[2] On February 21,
2007, Scott Gramling was announced as the new Editor-in-Chief.[3] Soon after, longtime
Wizard Editor Brian Cunningham was removed in August 2008.[4] The current editor
is former staff writer and managing editor Mike Cotton. On February 27, 2009,
Wizard laid off ten percent of its work force, including its three staff
writers, in order to make room for freelance writers.[5] Wizard was relaunched with issue #228 (August 2010 issue), which
featured Mark Millar as a
guest editor. The magazine went back to its strictly comic book roots. The issue
featured a Green Hornet film cover and
round table discussion with creators in the comic book film industry.
On January 24, 2011, Rich Johnston of the website Bleeding Cool
confirmed that the magazine would cease print publication, that almost all of
its magazine staff had been laid off, and all freelance engagements
canceled.[6] This was confirmed
later that day by Wizard, who also revealed that its sister magazine,
Toyfare, was also canceled. According to the publication's
representatives, Wizard would be relaunched in February 2011 as an online
magazine called Wizard World.[7] The first issue of
"Wizard World" was made available online and through major digital distribution
channels on March 2, 2011.[8]
Regular features
The magazine went through an ever-changing line-up of regular and
semi-regular features, including
Book Shelf - Brief descriptions of the monthly trade paperback and
hardcover collection releases.
Top 10 Writers and Artists Lists charting the most popular creators
of the month in each category.
Retired features include
Casting Call - A feature proposing the "dream" cast for potential
film adaptations of various comic books. It later appeared sporadically.
Last Man Standing - A dream "faceoff" between two different
characters or teams, always of different companies and/or universes. The feature
would detail a brief showdown between the two, including the victor and would be
accompanied by an exclusive illustration (usually by a high profile artist)
depicting the battle.
Exclusive offers
In addition, both Wizard and ToyFare often featured mail-away
offers for exclusive merchandise. Wizard began a practice of producing
specially offered Wizard #1/2 issues. These were special issues of
ongoing major comic book series which featured in-continuity stories that
supplemented the regular series published issues. The issues were numbered #1/2
so as not to disrupt the series ongoing numbering system. Often Wizard
would also include free pack-in issues with their magazines, usually numbered as
Wizard #0's.
Controversy
Comics creator Frank Miller had a well-publicized feud
with Wizard, initiated by his keynote speech at the 2001 Harvey
Awards, during which he ripped a copy of the magazine apart and threw it in
a trash can, calling it a "bible written by Satan," a "monthly vulgarity," and a
"tree killer (which) regularly cheapens and poisons our field."[9]
Awards
The magazine presented the Wizard Fan Awards annually for works of
distinction within the comics industry from 1993 to 2006. From 1993 to 1995, the
awards were presented during Dragon Con; in 1996 the awards moved their home to
the Chicago Comicon (later renamed Wizard World
Chicago).[10]
Nightcrawler, a teleportingmutant, attempts to assassinate the President of the United States
in the White House, but he
fails and escapes after being shot by a Secret Service agent. Wolverine heads
to Alkali Lake but finds nothing left of the base. Logan returns to the school,
reunited with Rogue,
her boyfriend Iceman, Cyclops, Storm, and Jean Grey. He is requested by Professor Xavier to
watch over the children at the school, while Storm and Jean find Nightcrawler
with the help of the professor and Cerebro.
Cyclops and the Professor visit Magneto in his plastic prison to see if he had
any part in the attack on the President. Reading Magneto's mind, the Professor
discovers that a covert government operative, William Stryker, has been extracting
information from Magneto. A trap is sprung and Cyclops and the Professor are
captured by Stryker and his assistant Yuriko Oyama. A military raid of the X-Mansion begins, with the soldiers sedating every
student they find. However, the plan backfires when Wolverine strikes back and
kills a large number of Stryker's men, while Colossus, Rogue, Iceman, Pyro, and most of the
students escape through a series of hidden tunnels in the school. Wolverine
confronts Stryker, who fails to shed any light to his past. Iceman returns,
saves Wolverine by creating a wall of ice between him and Stryker, and they both
escape through one of the tunnels. Stryker's soldiers had already succeeded in
sedating six students and managed to break inside Cerebro.
Impersonating Senator Robert Kelly and Yuriko, Mystique gains
information about Magneto's prison and provides a means for him to escape.
