The problem is that Fox never invested in the other characters. To be fair, they were flying a bit blind with the first X-film, but X2 seemed to plant some seeds for other character development. But they blew it in X3 and Origins, where it was all about throwing as many mutants as possible on screen and seeing what stuck.
Thats not really true. Whats true is that the other characters havent been invested in AS MUCH as Wolverine, but throughout the franchise, Xavier, Magneto, Jean Grey and Rogue have gotten some very decent focus. If we consider the original franchise alone, Id suggest Iceman and Storm got some decent focus as well.
X3 wasn't just about "throwing mutants onscreen and seeing what stuck", though there was certainly an element of that with the Morlock characters, supervillains, etc.
However, at the same time, secondary characters like Jean, Storm, Beast and Kitty Pryde got much more time onscreen and more exploration and development as supporting characters than the supporting X-Men had in previous films. X3 was a leap forward in that regard. It handled the ensemble in a much more balanced fashion.
Now, have we seen much about all the supporting cast in general in this franchise?
No, but thats largely an issue with the medium itself, and its true in any superhero franchise or ensemble film. For instance, in the Batman franchise, what did we learn about Alfred in three films, besides the very basics? Not a whole lot. James Gordon? Etc, etc, etc. What do we really know about Pepper Potts in the IRON MAN franchise?
If Storm had better writing, Scott wasn't treated as Wolverine's obstacle, and Pyro and Iceman's frenemy thing treated as something more than an annoying plot point to be tied up in X3, (etc etc), we wouldn't be left with Wolverine as the only one putting the butts in the theater seats.
Iceman and Pyros rivalry was treated as just that, a rivalry, with one of them devolving into a terrorist and one of them evolving into a hero.
Scott HAS to be treated as Wolverines obstacle to an extent. Thats what he is to Wolverine, at least initially. A foil, and an obstacle. But filmmakers showed a very clear portrayal of who Jean belongs with in X2 and X3. Any halfway intelligent person should not believe that Scott was somehow just Logans competition in this franchise. From Wolverines point of view, yes. But not in terms of the big picture.
Well you could argue it's because the general moviegoing audience has been conditioned to see him as such. THE hero, THE main character, and that all started in X1.
Heres the thing.
Wolverine may well be the main character, the audience identification character, what have you, but The X-Men films show them working as a team, and its generally been Wolverine AND the X-Men saving the day.
Pretty much from the beginning.
Its never been just Wolverine on his own, except when hes actually on his own. Hes been the X-Mens most durable character, and their most skilled. These are very faithful portrayals of Logan in relation to the X-Men.
And I don't necessarily mean conditioned in a bad way, and while Wolverine is an incredible character with a lot of depth and history, is that not to say that characters like Jean, Iceman, Angel, Nightcrawler, Professor, Magneto, Gambit, Rogue, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, or even Colossus can't be just as interesting?
I think Xavier and Magneto have gotten very similar focus to Wolverine. It can be argued that Jean has, as well, at least in X3.
50 years of X-comics have shown us that in the right hands, even characters like Domino, Husk, Elixir, Anole, Marrow, or Warpath (and this list could literally span 30 mutants) could be stars when given the right writer and story.
Right, but thats 50 years of comics. Of monthly titles, one shots, etc.
Not finite films that come out at best every two or three years, with two hours to tell a story.
You can't really compare the two. It's not quite that simple.
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