Dreamcasting 2010 Round#1 -- X-Men: First Class

Victor Von Doom

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In honor of Bryan Singer's return to the X-men franchise...




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X-MEN: First Class​
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The New Rules

1) The winner of the last round becomes the moderator of the next round, and is free to choose any property to be cast, whether it is based from comics, videogames, books, cartoons or real world figures. Round moderators may specify a specific medium (TV, film, cartoon, etc) and if he/she fail to specify a medium, then it is open game what medium participants want to play with.

2) When selecting a property for the round, moderators must select an ACTUAL property (ex.— Spider-Man, Mission Impossible, Thundercats, etc.). No generic rounds like "SuperGroup" (ex.— Doom chooses to make an Avengers cast and Ice does an X-Men cast and Bass does an Action Force cast). There needs to be an actual singular property.

3) Like last time---casts should consist of at least 4 characters and a maximum of 9. If you would like to cast an additional character, you must swap one out for another. However, the moderator has the option of leaving blank spots deliberately, with a maximum of 9 (ex.—for example, he or she may declare, Fantastic Four, and at least two bad guys and a Fantastic Friend (like She-Hulk, Power Man). Actors may not reprise their parts at all! Those who have played a character on film or TV may not play the character on voice and vice versa. Simply put, Kevin Conroy cannot put on a Batsuit and Christian Bale is not allowed to voices in your fantasy Batman CG adventure.

4) Once a new round is started---no posting casts for the first 24 hours.

5) When submitting an entry you must at least produce a cast. You can do a pitch if you want, but only a cast is required

6) Each round lasts ten days from the point the moderator posts it, and voting lasts for at least a day and any time past that needed to secure a victory. At the end of the round and voting begins, the mod will divide the submissions into 2 categories: Cast and Pitch. Cast winner wins the round and mods the next round. Pitch winners are allowed to add another property to the pool. When you vote, you must specify what the vote is for (ex.—I vote for Mole's cast and Bass' pitch…or I vote for Proj's cast and Proj's pitch).




You must cast:
  • Cyclops
  • Marvel Girl
  • Beast
  • Iceman
  • Angel
  • Professor X
  • Magneto


Round ends at midnight 26 Jan 10.




**Special Note---For this round, there will be no swapping/substituting characters. You must cast these characters and these characters only. leave your Quicksilvers and Wandas and Blobs at home.**
 
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I assume we're talking about using the reboot idea that Fox and Singer's been talking about? Or as a prequel to the existing trilogy?
 
I'd assume you're free to choose.

Correct. There's no reason your cast/film can't tie into existing X-verse. But myself, I'm going for a reboot since X-Men Origins: Wolverine is supposed to serve as a prequel to Singer's films, and I just don't wanna live in a world where Cyclops gave Deadpool powers and Emma is the sister of a Canadian.
 
So we cannot add characters to the cast, even if they are serving as antagonists?
 
24 hours is up :)

X-men First Classic

I see this not been anything like X-men 1. I see this film's primary theme been choice. I want to explore a more Teenage version of the X-men and have it been about their choices in what's happening with the world around them. Cyclops choosing to be the team leader and excepting his place, Jean choosing to except her powers, Eric Lensherr choosing to become Magneto. The choice to try and work for a better future in which everyone is accepted


Writer/Director – Joss Whedon
– His work on Astonishing X-men plus his work on stuff like Buffy , Serenity and more makes me honestly think he is the man who is the best choice for an X-men movie writer. More so with the nature of the film I had in mind.


Cyclops – Aaron Hill –
I've seen him on a few things mostly Greek. He's that good looking hero type in appearance and I think he's capable of playing a teenage Scoot learning to become the team leader. As I see this been their first mission and so they are dealing with been an X-men member.


Marvel Girl – Jessica Marie Lowndes – When I saw her in 90210 she did a good job of playing Adrianna who was struggling with addiction. That's why I picked her. I wanted Jean to struggle with her powers and the use of them like an addiction.


Beast – David Hyde Pierce
– With Kelsey Grammar out I needed someone to play Beast it had to be done like last time. However David Hyde Pierce has the kind of voice that makes beast work and work well. Beast needs to be intelligent and David Hyde Pierce delivers in that regard.


Iceman – Dylan Sprouse
– From what I've seen of Iceman he's been more the funny/comic relief one. I wanted to highlight that aspect of the character and use him as sort of the kid member of the group that slacks off. Like Michelangelo is to the turtles. That's why I picked him I think he could handle the role well.


Angel – Daren Kagasoff – Angel in anything I've seen (except last stand) seems more the lone brooding one of the group. That's what Daren Kagasoff bring to the role. He's fairly unknown but I like that for the film.


