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May. 30th, 2006 04:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apocalypsosSo I'm back from X3. I think I agree with what my brother said to me -- "The first two movies were good. This one was entertaining." Which amused the hell out of me, because it perfectly summed up what I thought -- that is, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it like the first two, that's for damn sure -- but it definitely didn't sound like something he came up with. Heh. :)
Anyway, I've already seen a few people saying they aren't really fic-inspired after this, which is understandable, but the story ideas I want to write are mostly stuff that I should have seen on that screen and would have in the first two movies. Warren getting to do something. (Because he could have just been a pair of wings on a stick and he would have been as useful as he was with what they gave him to do. *sigh*) More Scott stuff. Bobby and Hank interacting. Jean doing something other than being a prop. Actual introductions for Jamie Madrox and Juggernaut instead of Infodumpadaviddas. What happened to Mystique after the scene in the truck when Magneto left her. (That's the one sticking in my brain like crazy, especially considering what the ending means for the future of their relationship. And I never have had much of an urge to write either character, but REALLY.)
Although, for any complaints I may have, I had complete and total fangasm moments when Hank said, "Oh, my stars and garters," and when Bobby turned into ice. BOBBY TURNED INTO ICE. I know others have complained about the effect, but considering the amount of obvious green screen I was seeing, that made me SO happy. I need that as an icon YESTERDAY. It doesn't even need a caption. Hell, fuck the caption. I just need movieverse!Bobby all iced up. Yeah, I'm going overboard. DON'T CARE.
You know what? Let me just break this down by character. It'll make it easier for me.
Charles: Jesus, when the hell did Xavier become such a bastard? I mean ... I don't know. I'm not exactly sure if it was that he was being a bastard or that his lines were written so badly that it just sounded like he was a bastard. I didn't like his dialogue at ALL. I got where he was coming from, but every word he said made me want to punch him in the face.
Erik: I really did like Magneto in this movie more than I liked most of the X-Men, which is just annoying. Not that I want to hate Magneto. What I want is to be able to see both sides of the argument, and in this movie I had such a hard time doing that, even when Erik was doing stuff like turning his back on Mystique. I got where he was coming from most of the time, more than I did with some of the things Charles was doing.
Charles/Erik: If that scene at the Grey house wasn't canon establishing them as a couple, I don't know what is. It's called personal space, boys. Try it sometime.
Logan: I hated Logan when he was crying, which took up WAY too much screentime for Logan, and loved him when he was kicking ass and making out with Jean. And that last part is just odd, because if I'm remembering correctly, even now with this third movie, Logan and Jean have still only known each other a matter of days. *shrugs*
Storm: I was spoiled for the whole movie, and yet I still sat around every time they killed someone thinking, "Okay, so Storm's next, right? Right?
Jean (and by extension, Scott): When she dropped the house, I absolutely did not think, "Wow, property values in this neighborhood are dropping." *shifty eyes* Anyway, I just would have been happier if Scott had been there. Hell, I think the whole storyline would have worked better if Scott were there, and while I get why they couldn't use him, THIS is yet another reason why they should have held off on shooting for a while. They rushed out the movie as if the fans weren't about to wait, and guess what? We were. We totally were ready to. Where else are we going to get a new X-Men movie? If they want to make it as good as the other two, then by all means, WAIT. If you can't have James Marsden for the Dark Phoenix storyline for a month or two, WAIT. The whole thing just felt wrong without him there.
Angel and Colossus: I've got the same complaint for both. They had them, and they barely used them.
Rogue: Okay, if Rogue was trying to make me want Bobby to go with Kitty, then she was doing a hell of a job. And speaking of not really making good use of a character --- jealous, jealous, jealous, OMG FAUX ABORTION CLINIC, human! Did I or did I not just sum up Rogue's entire screentime right there?
Bobby: *cuddles* I, um, am tempted to write Bobby/Kitty. HELP ME.
Kitty: How awesome was Kitty? THIS AWESOME. Yay!
Beast: I think the best compliment I can give Kelsey Grammer is that he did a really great job with what they gave him. The problem is that what they gave him needed work. First off, he should have been computer-generated, or at the very least have had better makeup. It wasn't as good as it could have been. (On the other hand, what they did computer-generate in this movie was dreadful.) And secondly, Hank didn't get nearly enough opportunities to show his sense of humor, his wit, his ability to have fun. See, that's why I'm craving Bobby and Hank friendship fic -- because the Hank that was onscreen could possibly have been the same Hank that I can believe plays tricks and teases and goes for Twinkie runs, and I wanted to see that.