Wolverine, along with Rogue, Iceman and Pyro head to Iceman's (Bobby Drake's)
parents' home in Boston. After a 9-1-1 call from Bobby's brother Ronny, the police arrive just as the group is
about to leave. Pyro uses his fire manipulation powers to fend off the police,
but gets carried away and is prevented from causing further damage by Rogue. The
X-Jet arrives
to pick them up, and they are quickly targeted by two Air
Force fighter jets. They manage to force the pilots to eject with the help
of Storm and Jean Grey; however, they are hit by a missile which threatens to
crash them. Only due to the sudden interference of Magneto do they survive. The
X-Men then team up with Magneto and Mystique. Magneto has learned Stryker
orchestrated the attack on the President and has been experimenting on mutants,
using a drug injected directly into the back of the neck to control them. Jean
reads Nightcrawler's mind and determines that Stryker's base is located at
Alkali Lake, inside the dam where he plans to
kill the world's mutants by building a second Cerebro.
Through his son, Jason, Stryker gains control over the Professor. His son is
able to project powerful visions in the mind, blinding a person to reality, and
through this the Professor is brainwashed to use Cerebro to find and kill all
mutants. Mystique is able to infiltrate Stryker's base by impersonating
Wolverine as the X-Men followed. Storm and Nightcrawler search for the kidnapped
students. Jean, Magneto, and Mystique are attacked by a brainwashed Cyclops
while trying to rescue the Professor and in the process caused damage to the
generators that keep the dam from collapsing. The force of Jean's telekinetic blast awakens
Cyclops from his brainwashing, and Wolverine simultaneously finds Stryker in an
adamantium smelting room along
with Yuriko, who is revealed to be Lady Deathstrike. Wolverine manages to defeat
Deathstrike and then finds Stryker on a landing pad, where Stryker attempts to
bargain Wolverine for his life with stories of his past.
Storm and Nightcrawler find the children and break them out of their cell.
Magneto and Mystique managed to kill the rest of Stryker's men by setting off
their grenades, which causes a leak in the dam, and Magneto stops Jason and the
Professor before the mutants are killed. While disguised as Stryker, Mystique
uses Jason to convince the Professor to kill all humans; she and Magneto, along
with their new initiate, Pyro, then use Stryker's helicopter to escape Alkali
Lake, chaining Stryker to concrete rubble. Meanwhile, Nightcrawler teleports
Storm inside of Cerebro where she creates a snowstorm to free the Professor from
his telepathic illusion.
They all then flee the base as water engulfs it, only to discover that
Magneto, Mystique, and Pyro - who had earlier been convinced by Magneto to join
them - had escaped on the helicopter. Fortunately, Iceman and Rogue arrive with
the X-Jet and everyone gets on board. The dam bursts completely, flooding the
landscape and killing Stryker. A malfunction aboard the X-Jet prevents it from
taking off; Jean sacrifices herself by leaving the jet and creating a
telekinetic wall as a shield against the flood. She activates the X-Jet's
primary engines before releasing the torrent of water down on herself,
presumably killing her.
The X-Men are able to supply the President with files from Stryker's private
offices, and the Professor warns him that humans and mutants must work together
to build peace or they will destroy each other through war. The next scene
returns to the school, with Professor Xavier, Cyclops, and Wolverine talking
about Jean's past. They are then interrupted by Colossus and a large number of
the students who are supposed to be in their next class. While they leave,
Wolverine tells Cyclops that Jean made a choice and that it was him, which
relieves Cyclops a good deal. The film ends with a voice-over by Jean Grey on the process of evolution
(a speech originally made by the Professor in the introduction of the first
film). The camera floats over Alkali Lake, showing a vague shape of a 'Phoenix'
flying above it, hinting at her survival.
Cast
Hugh Jackman as Logan /
Wolverine A mutant who has no memory of his life before he was grafted
with an indestructible adamantium skeleton. Wolverine is a gruff loner, he
is also a father figure to Rogue and has a love connection with Jean. He wields
three blades that come out of each of his fists, has keen animal-like senses,
the ability to heal rapidly, and is a ruthless and aggressive fighter.
Patrick Stewart
as Professor Charles
Xavier A powerful telepathic mutant who uses a wheelchair. He founded a
School for "gifted youngsters"; Xavier is a pacifist who believes humans and mutants can live
together in harmony. He uses the Cerebro device, built by Magneto and himself, to track
and locate mutants across the world. Xavier is regarded as an expert on genetic
mutation.
Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr /
Magneto Once Xavier's ally, Magneto now believes mutants are superior to
humans. Magneto wields the ability to manipulate metal magnetically, as well as
the power to create magnetic fields. He wears a helmet that renders him immune
to Xavier's and all related telepathic powers. Imprisoned after his scheme in
the first film, he is drugged by William Stryker for information on Cerebro,
before making his escape and forming an alliance with the X-Men to stop Stryker.
He has demonstrated sophisticated knowledge in matters of genetic manipulation
and engineering. The character's helmet was slightly redesigned as McKellen
found wearing it uncomfortable in the previous film.[citation
needed]
Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe /
Storm A mutant and teacher at Xavier's School who can control the weather
with her mind. Storm befriends Nightcrawler. Berry dropped out of Jennifer Lopez's role in
Gigli to reprise the role.[4]
Famke Janssen as Dr. Jean Grey A teacher at
Xavier's school and the X-Mansion's doctor, Jean has begun to experience vast
and at times uncontrollable growth in both her telepathy and telekinetic powers since Magneto's machine exploded
and thus unlocked or mutated her abilities in the first film. She is Cyclops' fiancé.
James Marsden as Scott Summers /
Cyclops The field leader of the X-Men, and a teacher at Xavier's
Institute, he shoots uncontrollable beams of concussive force from his eyes and
wears a visor to control them. He is in a relationship with Jean. Cyclops is
taken prisoner by Stryker.
Anna Paquin as Marie / Rogue A girl
who can absorb any person's memories and abilities by touching them. As she
cannot control this power, Rogue can easily kill anyone and thus is unable to be
close to people. Her love interest is Bobby Drake/Iceman.
Rebecca
Romijn-Stamos as Mystique Magneto's henchwoman, she is a shapeshifter.
Mystique is blue, naked and covered in scales, and she acts as a spy. She
injects a prison guard with metal, with which Magneto makes his escape, and also
sexually tempts Wolverine. Romijn's makeup previously took nine hours to apply,
however, the make-up department was able to bring it down to six hours for
X2.[5]
Brian Cox as
Colonel William
Stryker A human military scientist who plans a worldwide genocide of mutants using Xavier and
Cerebro. Stryker has experimented on mutants in the past, including Wolverine, and uses a serum to control
them. Singer opted to cast Cox in the role as he was a fan of his performance as
Hannibal Lecktor in
Manhunter.[6]
Alan Cumming as Kurt Wagner /
Nightcrawler A kindly German mutant with a strong Catholic faith, yet ironically he has
the appearance of a blue demon. Nightcrawler was used by Stryker in an
assassination attempt on the President of the United States and gives help to
the X-Men. He is capable of teleporting himself (and others) instantly from one
location to another. On his body are many scarification marks, one for every sin. Cumming
had always been Singer's choice for the role, but Cumming could not accept the
part due to scheduling conflicts.[7]Ethan Embry had been reported
to be in contention for the role,[8] but the film labored
in development long enough for Cumming to accept the part.[7] Singer
also felt comfortable in casting Cumming since he is fluent in the German language.[9] The drawings of Adam Kubert were used as
inspiration for Nightcrawler's makeup design,[10] which took
four hours to apply.[11] For the scene
where Nightcrawler has his shirt off, Cumming went through nine hours.[7] To best
pose as Nightcrawler, Cumming studied comic books and illustrations of the
character.[11]
Aaron Stanford as
John Allerdyce /
Pyro A friend of Bobby and Rogue, Pyro has anti-social tendencies because
is very angry at humans for how they treat the mutant community. He has the
ability to control (although not create) fire. Magneto tells him that "You are a
god amongst insects; never let anyone tell you different." The filmmakers cast
Stanford in the role after they were impressed with his performance in Tadpole.[12]
Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Drake /
Iceman Rogue's boyfriend, he can freeze objects and create ice. His
family is unaware that he is a mutant and simply believes he is at a boarding
school. After returning home, Bobby reveals to them what he actually is, much to
his brother's derision.
Kelly Hu as Yuriko Oyama /
Deathstrike A mutant that has a healing ability like Wolverine's, and is
controlled by Stryker. She wields long adamantium fingernails. Only her first
name is mentioned in dialogue.