Professor X – Sam Neill –Patrick Stewart IMO IS Charles Xavier , How ever like last time I picked Sam Neill , I imagine him playing Charles Xavier really well , Different to Patrick Stewart's one but still a strong figure head for the X-men to follow. He also seems better suited for my reboot as Stewart = bold while Neill = more of a farther figure.


Eric Lensherr – Liam Neeson
– When casting Magneto I started to look at people to play villains like Christopher Lee to Mads Mikkelsen but I thought too evil , too slimy , Not commanding enough. Then it hit me. Look for more of a hero. Then it hit me. Liam Neeson all the things that made him work as Schindler work for Magneto. After all to Magneto we are like Nazis. Plus his commanding darker tones helps sell Magneto.

In this I wanted to work with the idea we heard of him been with X-men then becoming Magneto so I wanted more focus on Eric Lensherr that Magneto till the end. I can picture Sam Neill and Liam Neeson arguing with other on the different sides and I can picture it been great.
 
Iceman – Dylan Sprouse – From what I've seen of Iceman he's been more the funny/comic relief one. I wanted to highlight that aspect of the character and use him as sort of the kid member of the group that slacks off. Like Michelangelo is to the turtles. That's why I picked him I think he could handle the role well.
FAIL.


Prof. X, Magneto, Beast castings not bad. :)
 
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Kevin Jonas as Cyclops

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Joe Jonas as Beast

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Nick Jonas as Iceman

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Miley Cyrus as Jean Grey

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Cole Sprouse as Angel

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Dennis Haskins as Professor X

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Eugene Levy as Magneto. Look how shocked he is to be in this movie!
 
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So we cannot add characters to the cast, even if they are serving as antagonists?

Correct. For this round only (after this one, round moderators can allow for substitutions like the rules say).


Epic fail.

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Kevin Jonas as Cyclops

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Joe Jonas as Beast

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Nick Jonas as Iceman

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Miley Cyrus as Jean Grey

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Cole Sprouse as Angel

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Dennis Haskins as Professor X

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Eugene Levy as Magneto. Look how shocked he is to be in this movie!

Epic-er fail!

Although I get the joke.





My cast coming later.
 
Epic-er fail!

Although I get the joke. .

I have an awesome twist on the movie that I think will be different from everything else, and about half my cast finished. I just thought that would be an entertaining placeholder.

I honestly have no clue who to cast for a teenage X-Men because, honestly, most teenage actors are in shows geared to teenagers which, by virtue of their audience, suck. So mine's going to be aged up a bit. I need an Angel and a Beast. The latter I can picture in my head, but there's no actor I'm aware of who matches up to what I want for the character.

Edit: I didn't actually intend to use the twin of Mole's terrible character casting. That's a hilarious coincidence!

Edit edit: Got a Beast! Now I just need an Angel!
 
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X-Men : First Class​

Professor X - David Strathairn

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It's hard to replace Stewart, but Strathairn is just too talented to pass up. Shave his head and we've got a great Xavier, maybe just a little harder than Stewart's portrayal.

Cyclops - Jake Gyllenhaal

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For some reason Scott was the hardest to cast and I'm still not sure on this one. Gyllenhaal is one of my favorite actors and he really should be getting bigger roles. I'm sure he could pull off the conflicted leader aspect of Cyclops, but some thing's still not clicking for me.

Marvel Girl - Bryce Dallas Howard

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Beautiful, smart, charming, red hair. What more can you ask?

Beast - Michael Glandis

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Beast always gave more a sort of Orson Welles vibe and Glandis is a dead ringer for him. I'm not sure about his athletic abilities, but he's got McCoy's intellectual side down flat.

Iceman - Hunter Parrish

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Like Mole said Iceman is basically the comic relief of the team, but he still should be able to hold his own. Parrish was great on Weeds and I think it makes sense for Bobby to be a little younger than the rest of the team.

Angel - Garret Hedlund

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Angel is kind of boring to me, so this is my least favorite choice in this cast. Hedlund is good actor with the right look, not much more to it than that.

Magneto - Jeremy Irons

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It might be an obvious choice, but it's definitely a good one. Irons is a go to go for villains and Magneto should be no problem for him.
 
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

A mix of the classic 616 origins of the X-Men, with a slight contemporary Ultimate universe feel.