Mystique: I know I've read too much fanfic because when Mystique turned into the little girl, I thought, "Annie Creed!" And then I flailed in my brain. ;) But she's the one I most want to write post-X3 fic about. Go figure.
In other news, I really want to make a T-shirt that says something like, "Making fun of somebody's tattoos is begging for a punch from someone who likes pain," or, "I love my tattoos, so FUCK OFF." You know, something subtle I can wear to family gatherings. ;)
Anyway, I've already seen a few people saying they aren't really fic-inspired after this, which is understandable, but the story ideas I want to write are mostly stuff that I should have seen on that screen and would have in the first two movies. Warren getting to do something. (Because he could have just been a pair of wings on a stick and he would have been as useful as he was with what they gave him to do. *sigh*) More Scott stuff. Bobby and Hank interacting. Jean doing something other than being a prop. Actual introductions for Jamie Madrox and Juggernaut instead of Infodumpadaviddas. What happened to Mystique after the scene in the truck when Magneto left her. (That's the one sticking in my brain like crazy, especially considering what the ending means for the future of their relationship. And I never have had much of an urge to write either character, but REALLY.)
Although, for any complaints I may have, I had complete and total fangasm moments when Hank said, "Oh, my stars and garters," and when Bobby turned into ice. BOBBY TURNED INTO ICE. I know others have complained about the effect, but considering the amount of obvious green screen I was seeing, that made me SO happy. I need that as an icon YESTERDAY. It doesn't even need a caption. Hell, fuck the caption. I just need movieverse!Bobby all iced up. Yeah, I'm going overboard. DON'T CARE.
You know what? Let me just break this down by character. It'll make it easier for me.
Charles: Jesus, when the hell did Xavier become such a bastard? I mean ... I don't know. I'm not exactly sure if it was that he was being a bastard or that his lines were written so badly that it just sounded like he was a bastard. I didn't like his dialogue at ALL. I got where he was coming from, but every word he said made me want to punch him in the face.
Erik: I really did like Magneto in this movie more than I liked most of the X-Men, which is just annoying. Not that I want to hate Magneto. What I want is to be able to see both sides of the argument, and in this movie I had such a hard time doing that, even when Erik was doing stuff like turning his back on Mystique. I got where he was coming from most of the time, more than I did with some of the things Charles was doing.
Charles/Erik: If that scene at the Grey house wasn't canon establishing them as a couple, I don't know what is. It's called personal space, boys. Try it sometime.
Logan: I hated Logan when he was crying, which took up WAY too much screentime for Logan, and loved him when he was kicking ass and making out with Jean. And that last part is just odd, because if I'm remembering correctly, even now with this third movie, Logan and Jean have still only known each other a matter of days. *shrugs*
Storm: I was spoiled for the whole movie, and yet I still sat around every time they killed someone thinking, "Okay, so Storm's next, right? Right?
Jean (and by extension, Scott): When she dropped the house, I absolutely did not think, "Wow, property values in this neighborhood are dropping." *shifty eyes* Anyway, I just would have been happier if Scott had been there. Hell, I think the whole storyline would have worked better if Scott were there, and while I get why they couldn't use him, THIS is yet another reason why they should have held off on shooting for a while. They rushed out the movie as if the fans weren't about to wait, and guess what? We were. We totally were ready to. Where else are we going to get a new X-Men movie? If they want to make it as good as the other two, then by all means, WAIT. If you can't have James Marsden for the Dark Phoenix storyline for a month or two, WAIT. The whole thing just felt wrong without him there.
Angel and Colossus: I've got the same complaint for both. They had them, and they barely used them.
Rogue: Okay, if Rogue was trying to make me want Bobby to go with Kitty, then she was doing a hell of a job. And speaking of not really making good use of a character --- jealous, jealous, jealous, OMG FAUX ABORTION CLINIC, human! Did I or did I not just sum up Rogue's entire screentime right there?
Bobby: *cuddles* I, um, am tempted to write Bobby/Kitty. HELP ME.
Kitty: How awesome was Kitty? THIS AWESOME. Yay!
Beast: I think the best compliment I can give Kelsey Grammer is that he did a really great job with what they gave him. The problem is that what they gave him needed work. First off, he should have been computer-generated, or at the very least have had better makeup. It wasn't as good as it could have been. (On the other hand, what they did computer-generate in this movie was dreadful.) And secondly, Hank didn't get nearly enough opportunities to show his sense of humor, his wit, his ability to have fun. See, that's why I'm craving Bobby and Hank friendship fic -- because the Hank that was onscreen could possibly have been the same Hank that I can believe plays tricks and teases and goes for Twinkie runs, and I wanted to see that.
