Let me start by saying this: The X-Men comics and the X-Men films are NOT THE SAME CANON. Never were. So while fanboys are getting their Spider-Man Underoos in a twist over inconsistencies with the movie the important thing to keep in mind is that each film should be in canon with each other, inspired by the comics. The comics are not the script.
That being said, Bryan Singer has come forward to offer a little bit of perspective on how the characters we are going to meet in First Class fit into the canon, most importantly that Havok will NOT be the brother of Scott Summers.
“Yes, the timeline is different. It wouldn’t physically fit for him to be the brother of Cyclops. We take some liberties on that. There are notions, but, um, I don’t want to give away certain interrelations, but let’s just say there are some things that do adhere to the comic books and do so in a way the fans will get a kick out of. And those things can, perhaps, move forward into the future…. That’s one reason we wanted to call the film ‘First Class’ even though it isn’t the [Jeff Parker-penned story arc called] ‘First Class’ in the comics as fans know it. You couldn’t really tell that story without going even earlier and explaining how they got there and how it came to be. I liked the title, so we kept it, but this is a prelude in a way that will eventually lead to the [scenarios] that fit in more clearly with the ‘First Class’ comics and situations.”
I like that he clarifies that this film takes its title from the comic book, but in no way is trying to apdapt that story arc. Too many fanboys are twitching that this is not “First Class” as it does not contain the first five X-Men. The films already make it impossible to have Beast, Angel, Cyclops, Iceman and Marvel Girl in this story arc, so I don’t see the big deal. Its not a reboot.
I don’t mind them making Havok NOT a Summers Brother. They make such a point in the books of giving Havok his own storylines and his own identity that there is little else to relate the two. Sure, they are brothers in the comics, but its not that important in the big picture. The only real connection that would be logical is if they were doing The Starjammers, and its captain Christopher Summers – known as the space pirate Corsair – was part of the story. And I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
Emma Frost – The White Queen is one of those Puzzles. First Class will feature Emma Frost, but in the 80s a presumed teenaged Frost was seen in Origins Wolverine. Clearly the two are not the same character. The character in Origins is only ever called Emma in the film and does not use any mental powers at all, and is said to be Kayla Silverfox’s sister. While in the comics Emma Frost evolves her power to include a “diamond form” it has been clarified already in the credits of Origins Wolverine that Emma is not Emma Frost.
They use the exact same teleporting power for Azazel as they did for Nightcrawler in X2 and in the comics he is Nightcrawler’s father. What is interesting in the comics is that Mystique is actually his mother, which makes the tone of their conversation in X2 seem more maternal than “mutant superior”.
It will be fun to see how this all comes together in light of the version of the X-Men we see in the movies.
