One thing both Shipp and Smit-McPhee made clear: this movie is all about the X-Women. "I was really excited when I read through the script when I first got it because Storm is kicking ass," said Shipp, "She is kicking all the
bootay."
While the character was just learning how to control her powers in the the previous film, 10 years later, she's a pro. According to Shipp, this Storm is a "huge part of the X-Men" and "knows exactly what she's doing."
"Women are kicking ass and taking names," she added of the new movie. "Also fighting each other, which is sad, but it happens. It's really cool to see the girls ganging up and really fighting for each other."
Smit-McPhee said Nightcrawler and a lot of the guys in the film are "kind of just supporting that lead woman [Sophie Turner's titular character] which is a very beautiful thing."
"We do have those moments where Nightcrawler gets to reveal a certain arc that would lead and connect with Alan Cumming's portrayal," he said, calling that iteration "a more vicious" and "demonic" version of the character. According to Smit-McPhee, the transformation is "spurred by the frustration of so much death going on in front of him and the frustration of not being able to save certain people."
Kodi also revealed what it was like stepping into the comics' classic costumes for the new film, calling it a "badass" experience. "They're so simplistic and so powerful at the same time," he added, "which is something the tone of our movie is reflecting."
The death of a major character also changes Beast's alliances, as [SPOILER ALERT, but not really because the director spilled it] Jean Grey is responsible for killing Mystique, Hank McCoy's longtime friend and sometimes-love interest.
"There's a new side to Beast and a break apart of the X-Men in this movie because of what happens to Raven" Hoult told TooFab. "Hank believes Charles' motives and way of working aren't always correct and he takes that as a sign that he needs to break apart and go about redemption, revenge all those sorts of things, in a different way."
'X-Men: Dark Phoenix' Cast: Storm's 'Kicking Ass,' Beast Goes Rogue and Nightcrawler Comes Full Circle