Mystique: I know I've read too much fanfic because when Mystique turned into the little girl, I thought, "Annie Creed!" And then I flailed in my brain. ;) But she's the one I most want to write post-X3 fic about. Go figure.
In other news, I really want to make a T-shirt that says something like, "Making fun of somebody's tattoos is begging for a punch from someone who likes pain," or, "I love my tattoos, so FUCK OFF." You know, something subtle I can wear to family gatherings. ;)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
*not reading, not reading*
Date: 2006-05-30 09:32 pm (UTC)In any case, some tattoos ARE stupid. I'm sure you'd agree with me. Just had an acquaintance get a new tattoo, and I'm baffled by it. She got the Chinese symbol for love tattooed on her right inside wrist, which I think is cool, in three different shades of purple. That's the cool part...
... the uncool part is that she got her girlfriend of a month's name tattooed right underneath it.
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Date: 2006-05-30 09:34 pm (UTC)How about 'Gee, no, I really DIDN'T think about the consequences when I had something permanent inked into my skin.'
Meh.
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Date: 2006-05-30 09:40 pm (UTC)Re: *not reading, not reading*
Date: 2006-05-30 09:42 pm (UTC)I love mine, though. I'm proud of them and I'm not the least bit ashamed of them and I just wish my relatives would SHUT UP about them. The only one who comes out looking foolish when they do it is them.
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Date: 2006-05-30 09:49 pm (UTC)I squealed out loud. I think I made the guy next to me jump. :)
And the CGI thing ... I think I wanted him to be CGI, but not if it was with the same CGI they used for the rest of the movie. Sometimes the effects were good, but a lot of times they were downright awful. I think I gave up on counting the times it was blatantly green screen in the background after I hit five.
Oh, I believe they could do right by the Bobby/Hank relationship, you know, if they got a better script and brought back Singer. (Like that'll happen in the next go-round. *sigh*) I want to write movieverse Hank, Warren, and Bobby hanging out together SO BADLY. It's completely unfair we never got even a wink-wink shot of all five of the original students together. *sigh*
Re: *not reading, not reading*
Date: 2006-05-30 09:50 pm (UTC)Just something else to snicker about? They started dating like the last two weeks of the semester. One (with the tattoo) is here in PA...
... the other one is in FL.
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Date: 2006-05-30 09:50 pm (UTC)Heh.
Re: *not reading, not reading*
Date: 2006-05-30 09:54 pm (UTC)That last one turned out so pretty -- the lettering looks awesome in black ink on skin. And the only people who've ever NOT complimented me on it are in my family. Bah. Screw 'em. I've wanted tattoos since I was a kid and now I've finally got the cojones to get 'em. :)
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Date: 2006-05-30 09:55 pm (UTC)Which means either the scriptwriters were really stupid, or the filmmakers were really petty over Superman Returns.
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Date: 2006-05-30 10:01 pm (UTC)I really really wanted that shot of the original five. But noooooooo, Ratner was too focused on Logan/Jean. Which: bitch, please. The two of them aren't nearly as star-crossed as Jean and Scott are.
I think movieverse!Warren, Hank, and Bobby should be set about a year after the movie, when Bobby and Warren have "graduated" from the Xavier School and have been on active duty with Hank (who has taken the burden of running the school off Ororo, who has decided she'd rather just teach, and make pilgrimages to Africa).
PS - let's talk about how Warren made it from New York to San Francisco as fast as the Blackbird, shall we?
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Date: 2006-05-30 10:08 pm (UTC)Psst, have you read
I'm totally happy about all of the post-X3 fic being written right now (which all seems to be better than X3 itself)! I'll be excited if you write some too!
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Date: 2006-05-30 10:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 10:16 pm (UTC)Honestly. I let myself think that he just climbed onto the jet and held on really, really, REALLY tight. It made more sense than him being the Speedy Gonzales of the jetstream.
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Date: 2006-05-30 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 10:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 10:41 pm (UTC)And also, Phoenix was awesome like whoa. I missed Scott, and didn't deal well with his "I'm here, I'm emo, FUCK YOU, WATER, oh noes dead" storyline, but pfft. It should've been Storm, dammit!
Ahem. Yes. Also, thank you kindly for the link to the Annie Creed story. I heart it muchly. *g*
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Date: 2006-05-30 10:44 pm (UTC)And put plainly, the reason no one seemed to get enough character time except for Logan and Storm, who got too much, is that X3 is secretly called We Learned Nothing From X2. :P
-blue
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Date: 2006-05-30 11:08 pm (UTC)"If you don't like visible tattoos, we can discuss the ones under this shirt."