Michael Reid McKay as Jason Stryker / Mutant
143 William Stryker's son. He was sent to Xavier's school in an attempt
to "cure" his ability to create illusions. Returning home, Jason tortured his
parents until his mother committed suicide. His father lobotomized him and uses
a fluid from his brain to control mutants. Xavier's mind is too strong for the
fluid, however, and Jason is instead used in order to manipulate him in
Stryker's genocidal scheme.
Although the character of Senator Robert Kelly was killed in the
first film, Bruce
Davison reprised the role for scenes where Mystique uses his persona to
infiltrate the government. Also, Katie Stuart appeared as Kitty Pryde, a girl who can walk through walls,
Bryce Hodgson as Artie, Kea Wong as Jubilee and Shauna Kain as Siryn, who is able to emit loud screams that alert the
students to Stryker's attack. Also in the final scene with Xavier, a girl is
seen dressed in a Native American style jacket, as well as a blond haired boy
dressed in blue, played by Layke Anderson. These were confirmed to be Danielle Moonstar
and Douglas
Ramsey.[12]Daniel Cudmore
appeared as Peter
Rasputin / Colossus. Cudmore was set to use a Russian accent, but Singer dropped the idea
for unknown reasons, and onset rewrites minimized the character's importance to
a cameo.[13]
Jubilee, Psylocke and Multiple Man were to have
cameos for the scene when Stryker and his troops storm the X-Mansion. Beast, Gambit and Marrow were to have
appearances during the Dark Cerebro
sequence. Gambit's cameo was actually shot, but the footage was not used in the
final cut. Beast's scene was to show Dr. Hank McCoy transforming into his
notable blue fur while Marrow was to be seen lying on a ground in New York City.[12]
Hank McCoy appears on a television during the scene where Mystique drugs
Magneto's prison guard. Michael Dougherty and Dan
Harris, the film's writers, cameo in scenes of Wolverine's Weapon X
flashbacks as surgeons.[14]Shaquille O'Neal
wanted a role in the film but was ignored by the filmmakers.[15]
Development
Writing
The financial and critical success of X-Men persuaded 20th Century Fox to commission a sequel
instantly. Starting in November 2000,[16]Bryan Singer researched
various storylines (one of them being the Legacy Virus) of the X-Men comic book series, choosing God
Loves, Man Kills as the premise.[17] Singer wanted
to study, "the human perspective, the kind of blind rage that feeds into warmongering and terrorism,"[18] citing a need for
a "human villain".[16]
Bryan and producer Tom
DeSanto envisioned X2: X-Men United as the film series' Empire Strikes
Back, in that the characters are "all split apart, and then dissected,
and revelations occur that are significant... the romance comes to fruition and
a lot of things happen."[19] Producer Avi Arad announced a planned November
2002 theatrical release date,[20] while David Hayter and Zak Penn were hired to write separate
scripts.[21] Hayter and
Penn combined what they felt to be the best elements of both scripts into one
screenplay.[22] Singer and Hayter
worked on another script, finishing in October 2001.[23]
Michael
Dougherty and Dan Harris were hired to rewrite
Hayter and Penn's script in February 2002,[24] turning down the
opportunity to write Urban Legends: Bloody Mary.[25]Angel and
Beast appeared in
early drafts, but were deleted because there were too many characters. Dr. Hank
McCoy, however, can be seen on a television interview in one scene. Beast's
appearance was to resemble Jim Lee's
1991 artwork of the character in the series X-Men: Legacy.[10] Angel was
to have been a mutant experiment by William Stryker, transforming into
Archangel.[12]
A reference to Dougherty's and Harris' efforts of Angel remains in the form of
an X-ray on display in one of Stryker's labs.[17]Tyler Mane was to reprise as Sabretooth
before the character was deleted.[26] In Hayter's
script, the role eventually filled by Lady Deathstrike was Anne Reynolds, a
character who appeared in God Loves, Man Kills as Stryker's personal
assistant/assassin. Singer changed her to Deathstrike, citing a need for
"another kick-ass mutant".[16]
There was to be more development on Cyclops and Professor X being brainwashed by Stryker. The
scenes were shot, but Fox cut them out because of time length and story
complications. Hayter was disappointed, feeling that James Marsden deserved more screentime.[12]
Rewrites were commissioned once more, specifically to give Halle Berry more screentime.
