‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ Director Teases Mystery Villains

The X-Men will face one of their own when Dark Phoenix premieres this summer, showing the fall of Jean Grey as she succumbs to cosmic power.

But there might be another group of foes in the movie, as teased in the new trailer for Dark Phoenix. Writer and director Simon Kinberg remained mum on these possible villains when asked by Empire Magazine.

In the new trailer, the X-Men and their favorite frenemy Magneto are imprisoned and being transported on a train, guarded by armored soldiers.

Fun fact, those soldiers sport some patches that might be not-so-subtle references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Suddenly, Jean Grey shows up and uses her amazing new powers to derail the train, forcing a confrontation with the armed guards.

Kinberg said the group of X-Men “comes under attack from forces I’ll leave vague for now,” refusing to spill any more details.

While the X-Men are probably being imprisoned, Kinberg wouldn’t reveal where the train is heading in the new trailer, saying instead “I can tell you, it doesn’t get there.”

It remains to be seen who these new foes are and whether they have any ties to Jessica Chastain’s character, but the reference to the MCU will surely get fans talking. Kinberg himself addressed the inevitable transition of the X-Men over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe while speaking with Entertainment Weekly.

“I haven’t had formal talks with Disney. I know [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige very well. But we haven’t had formal talks because until the merger is official, they’re not allowed to have those kinds of conversations with the folks at Fox or myself,” Kinberg said to Entertainment Weekly. “What’s interesting is obviously I started this movie long before Disney purchased Fox, and I approached the movie knowing that it was the fourth movie with our First Class cast and that the Phoenix story for me is the ultimate X-Men story.

“I approached the movie like it was the culmination in some ways — not that there couldn’t be other movies, but I did approach the movie as if, like, if you spent 20 years of living with this family, this is the movie you see the family truly tested, fall apart, and hopefully come back together. There was something about that sense of closure for the family, that sense of test, that sense of loss. It felt like not this is the end necessarily, but this is it for them.”

X-Men: Dark Phoenix premieres in theaters on June 7th.