Ahoy, mutants! Aidan here.

I’ve always had a special – if not necessarily huge – spot in my heart for the X-Men. They represent a very unique corner of the Marvel Universe whose canon and message are fascinating in a way no other Marvel property is. I was hooked the famous 90s animated series (oh, the glorious 90s) and remember seeing Bryan Singer’s original X-Men when I was six years old.  X2 only further ignited my passion for quality comic book cinema, but the franchise went to hell after that thanks to naked waterfall jumps and sewn-shut Deadpool mouths.

X-Men: First Class breathed ambitious new life into the property and now it’s looking to reach another peak of quality with X-Men: Days of Future Past.  A hell of a story to attempt in cinematic form, and fans like myself, shuddering at the memory of Spider-Man 3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, have been worrying – is the film simply too big?

Comic-Con 2013: Days of Future PastLeave it to Marvel to answer our concerns with a miracle. Breakdown of the panel: Shortly following the panel for The WolverineHugh Jackman and Bryan Singer screened a brief 3D sizzle reel. Description courtesy of Collider:

So many mutants but the core is that we see Xavier, Magneto, Storm, and Wolverine in the future.  Xavier says they need to send Logan’s mind back to his younger body and convince young Xavier and young Magneto to avert the disastrous future.  In the future, we see the cast members from the first three movies in dark, futuristic-looking clothing but not cheesy.  It’s austere, and so is the landscape, not the ragged, post-apocalypse from the comics.

When Wolverine goes back, we see the First Class members, and young Xavier looks absolutely beaten and tired.  We then go through a big montage of almost all the characters.  Memorable moments include Beast trying to drown young Magneto, and a young Magneto using his power to drag a helpless Mystique towards him.  The trailer finishes out with young Xavier shouting, “I don’t want your future!”  We then go to a two-shot with young Xavier and old Xavier facing each other.  Old Xavier tells his younger self, “Please.  We need you to hope again.”

On to the stage come the writer/co-producer Simon Kinberg, producer Lauren Shuler Donner, producer Hutch Parker, and actors Omar Sy, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Anna Paquin, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicolas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, and Evan Peters. Comic-Con attendees marveled at the entire cast showing up.

Comic-Con 2013: Days of Future Past

Audience Q&A:

Is Deadpool possible?

  • “Anything is possible,” says Singer.  “Not in this movie, but it’s possible.”

If you could play another X-Man, who would you be?

  • “The good thing about my character is that I can do that with anyone,” Lawrence quips.

Will we ever see a Gambit/Rogue romance?

  • “We’re exploring all options at the moment,” Singer teased.

Moderator asks about how the Quicksilver in this story even though he’s also in Avengers 2.  Singer says Quicksilver was always a part of the story, and while he can’t speak to The Avengers…he asks Peters to describe the character.  “He’s very fast,” says Peters.  “He’s got excellent genes” Fassbender – playing the character’s father – joked.  Singer reveals to the crowd that Peters is part of the 1970s cast.

Who’s your favorite character, not necessarily the person you’re playing:

X-Men: Days of Future Past received the first standing ovation in Hall H at Comic-Con 2013.  Seeing that many actors assemble provided a well-needed perception of the scale of the picture and Singer’s presence and surety of the film’s direction reassured any wavering fans. The trailer met with thunderous reception and I’m being told this was a once-in-a-lifetime Comic-Con panel, something you don’t see often.

Comic-Con 2013: Days of Future Past

Source: Collider