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Date: 2006-05-30 11:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-30 11:41 pm (UTC)1966, I think. Whenever he faked his own death for the first time.
as i quote from two different people...
Date: 2006-05-30 11:42 pm (UTC)oh my god, WORD. I had no idea there was a schedule conflict with James Marsden. They should've waited for him AND for Bryan Singer. WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY??
Erik: I really did like Magneto in this movie more than I liked most of the X-Men, which is just annoying.
This, of course, is mostly because Ian McKellen is AWESOME.
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Date: 2006-05-30 11:57 pm (UTC)I can imagine Eric and Mystique are the brand of crazy that would be able to pick up their relationship just where they left it and just brush over everything that happened in between, on the preliminary condition that they both got their powers back. But I am absolutely clueless what it would be like if they met both in a state of powerlessness...nothing pleasant, probably.
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Date: 2006-05-31 12:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 12:17 am (UTC)Re: as i quote from two different people...
Date: 2006-05-31 12:18 am (UTC)Ain't that the truth. :)
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Date: 2006-05-31 12:22 am (UTC)Knowing what we know about the government, do you really think it would have taken only days to set up a Department of Mutant Affairs with the kind of staff it would have needed/taken to do the Worthington research? I say at least a few months have passed between the second movie and this one, and it's conceivable that at least a few months have passed between the first movie and the second.
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Date: 2006-05-31 12:27 am (UTC)The first movie lasted a few days, but I could have sworn Logan left after the second movie to go find out what went on in his past. They certainly made a point of making it seem like he hadn't been back since he left on his return in X2. And that movie lasted only a few days, and then Jean died. Face to face with the canon they've given us in the movieverse, he hasn't really known her all that long.
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Date: 2006-05-31 01:00 am (UTC)I was too busy paying attention to Hugh Jackman and his tight ass to find flaws in his acting and the crying bit was a bit much. Wolverine doesn't cry (unless it's for Mariko).
Yes, Prof. X got on my nerves but there was a time in the comics that I wanted to burn the pages because he was acting the same way.
Loved Beast when he was fighting. Didn't love him in his suit and tie.
Love Iceman more than Bobby Drake.
In other words, I pretty much agreed with you. I loved the movie overall (especially Wolverine in uniform *slurp*)
And wear your tattoos proudly. I damn sure do!
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Date: 2006-05-31 01:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 01:52 am (UTC)As I wrote in my critique, “...the death of Scott Summers should have had more impact; instead it was like, See Scott. See Scott brood. Can you hear Jean, Scott? See Scott see Jean. Scott and Jean are in love! See Jean kill/eat Scott. Whoops. Goodbye, Scott.”
Charles/Erik: If that scene at the Grey house wasn't canon establishing them as a couple, I don't know what is.
As I stage-whispered to the friend I saw the movie with, “So a couple.”
I was also disappointed by the FX, and not just the CGI; often when characters were flying or levitating my brain brayed FAAAAAAAKE! C’mon guys, I believed Christopher Reeve could fly—how do you screw up thirty-year-old technology?
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Date: 2006-05-31 01:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 04:29 am (UTC)OMGSRSLY. I mean come on "I need you"? And then Magneto's soulful eyes as the Professor is being torn to bits and ashes.
I too am angry about the lack of character use...and HELLOO...what happened to all of the cute smushy father-daughter like scenes between ogan and Rogue...we got a total of ONE...Rogue and Logan are...cute. In every way.
and Rogue was my absolute favorite character in the entire series. Hardly any screentime.
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Date: 2006-05-31 05:29 am (UTC)OMGYAY IT WASN'T JUST ME! I totally flailed, except not just in my brain, and then I tried to explain myself, and poor
Especially when he said "oh my stars and garters," which is when the audience actually broke into applause. ;)
I love premieres so very, very much. ^.^
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Date: 2006-05-31 07:10 am (UTC)"If you're staring at me, FUCK OFF!
... no, wait. I like it. Come back?"
(and a piercing one, but same idea)
"These piercings make me happy, not deaf."
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Date: 2006-05-31 07:26 am (UTC)Also - GUH! GUH!!!! The whole Rogue / Bobby storyline annoyed the heck outta me. Mostly because their relationship obviously had HUGE FREAKING PROBLEMS and she was written as thinking if she could just touch him, they'd get better.
Um... no. Because of the big chip on her shoulder that's now gonna stand between them.
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Date: 2006-05-31 07:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 08:55 am (UTC)Totally agree with you on that! I didn´t know they would kill him off, so I was waiting the whole friggin time for him to come back in some form or shape... it´s X-Men after all! Was pretty upset about that, since Scott/JM is one of the main reasons for me to watch the movies. Oh and Hugh Jackman´s shoulders, hehe.