This was because of her recent popularity in Monster's Ball, earning her the Academy Award for Best
Actress.[27] A budget cut meant
that the Sentinels[17] and the Danger Room were dropped. Guy Hendrix Dyas and
a production crew had already constructed the Danger Room set. In the words of
Dyas, "The control room [of the danger room] was a large propeller that actually
rotated around the room so that you can sit up [in that control room] and travel
around the subject who is in the middle of the control room. The idea for the
traveling is that if it's a mutant has some kind of mind control powers they
can't connect."[11]
Production
Producer Lauren Shuler Donner had hoped to start
filming in March 2002,[21] but
production did not begin until June 17, 2002 in Vancouver and ended by November.[28] Over
sixty-four sets were used in thirty-eight different locations.[11] The film crew
encountered problems when not enough snow
was produced in Kananaskis, Alberta. An
excessive amount of fake snow was then applied.[29] The idea to have
Jean Grey sacrifice herself at
the end and to be resurrected in a third installment was highly secretive.
Singer did not tell Famke
Janssen until midway through filming.[30]
Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel and two stunt drivers
nearly died when filming the scene in which Pyro has a dispute with police officers.[6] John Ottman composed the
score.[31] Ottman established
a new title theme, as well as themes specifically for Magneto, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Mystique and Pyro.
Design and effects
Singer and Sigel credited Road to Perdition as a visual influence.
Though Sigel shot the first X-Men in the anamorphic format, he opted to shoot
X2 in Super 35. Sigel felt
the recent improvements in film stocks and optics increased the advantages of
using spherical lenses, even if the blowup to anamorphic must be accomplished
optically instead of digitally. Sigel noted, "If you think about it, every
anamorphic lens is simply a spherical lens with an anamorphizer on it. They'll
never be as good as the spherical lenses that they emulate."[32] Cameras
that were used during filming included two Panaflex
Millenniums and a Millennium XL, as well as an Aaton 35mm. Singer also used zoom lenses more often than he did in his previous
films, while Sigel used a Frazier lens specifically for dramatic
moments.[32]
The Blackbird was redesigned and increased in
virtual size from 60 feet to 85 feet.[11]John Myhre served as the production
designer on the first film, but Singer hired Guy Hendrix Dyas for X2, which was his
first film as a production designer.[33] For scenes
involving Stryker's Alkali Base, Vancouver Film Studios, the largest sound stage in North America,
was reserved.[10] Visual effects supervisor Mike Fink
was not satisfied with his work on the previous film, despite the fact it nearly
received an Academy Award nomination. Up
to 520 shots were created for X-Men, while X2 commissioned roughly
800. A new computer
program was created by Rhythm and Hues for the dogfighttornado scene. Cinesite was in charge of scenes concerning Cerebro, enlisting a 20-man crew. The
Alkali Lake Dam miniature was 25 ft (7.6 m) high and 28 ft (8.5 m) wide.[34] Cinesite created
300 visual effects
shots, focusing on character animation, while Rhythm and Hues created over
100.[35]
The first cut of X2 was rated R by the Motion Picture Association of
America, due to more violent scenes concerning Wolverine when Stryker's army stormed the X-Mansion. A few seconds were cut to
secure a PG-13 rating.[36] X2 opened in America on May 2, 2003, accumulating $85,558,731 in its
opening weekend in 3,749 theaters. The film grossed $214,949,694 in North
America, while earning $192,761,855 worldwide, coming at a total of
$407,711,549. X2 was a financial success since it recouped its production
budget three times.[1]X2
debuted simultaneously in ninety-three countries, the largest North American and
international opening ever at the time.[37] In addition, the
film is the sixth highest grossing film based on a Marvel Comic
book,[38] and was the sixth
highest of 2003,[39] also earning $107
million in its first five days of DVD release.[30] X2 had a video game tie-in on X2: Wolverine's Revenge, which is
unrelated to the events of the film, although Patrick Stewart voiced Professor X. X-Men: The Official Game bridges
the storyline between X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. Specifically,
it explains Nightcrawler's absence from The Last
Stand. Chris
Claremont wrote a novelization of the film, which left out its
secretive cliffhanger.[40]
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
.+Art+by+Barry+Windsor-Smith.bmp)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
+001.jpg)
.bmp)