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Top: Sean Faris, Emmy Rossum, Anton Yelchin, Garrett Hedlund, Jared Padalecki
Bottom: Jason Isaacs, Rufus Sewell





CyclopsSean Faris – This dude is always on the cusp of being a big star. He's always one project away from really making a splash. And I think this perfectly mirrors young Scott Summers. Early on, despite his potential…he was always just a few steps away from becoming the great leader that we all see he is today. Faris is definitely up for the physical aspect that comes with bringing our beloved mutant hero to life and it's not like he's this film newbie who can't hold his own on the big screen. Whether it's showing a family-friendly side in Yours, Mine and Ours or a more dramatic role like Forever Strong or your obligatory teen remake of the Karate Kid in Never Back Down…Sean Faris never disappoints even if the movie itself does.

Jean GreyEmmy Rossum—I like her. I really do. She's gorgeous but still low-key. A great alternative to someone like Anne Hathway. Other than a few stand-out roles, her career has mirrored Faris'. I liked her standard "damsel in distress" role in Day After Tomorrow and Poseidon along with the fact that she was pretty good in the lead role of Phantom of the Opera. I'd like to see her take a more daring, upfront role and think that portraying the future cosmic entity that is Jean grey would be a great breakthrough role for her.

IcemanAnton Yelchin—To be honest, right now he's probably one of the biggest names I have for my cast. Take a little Charlie Bartlett innocence…add a touch of Kyle Reese bravery…and throw in some Chekov anxiousness---and VOILA! Young Bobby Drake screaming "ICEBEAM!"

BeastGarret Hedlund—For Beast I'm looking to go a little more Ultimate Hank McCoy and less classic 616. I'd like my Beast to brilliant…but at the same time, have an indie rocker vibe to him and despite how personal and fun he is, always have that sad look in his eye because he will always be a freak. Hedlund best captured this character as Jack Mercer in Four Brothers. To be honest, he only has one real dud under his belt…Eragon. I think we'll see his career boom after Disney's Tron Legacy and what better way to capitalize on your newfound success and fame than by landing another big franchise as one of it's key supporting cast?

AngelJared Padalecki—I'm not gay…but Jared Padalecki is a good looking guy. He is and you know it. But for some strange reason, almost everything I see him in is in the horror genre. Dear Hollywood, let the guy smile and enjoy life as a young, handsome man! As young, carefree, playboy-esque Warren Worthington, Padalecki can let some of that natural charm shine through…but with the huge secret of HAVING BIG ASS ANGEL WINGS, Padalecki can allow this trademark brooding to easily portray a man with a secret to protect when some pretty young thing gets too close.

Professor XJason Isaacs—This is real simple. 2 reasons: He LOOKS like a younger Patrick Stewart. He can act. Need any more convincing? Did I mention that he looks like a young Patrick Stewart? Just making sure….

MagnetoRufus Sewell—He just LOOKS evil and calculating. He should play every villain ever.














Wow. I see the new site format doesn't work well with my old format for dreamcasts. Hmmmmm.....
 
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X-Men First Class

Pitch to come

Professor Charles Xavier: John Malkovich
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As not a necessarily younger Xavier but a more naïve Xavier when it comes to Magneto I think John Malkovich would be great. This is an inexperienced, when it comes to the world of super heroics, Xavier trying his hardest to gain peace between man and mutant. Xavier is somewhat of a hypocrite when it comes to the X-Men because he is a pacifist trying to win over people with an army. Malkovich is more known for his menacing role, but I want this Xavier to have more of an edge to him. Malkovich's soothing calm voice will work great amongst his X-Men, but I want him to come at Magneto with some rage in the film's later moments.

Magneto: Viggo Mortensen
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Erik Lensherr is the most conflicted character in the X-mythos so he needs to be portrayed as someone who believes in Xavier's dream, but not in the methods. Viggo Mortensen plays characters stuck between worlds very well. I can see him forming the X-Men with Xavier, having quiet moments with the students, and in the final moments of the film, tearfully leave Xavier's side as he rams a metal rod through his spine. I thought of Viggo Mortensen for this part especially and could never get him out of my mind afterwards.

Scott Summers: Emile Hirsch
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The Cyclops in First Class isn't the man Scott Summers but the boy that will become the greatest of the X-Men. Scott has to have a shyness and sensitivity to him. He's not really the leader type but he has the potential to be. I have him in mind as the one who doesn't speak much, but can finally find his true strength with the help of his teammates. Emile Hirsch has been pretty fantastic in everything he's been in and plays characters questioning their identities to a tee. He could easily pull off the arc that Cyclops would take in the films.

