When it comes to Jean Grey’s descent into madness and power in the X-Men franchise, it’s hard to pick any one reason for her downfall in Dark Phoenix. But even then, one of the stars of the long-running franchises isn’t shying away from responsibility, and is instead taking blame for the merry mutants’ latest predicament.
Professor Xavier actor James McAvoy recently admitted to CBR that his character should take the blame for what happens in Dark Phoenix. According to the star, it all comes down to his own vanity and his inability to fix everyone he comes into contact with.
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“I’ve been lucky! I think particularly in Days of Future Past and this one, he’s been really complex. He was damaged in Days of Future Past and had to heal himself, or let other people help him heal, and in this one, he’s not damaged but he’s damaging — from a good place,” said McAvoy. “He’s still hurting people, you know, because he’s got this vanity and this god complex where he thinks he can fix everybody. This mantra he has, that there’s good inside everyone, that’s a beautiful thing, but I think it’s taken to the point where he feels he has to win that. He has to prove that to prove that he’s right, and that’s not necessarily the same thing as doing what’s right for the person in front of you.”
McAvoy added, “He’s also got this fatherly thing where he believes his children are capable of so much more and he’s got unlimited potential for them all. And that’s great! That sounds positive, but where does that cross over into pushing your kid too far? Not that she’s a kid, but she’s sort of like his daughter. He pushes her way too far and she suffers horribly because of it.”
The movie does not shy away from painting Xavier in a morally ambiguous light, especially after his actions over the last few films. Dark Phoenix might show that while Xavier always wants to do what’s best for mutants and for students, he doesn’t always make the right call.
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