Production on X-Men: Dark Phoenix has begun, and Jessica Chastain has reported to set to begin filming her role as one of the film’s main antagonists. But despite initial reports that Chastain would portray Lilandra, the Empress of the Shi’ar Empire, Chastain has suddenly cast doubt on whether the Shi’ar will even appear in the film.
Via X-MenFilms.com, Chastain posted a photo on her Instagram account that included this very intriguing tidbit: “Hey folks, want a scoop? [I’m] not playing Lilandra.” That pic appears to have been removed and re-posted without Chastain’s “scoop,” but the picture of her comments has been making the rounds. The real question now is simple: if she isn’t Lilandra, then who will Chastain play in the movie?
The way we see it, there are two very strong possibilities. The first is Val Cooper, a long-time character in the X-Men franchise who has been both an ally and an adversary to Marvel’s mutants. She was introduced to the Marvel universe as a NSA adviser on superhuman activities, before becoming a federal liaison for mutant affairs. Cooper initially clashed with the X-Men and even brought in members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to become the officially sanctioned Freedom Force. But in the ’90s, Cooper had closer ties to the X-Men as the government liaison for X-Factor. If Chastain is playing Cooper within the movie, it may mean that her character could also potentially become an ally to the X-Men by the end of the movie. It would also suggest that the story won’t be heading into space.
The other contender in our minds is Amelia Voght, a former lover of Charles Xavier and one of Magneto’s original Acolytes. It’s been rumored that Magneto will be more like a cult leader in Dark Phoenix, so it would make sense for Voght to be one of his followers. The only reason we wouldn’t pull the trigger on that is because Voght’s character arc always seemed to be in service of either Xavier or Magneto. We can’t see Chastain joining this franchise just to be someone else’s subordinate. So unless Amelia Voght is more assertive than she is in the comics, we think Val Cooper is still the best option.
Who do you think that Chastain will play in X-Men: Dark Phoenix? Share your theories below!
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Images: Columbia Pictures/Marvel ComicsÂ