Jean Grey: Danielle Panabaker
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I don't want the shy, insane version of Jean Grey we've seen in past incarnations. If anything I'd want Mark Millar's version of the character in Ultimate X-Men. She's cocky, sure of herself and shoots dirty jokes into the minds of the other X-Men when Xavier or Magneto's talking. Its Jean's outgoing attitude and sure belief in her self that convinces Cyclops to take his role as true leader of the X-Men. Daniel Panabaker hasn't been in too many major films but in the ones I've seen her in, Sky High and Friday the 13th, she's the character that has the most compassion and intelligence amongst the less mature characters around her. And she's a smoking redhead.

Hank McCoy: Jesse Plemons
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Beast isn't blue in furry in the beginning of this one, perhaps he changes halfway through. He's the Midwest farm boy with the brain of a computer and the body of an ape. He's elated to be in the X-Men and not having to hide his athletic ability or intelligence. In Friday Night Lights Plemons plays the more sensitive nerdy character. This could be the role that puts past television into the big-time. Plus he kind of has an ape-like look to him if you think about it.

Warren Worthington III: Johnny Lewis
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I've always pictured Warren as being older than the others. That, coupled with his looks and wealth, makes him more arrogant that the rest of the X-Men. He's a bit behind the others though in that he doesn't have Cyclops or Iceman's powers or Marvel Girl and Beast's intelligence. It's going to take a lot for him to come around and become a true X-Man. Johnny Lewis was fantastic on Son's of Anarchy as the soft spoken ass-kicking Half Sack. I think he can branch out of being the young guy he was on Sons to the elder member of the X-Men.

Bobby Drake: Jamie Bell
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Though Bobby's generally the prankster and joker of the group I think he needs to be able to show some emotion through the course of the film. He's got the potential to become the strongest of all the X-Men but doesn't because he hasn't matured to the point yet. Jamie Bell played a similar character in Jumper as someone who misuses his gifts for sheer enjoyment. He was also very good in Defiance and even King Kong which means he can handle the big action movie role that would be the X-Men.
 
Cast now. Pitch and explanations later. Suffice to say, it will be a period piece set in 1967.

Scott Summers - Joshua Jackson
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As the straight-laced model student of Professor Xavier's commitment to non-violent resistance, Scott is at once mild-mannered and passionate in his beliefs. While I have mixed feeling about Fringe, I think Jackson does a good job of portraying a character who's unassuming while still holding a vast reservoir of will and potential. He would serve as the rock, the straight man who is supremely confident in his goals and his ethics, a justifiably righteous character who's possibly blinded to the complex social intricacies of the political climate.

Hank McCoy - Gaius Charles
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People talk a lot about Bobby Drake as the class clown, but early McCoy is just as much a contender for that role. What struck me as great about the Ultimate Beast and later versions of the 616 version is the chip he has on his shoulder about being a "freak". I knew early on that I wanted an African-American McCoy. Since this film will predate the furry blue McCoy, I thought a character victimized by the racial prejudices of the era would be a great surrogate for the same sort of obstacles the mainstream Beast has to suffer through. In this version, McCoy is a clearly brilliant man who hides his vast intelligence behind a need for acceptance. He's a character in college through athletic scholarship, who finds acceptance by playing the role of class clown and prankster, a guy who wants to be accepted by his peers. Mentor Charles Xavier and best friend Scott Summers are the only ones who he shows his true self to with any regularity at the start of the film. Once he's immersed in Haight-Asbury, he starts to open up more, as he becomes surrounded more by the "freak movement" who are more willing to accept him for who he is. We'd develop the joking relationship between him and Drake early on, with McCoy as more joking but at the same time more clever, and Drake as more snide and snarky. From the bit of Friday Night Lights I've seen, I think Charles is perfect. He's built like an athlete but is clearly a very bright, very well-rounded individual with a great amount of conscience. McCoy is the smartest of the bunch, but more importantly, he's the heart of the crew.

Jean Grey - Madeline Zima
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This girl's just naughty. In Californication she brilliantly drifts between a sensitive, loving, understanding character and a wildly destructive hellcat. That's exactly how I picture Jean. She was the girl next door, a small town chick who decided to go west because she wanted some adventure. Now she's living with criminals and revolutionaries. She's a young woman who has no qualms about breaking rules but still has a well-directed heart. A romantic triangle would develop between her, present boyfriend Bobby Drake, and stick-in-the-mud Scott Summers. She wants to do right, but at the same time, she knows that sometimes doing what's right requires breaking things along the way. As an empathically fueled telepath/telekinetic, there's the implication that being present in such an emotionally fueled neighborhood is spinning her wildly out of control, that maybe Xavier's Berkeley office is her sanctum away from the chaos of the Haight. It's through her that Drake and Worthington become involved in Xavier's "first class".

