Confirmed Dark Phoenix Costumes Honor One of the Best X-Men Eras

The latest merchandise for X-Men: Dark Phoenix confirms the new costumes the team will wear, which pull inspiration from one of the most critically acclaimed eras in the comics. Fox and the minds behind the X-Men series have taken plenty of liberties with the source material over the years, including the suits the various mutants wear. Over time, there have been nods to classic outfits, with Magneto especially skewing close to the page. It wasn't until the denouement of X-Men: Apocalypse, however, that the films put the team in anything close to their comic book costumes.

Back in March, a set photo for X-Men: Dark Phoenix offered our first look at the costumes that will be on display in next year's film. Immediately, it was clear that the creators of the movie were eyeing Grant Morrison's seminal run on New X-Men starting in 2001, which saw Frank Quietly give the team a whole new look. Outfitted in puffy, black, bomber jackets with huge, yellow x's, the design change was a bold one that was part of new editor-in-chief Joe Quesada's move to reinvigorate the franchise. The move worked, as the story that rolled out across eight arcs has defined the modern X-Men universe in the comics.

Today, new X-Men: Dark Phoenix figures were revealed as part of the in-cinema merchandise for the movie. They're the first official look we have at the new costumes of the film and confirm the suits seen in the previous set photo. And though nothing has been mentioned regarding the influence of Morrison and Quietly's work, the implications are exciting.

Morrison kicked off his story in New X-Men #114 (the numbering continued over from the main X-Men book) by changing a number of things in the universe. Genosha (and seemingly Magneto) was destroyed, Xavier's mansion was changed from a small training facility to a full-blown mutant school (inspired by the previous year's film), and new characters joined the ranks. Emma Frost became an X-Men in her slow shift to a hero, while her clones the Stepford Cuckoos were introduced. The three surviving members of the psychic hive mind became prominent players on The Gifted, which could tease their arrival on the big screen.

Characters like Xorn, Quentin Quire, and Casandra Nova were all introduced, adding new psychics to the comics that could factor into the films. Xorn turned out to be Magneto in disguise, an arc that could easily come into play in the movies now that he's viewed as a terrorist. We could see Erik use the ploy to infiltrate the new X-Men team, destabilizing it from within. Casandra Nova, meanwhile, proved to be one of the X-Men's greatest foes as she's essentially a psychic twin of Professor X. The concept may be a bit heady for the films, but with Jessica Chastain cast in an unknown role in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, perhaps a version of Nova will be in the movie.

Quentin Quire walks the line between hero and villain throughout his time in the comics, and is currently part of the new West Coast Avengers. But the colorful character (known for his "Magneto Was Right" shirts) would be a great addition to the film. Morrison's run slowly built up Xavier's school as a place packed with inventive and interesting looking mutants. The films haven't explored many non-humanoid characters yet, but X-Men: Dark Phoenix could change that by going in a more gonzo direction. We've already seen a nod to the run in Beast's more cat-like appearance, a result of his secondary mutation. And the Phoenix (and her death) also factored into the story. The X-Men movies always pick and choose from the comics, but with the story of X-Men: Dark Phoenix under wraps, it might be worth looking to New X-Men for some hints of what's to come.

Tags: x-men dark phoenix

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