First X-Men: Dark Phoenix trailer teases the end of the saga as we know it

Big changes are on the horizon for the X-Men franchise.

Fox just released the first trailer for Dark Phoenix, the latest installment in the X-Men series in which the team of mutants must save one of their own, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), who is corrupted after gaining terrifying new powers. It's based on the popular Dark Phoenix Saga, a comic storyline from 1980. The cast from the previous three films returns, with Jessica Chastain also joining as a shapeshifter who serves as a mentor to Jean.

Dark Phoenix has had a bumpy road to the big screen, as it was originally set to release in November 2018 but was pushed back to go through reshoots in response to test screening feedback, per Collider.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

This sequel is likely to be the conclusion of this iteration of the X-Men, even if it wasn't originally intended to be. After all, the movie franchise is currently owned by 20th Century Fox, but when the Disney purchase of Fox is finalized, these characters will be incorporated into Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. At that point, a full reboot, complete with the recasting of every character and a reset in continuity, will almost surely be required.

It remains to be seen how conclusive Dark Phoenix itself is, seeing as it was mostly written and shot before the Disney purchase was announced, but the trailer does open with a telling song lyric: "This is the end."

Dark Phoenix hits theaters on Feb. 14, 2019. Watch the trailer below. Brendan Morrow