Bobby Drake - James Franco
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Drake is typically the most immature of the X-Men, but I decided to channel that a bit differently. Snide, cynical, self-interested Drake is possibly the oldest of the bunch but also the most immature. He's living like Peter Pan, a deadbeat drug dealer living a life of excess and wild-eyed rebellion in the streets of the Haight. He's a destructive force of revolution, a rebel without a cause who seemingly likes ****ing with authority because he can. The only people he seems to care about are his girl Jean and his best friend Warren. He develops an early friend with McCoy and it's beneficial to both of them. McCoy brings some responsibility and sense of purpose into Drake's life, while Drake shows McCoy that living up to his potential is more important than appeasing his peers. I gay-love Franco, and I think he'd bring a great droopy-eyed mischief to the film. He's great at playing laconic characters who undoubtedly have great cunning lingering behind the dopiness.

Warren Worthington III - Cillian Murphy
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Moody, drug addled Warren Worthington is easily the richest young man in the Haight. His family is a well-moneyed dynasty that made their wealth creating weapons in the World Wars and have since moved on to politics. His record of arrests is a constant embarrassment to his senator father. Like Bobby, he is rudderless, unsure what he wants to do with his life other than the fact that he doesn't want to follow in his family's footsteps. A struggling former heroin addict who fancies himself as a poet and philosopher, he's a dark and brooding character inspired in large part by the beat poets of the fifties and Jim Morrison. Cillian Murphy just oozes a sinister sort of moroseness and depression.

Charles Xavier - Jeffrey Wright
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I love this guy. If I could, I'd cast him in every movie ever. With Xavier and Magnus I wanted to put two strong, storied actors into the roles to anchor the film. Wright has shown a great versatility of characters, from Basquiat to Colin Powell, but possibly his greatest strength is his quiet intensity. He's a master of the understated, who can express a great deal without ever having to use words. I think this makes him an ideal fit for the quiet, thoughtful, but greatly impassioned thinker that Xavier would be in this film.

Erik Magnus - John Malkovich
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This version of Erik wouldn't be a villain, but he could still be argued as antagonistic. Malkovich is known for his intensity, and man, does he ever have the VOICE to play Magneto.

The Pitch

Written by Dustin Lance Black (Milk) and directed by Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Summer of Sam..... Man, when did Spike get FAT?), First Class will be a period piece set in San Francisco during the 1967 Summer of Love. Costumes will be traded for the flamboyant fashions of the time, superhero vs. villain fights traded for a backdrop of social rebellion, code names traded for nicknames, the idea of the "super team" traded for an eclectic melding of personalities in the melting pot of era San Francisco. When at its best (although, it rarely is), X-Men is the least "superheroic" of four color comics, and in the same way the first X-Men turned superhero movies on its head, this film would venture forth out of the now tired template of superhero films. Xavier and Erik Magnus were both victims of a Nazi concentration camp, a situation that left a young Charles crippled and led to Magnus using his powers to slaughter the nazi soldiers leading the camp. They are now both Berkeley professors with stakes in the various civil rights movements. While Xavier has started to settle into a philosophy of passive resistance, Magnus is becoming increasingly interested in social revolution. The mutant boom has just begun, and the "Summer of Love" is seeing vast numbers of these super-powered youths flooding the powder keg of a town, already brimming with drugs and ready to spill over into chaos with looming racial tensions. Scott Summers and Hank McCoy are best friends, Berkeley students, and disciples of Xavier, who are venturing into Haight-Asbury for community work. Drug dealer Bobby Drake, his girlfriend Jean Gray, and best friend and wild child Warren Worthington are a crew of hellraisers living communally in the district. When these two groups of friends encounter each other, there's tension, but Gray's interest in Xavier's philosophy and Scott Summers leads her to start attending Xavier's private seminars into how the mutant youth can heal the future. Drake and Worthington grudgingly follow after her.

Magnus, meanwhile, is a fixture in the Haight, a social theorist building bridges between the various racial, lifestyle, gender, and youth rights groups. He sees in these downtrodden minorities a parallel to the persecution mutants will soon face, and with the vast powers held by mutants, he sees a means to enact broad, sweeping change across the American landscape. Needless to say, he's a sympathetic figure, one that most of the budding "X-Men" have a hard time disagreeing with. The tensions between these mutant youths and the tensions between police and the Haight reach a boiling point as the neighborhood peaks into a violent standoff with police chief Bolivar Trask and his riot police, the sentinels. As empath Jean Gray loses control, channeling the spirit of the Haight youth as the Phoenix, the young group of mutants have to decide to make a stand and decide what sort of future they want to represent.
 
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;) Awesome Chuck Xavier casting, Bluebeast! I also really like your Bobby.
 
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