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James McAvoy in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

‘Oh, Really:’ James McAvoy Reacts to Fan Calling X-Men: Dark Phoenix His Worst Film

It’s fair to say that Fox’s X-Men movies had quality issues from time to time. Some are great and helped shape the genre, while others are better left forgotten. Well, no matter the problems, James McAvoy was still shocked to hear a fan call X-Men: Dark Phoenix his worst film.

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While having a casual conversation with a fan, McAvoy asked them to name the worst movie he’s been in. Of course, the celebrated actor has had a long career, and there are plenty of misses on his resume. However, the fan couldn’t help but throw some shade at the final ensemble X-Men film in Fox’s franchise.

“Dark Phoenix?” McAvoy said with a smirk on his face. “I’m not offended. I can never be offended.”

The fan goes on to explain that, while they don’t think McAvoy gives a bad performance, they don’t appreciate how the movie makes him out to be the villain. The actor had a pretty good explanation for that, though. “I tried to make me the villain in that,” he said. “I would’ve made me more the villain in that if they let me as well.”

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Dark Phoenix definitely took Charles Xavier’s character into uncharted territroy, with him being more excited about being praised by the world than doing right by his students. That leads to Jean Grey killing Mystique and making friends with an evil alien played by Jessica Chastain after losing control of her abilities. Jean seemingly dies in the ensuing conflict, which leads Xavier to retire and leave his school to Hank McCoy.

It’s a bittersweet ending, so it’s easy to see why a diehard Xavier fan wouldn’t be a big fan of it. And critics seem to agree, as, based on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, Dark Phoenix is tied for the worst movie on McAvoy’s resume with 2022’s Submergence.


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Jackson Hayes
Associate Editor
Jackson Hayes is an Associate Editor at The Escapist. Starting his writing career in 2017, he quickly rose the ranks and became an editor. He's spent the last six years working at outlets such as CBR, Heroic Hollywood and Full Circle Cinema, where he's covered various sports games, Call of Duty, the MCU, and other major properties. You can follow him on Twitter @jacksonhayes67