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Date: 2006-05-31 10:41 am (UTC)No, Charles and Erik, don't. Don't you ever try it.
*smooshes them together*
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Date: 2006-05-31 10:57 am (UTC)Actually, in the novel (which is usually based on an earlier version of the script) Rogue didn't take the cure at all - she went to visit her parents instead. To be honest, I think that would have worked better.
Also? What's with Rogue absorbing Colussus's steel in the danger room? I thought the whole reason they were a couple for a short while (until all the Gambit/Rogue AND Wolverine/Rogue shippers raised the roof) was that she COULDN'T absorb him when he was steeled up (is that the right word?).
One thing I did like, actually, was the Kitty/Bobby scenes - i got the impression that these two people genuinely liked and were attracted to one another - Rogue not being able to touch had nothing to do with it. (who can see the clock winding down on that relationship?) That, however, was entirely due to the actors, not the script. Really looking forward to seeing Ellen Page in Hard Candy, now!
Speaking of actors?
In X2, Pyro's scene looking at the Drake family photos was one of the best, most subtle bits of acting in the whole trilogy. Now he gets three scenes? WHAT? And what was with calling Rogue 'pathetic'? The X2 novel makes it clear that he was seriously crushing, if not in love with her. (course, he could really be talking about the fact she's still dating Bobby...) And on a shallow note, what was with the hair? They deliberately chose the least flattering style they could?
On another shallow note, really liked Jean's Phoenix outfit. But it still would have been better if Jean had followed the comics ending and killed herself to save others. Better resolution for what we know of the character.
so, bad: Too much Storm, too many new and not really necessary characters. (Didn't need Warren, most of the new Brotherhood Recruits - including Juggernaut, sad to say.) Not enough Scott, Rogue (give the extra screen time to an actress who deserved the Oscar and was properly cast), Pyro, Mystique or Colussus.
Good: Hank rocks! So did Kitty. Moira McTaggert's apperance was cool, and just enough of it.
Mind you, given what I've heard about the box-office for X3, we're going to be getting an X4 after all. I'm cautiously optimistic. Needs: Less Storm - or just recast it (although Berry says she'd love to do another one. *pout*), more time for the good characters, and see if they can re-shape this new guy back into Xavier (what's Prof X without Patrick Stewart, now?). Since he's on Muir Island, now, what about Proteus, aka Kevin McTaggart? I've only heard a little about his powers - could they do that?
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Date: 2006-05-31 11:02 am (UTC)Hmmm... anyone else got an idea?
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Date: 2006-05-31 01:16 pm (UTC)BTW, how do you think they handled Pyro? I thought it seemed like kind of a quick switch from "reluctant student" to "I would have killed the Professor myself."
And I agree, Charles was a complete dick. I don't use my powers for evil, unless I'm locking up a small child in mental shackles without ever telling her about them for 20 years. I don't have to explain myself, least of all to you, you dumb Canadian who's in love with this woman and WHO HAD HIS MEMORY BRAINWASHED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
Yeah, that's sweet of you, Chuck. And of COURSE it's Wolverine's fault that Phoenix escaped. After all, you had her laying in an empty room without any restraints. What a moron for touching her arm.
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Date: 2006-05-31 01:17 pm (UTC)Sure.
Date: 2006-05-31 02:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 10:29 pm (UTC)Then it was the end. :-)
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Date: 2006-06-02 11:43 am (UTC)Actually, it could have been worse; in the novel, Pyro starts whining when Bobby defeats him at Alcatraz - he actually says 'It's not fair'. Huh? If John had any tendency to whine (rather than express anger through blowing shit up), Erik would have gotten rid of that within weeks after Pyro jumped ship to the Brotherhood. Literally removing the tendency by force, if necessary.
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Date: 2006-06-02 02:43 pm (UTC)For a long while, the Brotherhood was Magneto, Mystique, and Pyro. After Mystique was de-powered, Pyro probably saw himself as becoming Erik's new right-hand man, a role that was quickly snatched away from him by Callisto before he even had the chance to be anything more than a glorified clipboard carrier. Hell, even Juggernaut came in for the new powerhouse role, a role he probably thought belonged to him when Magneto told him he was "a god among insects." Did Erik even bring him to the Greys house during the big house-dropping? I've only seen it twice so far, and I wasn't paying particular attention beyond Juggy v. Wolvie and Callisto v. Storm.
If you wanna get psychological, you could say that Pyro was trying to over-compensate while trying to show Erik that he was still important in the new Brotherhood.
You COULD get psychological. Unfortunately, I don't think the writers were aiming for that goal.