Just when you thought Dark Phoenix put an underwhelming bow on the Fox era of X-Men movies, The New Mutants comes along to further complicate the franchise’s legacy. In this BONUS episode to our mega-series following the X-Men movie franchise, we’ll go in-depth on the oft-forgotten 2020 film.

On paper, The New Mutants should have been an easy win. Taking the X-Men universe headfirst into horror seemed like an intriguing departure. Then, of course, The New Mutants‘ continual delays led the world to (perhaps rightfully) suspect something was amiss behind the scenes.

Jackson Smith of Nightfall Entertainment joins the final Franchise Detours of 2023 as we explore the unique world of The New Mutants. We’ll discuss the film’s horror aesthetic, its connection to the broader X-Men universe, and how it aimed to give the franchise a fresh perspective 11 films in.

Join us as we venture into the eerie and enigmatic world of The New Mutants and determine why this risky experiment didn’t quite pay off.

Our X-Men mega-series comes to a close (or does it?) with 2019’s Dark Phoenix, as the franchise takes a second stab at one of the comics’ most iconic storylines. With X-Men: The Last Stand far behind him, can first-time director Simon Kinberg (who cowrote that 2006 movie) right past wrongs?

Darin Lundberg of NostalgiaCast joins us to unravel the mysteries of Dark Phoenix. We’ll explore the film’s poor reception, its role as the series’ unintended conclusion, and Sophie Turner’s lead performance as Jean Grey. Most of all, we’ll address whether Dark Phoenix does justice to this story.

Join us as we witness the rise of the Phoenix and determine where Dark Phoenix leaves the X-Men movie legacy ahead of the mutants’ MCU debut.