Dark Phoenix Movie Villains: Jessica Chastain & The Skrulls' Role

The first trailer for the next X-Men film, Dark Phoenix, has finally been released - and it still leaves us none the wiser about the role of Jessica Chastain's villain and the alien Skrulls. The trailer focuses almost entirely upon the threat of the Phoenix, setting up an intensely personal story that sees the X-Men apparently battling against one of their own.

It's been widely reported that Dark Phoenix features the shapeshifting aliens known as the Skrulls. In October last year, there were reports from the set that the aliens would launch a devastating attack upon a United Nations meeting discussing mutants. The Skrulls' presence was apparently confirmed when EW revealed Jessica Chastain was playing "an otherworldly shapeshifter who comes into contact with Phoenix." That definitely fits with the idea that she's portraying a Skrull, and there was some speculation she could be the Empress R'Klll. So far, Fox has studiously avoided giving viewers either a glimpse of the Skrulls, or even a hint as to the true identity of Chastain's character.

The first Dark Phoenix trailer doesn't leave us any the wiser; with that United Nations scene only hinted at a couple of shots. So what can we deduce about the villain's role in the movie, and the part the alien race will play in the film's plot?

This Page: What The Dark Phoenix Trailer Reveals About Chastain & The Skrulls
Page 2: The Skrulls' Role In Dark Phoenix

The Skrulls Aren't In The First Trailer (But Jessica Chastain Is)

Jessica Chastain as Smith in church in X-Men Dark Phoenix

The Skrulls themselves don't appear in the trailer at all. In fact, if not for the set reports and the tease that Chastain is "an otherworldly shapeshifter," you could be forgiven for not realizing alien races will be part of Dark Phoenix at all. Chastain is presented as a cold, almost clinical figure who's following Jean, apparently with a sense of just what she really is. The trailer release was followed up by an interview with IGN, with Simon Kinberg discussing the relationship between Jean and Chastain's character:

"It’s an interesting one and I don’t want to spill too much about it but basically Jessica’s character is very interested in this power that I’ve kind of acquired and this cosmic force that I have and she kind of wants that force to use it for her own -- she has her own intentions with it and she kind of wants to use that. And she nurtures me in a way to make me kind of trust her."

We can see a hint of that dynamic in the trailer, with one scene showing Chastain speaking calmly to an emotional Jean. "You feel like you don't belong here," she tells the powerful young mutant. "You don't." It's clear she's adopted a role similar to the one employed by Mastermind in the comic book version of The Dark Phoenix Saga. Mastermind was a powerful mutant in his own right, and he attempted to manipulate Jean in the pursuit of power - although Kinberg confirmed to IGN that she isn't a direct version of him. However, there are also parallels to the Ultimate Comics version of Shi'ar Empress Lilandra, the leader of a cult who believed there was a telepath destined to become the manifestation of the Phoenix.

Assuming all the reports of Skrull involvement in the film are correct - which really does seem likely - then there's probably a simple reason why the trailer doesn't show them. Dark Phoenix has just finished undergoing two weeks' worth of reshoots, and has just entered post-production and editing. That means the CGI on the Skrulls will be in a very early stage, certainly not ready to be shared with viewers just yet.

Page 2 of 2: The Skrulls' Role In Dark Phoenix

The Skrulls' Role in the Comics

It's clear that Dark Phoenix is taking great liberties with the original comic book story. In the comics, The Dark Phoenix Saga saw Mastermind unwittingly transform Jean Grey into Dark Phoenix. A creature of fire and rage incarnate, Dark Phoenix launched herself on a cosmic spree of destruction, consuming an entire star and committing an act of genocide. The Shi'ar proposed that Dark Phoenix had to be killed in order to bring an end to her rampage, a decision they made with the support of a number of other prominent alien races - including the Skrulls. That was literally the extent of the Skrulls' involvement in the original Dark Phoenix Saga; they watched from the sidelines, cheering the Shi'ar on.

Looking beyond that arc, the comics have traditionally shown the Skrulls view Earth with a great degree of suspicion. While the Skrulls have frequently attempted to conquer humanity, there have been a number of occasions where they've actually tried to wipe us out. The primary reason for this is because the Skrulls resent and fear the sheer number and variety of superhumans on Earth. The second, and possibly more relevant to the plot of Dark Phoenix, is that the alien shapeshifters celebrate the genetic purity of their own race and view mutations as aberrations. This has brought them into conflict with the X-Men on more than one occasion, with Professor X even heading off into space for a while to lead a group of Skrull mutants who were fighting to survive the prejudice of their own race.

While Captain Marvel is introducing the MCU's Skrulls as an invading force presumably set on conquest, it's possible Dark Phoenix will take a different approach. These Skrulls could hate and fear the growing number of superhuman mutants on Earth, believing the planet will become a threat to the galactic order. Thus they could conceivably be attempting to cause as much conflict as possible on Earth - and, when they see Jean's power, they could decide to take advantage of it to their own ends.

How Do The Skrulls Fit In With This Trailer?

The first trailer for Dark Phoenix is intense and personal, focused almost entirely on Jean's relationship with the X-Men, Charles Xavier, and even Magneto. That fits with comments from the cast and crew; "We treated this movie as much more of a drama versus a superhero film," Tye Sheridan explained. Kinberg himself has stressed that the tone will be "a little less operatic" than the other X-Men movies, promising that it's "more intense..., more real and grounded, and hopefully more relatable." For all that's the case, though, we do know there's a cosmic side to this story - one involving the phenomenal power of the Phoenix Force, with alien shapeshifters watching with malignant intent.

That means this trailer is actually tremendously effective. The best trailers don't reveal every plot twist; instead, they focus upon the film's core themes, conveying the central emotional message of a movie. The "hook" for Dark Phoenix is not that the Skrulls are appearing in the X-Men franchise; it's that one of the X-Men has gone rogue, in part a consequence of Xavier's own actions, in part as a result of the predatory manipulations of a shadowy figure.

It seems safe to assume that the Skrulls' presence and role will increase over the course of the narrative. If that's the case, presumably at first we'll only see Chastain's character as she encourages Jean to unleash the power of the Phoenix. Perhaps Chastain is playing a villain who simply desires to have the Phoenix on a leash; or perhaps she's hoping provoking the Phoenix will lead to the destruction of the entire human race. The latter would fit with a comment Chastain made last year. Describing her villain, Chastain noted that she kept thinking of "the vet who tells you you need to put your dog down." It had initially been believed she was referring to killing Jean, as in the comic book Dark Phoenix Saga, but perhaps she was really referring to wiping out humanity.

Hopefully the next Dark Phoenix trailer will give us some more hints as to the Skrulls' motives and role. The CGI should be finished by then, meaning we should expect to see a lot more Phoenix fire as well.