X-Men: Apocalypse Trailer 3 Analysis: 15 Things We Learned

There will be no more false gods, just as there will be no more waiting for the next X-Men: Apocalypse trailer. Indeed, the final bit of marketing for the mutant epic is here, and like three claws emerging from your knuckles, it feels good to finally let the animal loose.

As the third and final trailer, this X-Men: Apocalypse sizzle reel is mostly just that—a special effects laden sizzle that aims not to sell the plot, which we have already had hinted in the previous two trailers (though kept curiously opaque to this day), but glorious and expensive mutant action.

Nonetheless, there were still a few new things learned that should make fans happy, so without further ado, let’s tear into this sucker so that from its ashes we can build a better analysis!

The trailer does open by finally contextualizing Raven/Mystique’s role in the new film. As obviously the biggest star in the film, Jennifer Lawrence is being placed front and center in the marketing, but now we see how that is playing out in the actual film as well.

And it looks to be heavily informed from the dangling threads of X-Men: Days of Future Past. For in that last movie, much of the conflict was based on James McAvoy’s sweetly earnest Charles Xavier pleading with his little sister that she has “to come home.” And now, in this trailer we see that she finally has crossed that threshold, but her relationship is hardly any less contentious than when Magneto comes by for a game of chess and tea.

Lawrence warns that just because there is no war does not mean there is real peace, and indeed the whole trailer seems marketed around the idea that she is assembling the X-Men like it’s a rock band. However, that could be a trick of trailer editing (as we’ll get to in a minute), but for the time being, it’s clear that Mystique will become the hawkish counterpoint to Charles’ dove in the finished film.

This is just a cool new image that reveals Apocalypse can control sand, which reminds us again of our previous theory that the ancient mutant is a bit of a fellow traveler with Imhotep in Universal’s Mummy movies. Previously, we speculated that Apocalypse’s endgame could be the desire of transferring his spiritual essence into Charles Xavier’s body (why else kidnap him from the mansion?).

Now, much like the 1999 Mummy remake, this big bad proves that he likes to have fun down in the sand.

Here is our first image of Blob inside the movie. Don’t believe me? Look at that circular orb lying defeated beneath Angel’s talons. It probably won’t amount to anything more than a cameo, but it’s nice to see another famous mutant from the X-Men canon get the big screen treatment.

And no, we haven’t forgotten X-Men Origins: Wolverine… but we really wish we had.

Finally, the trailers have revealed what will allow Magneto to be susceptible to Apocalypse’s influence. Apparently, in the 10 years between Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, Magneto will have found a family with a wife and child, who will then subsequently die (perhaps indirectly) due to human interference—by the way is in the comics from X-Men #12 where the villain’s daughter Anya died in a fire while he was working as a day-laborer (his wife died at a later date after birthing Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch).

Their deaths in this film will likely be the catalyst that turns Magneto to the even darker, darker side.

The key thing to notice here is that the special effects have changed and instead of a gray sky, behind Apocalypse is plenty of destruction. More curious still is this is the fourth version of Apocalypse’s voice we have heard.

Quite frankly, it is better than the one we saw in a featurette earlier this month, however I remain disappointed that they chose to ditch simply relying on Oscar Isaac’s wonderful acting to convey the menace. This clearly dials back the modulation, but it is hard to get a feel for what they’re going for at this point.

Also, we had previously seen Cairo and New York City be destroyed by Apocalypse’s touch, but this depicts it spreading all the way to Sydney. In fact, his annihilation seems so vast that it is worth wondering if this is actually happening or part of Jean Grey’s vision that we’ve seen from the teaser. Time will tell.

As previously mentioned, the trailer depicts Mystique going to recruit mutants for Charles Xavier, however I suspect the script is being flipped. What might really be occurring is that Mystique clearly rescues Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) from his German mutant fight club.

Perhaps, she sees Apocalypse or Magneto (who is of German descent) attack the club and she saves Nightcrawler—spurring her to take the mutant to Charles for protection and to warn of the impending danger.

But in a moment that is pure “JLaw,” and more than welcome given the trailer’s somber tone, Lawrence and Evan Peters to get to utilize their natural talent for banter. Quicksilver reveals here that he now knows he is Magneto’s son—which may be what causes Erik to switch sides in the third act—and Raven’s reaction is definitely a star moment for the actress.

Then again, in X-Men: First Class, Raven was quite outgoing and part of the go-go ‘60s aesthetic. Maybe no longer being a villainess is allowing her to have some fun again?

Admittedly, this is not new stuff we’ve learned, but it all looks so cool. Cyclops and Storm battling with the full extent of their optic blasts/lightning in the ruins of Cairo is a purely geek-worthy moment with the kind of power displays from the “main X-Men” fans have never seen until now. Further, Oscar Isaac has not looked more menacing or impressive than in the two shots of imperial, and implicit, divinity.

It looks like Beast is strong enough to stop Psylocke’s psionic sword. That counts as something new and pretty groovy too.

What appears less groovy for Psylocke is that at some point she jumps atop the X-Jet for what I suspect is the end of the Act Two fight (we still believe that we have yet to see the third act battle inside of a Pyramid). But this might mean Psylocke won’t live to see such a finale, because unless Archangel or Magneto catches her, I don’t see how she is surviving falling from that height. If this is truly the case, the future of an X-Force movie just got a little sadder.

What should please all fans is that we have another image of Jubilee in the trailer that proves she will survive Apocalypse and the Horsemen’s attack on the X-Mansion. What appears to be happening is that Quicksilver is saving everyone’s favorite fireworks expert from the burning building, along with a number of other Xavier students. This means the odds of seeing Jubilee in the seventh X-Men movie just shifted a little more in Lana Condor’s favor.

Surprisingly, we have seen little of Jean Grey in this trailer since she is purported to be the centerpiece for the next several X-Men movies (at least according to rumors). It almost seems like a missed opportunity to not feature her more one day after the Game of Thrones season 6 premiere, which also features Sophie Turner to great effect.

Yet, this flash (which is the screengrab for the trailer the Fox chose as its cover) is definitely intended to tease fans. For what is this vision but that of Jean letting her proverbial hair down? And that hair might be quiet fiery indeed in future films, and not just because of the auburn hue.

And here we have confirmation that X-Men: Apocalypse will be returning to Alkali Lake, the military complex in rural Canada that served as the center of action in 2003’s X2. This explains why William Stryker has appeared in the last two trailers. It seems he rounds up the young mutants after the X-Mansion is destroyed. On the one hand it feels a bit redundant to return to a location from a previous film.

But on the other hand it allows this to be possible…

As they said repeatedly in X-Men: Days of Future Past, time is often immutable. While the X-Men’s time travel antics were able to prevent a robotic apocalypse, as well as save Mystique’s soul, it appears that the actions did not prevent Wolverine from falling into Stryker’s clutches. But on the plus side, we now know where Hugh Jackman’s cameo is going to be, which makes returning to Alkali Lake instantly one of the most anticipated set-pieces of the new film.

Wolverine is back!!!

Did we miss anything or is there something else in the trailer you want to talk about? Let us know in the comment section below!