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X2, also marketed as X2: X-Men United and X-Men 2, is a 2003 superhero film and the second in the X-Men series. The plot of the film is that the team and their enemies the Brotherhood of Mutants team up to battle an army colonel named Stryker who holds the key to Wolverine's past. It was preceded by X-Men and followed by X-Men: The Last Stand. The film had a $125 million budget and the film grossed $407,711,459 with nearly $215 million coming from North America.

Plot[]

At the White House, the teleporting mutant Nightcrawler tries to assassinate the President of the United States but fails and escapes, leaving a note demanding "mutant freedom now." At Alkali Lake, X-Men member Wolverine finds nothing left of the military base Charles Xavier suggets he visit in the previous movie. He returns to Professor Xavier's school, disappointed.

Meanwhile, Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and some students are having a field trip in a museum. Artie spots a young human girl eating her ice cream, and she sticks her tongue out at him. He fires back, showing her his blue forked tongue. She turns away in disgust. A few moments later, in the food court, two brothers are shown, asking to use Pyro's lighter to light his cigarette. Pyro does not want to give up his lighter, so the older boy takes it. Angry, Pyro makes the fire jump from the cigarette to the boy's shirt. Iceman quickly extinguishes the flame, saving the boy. Xavier, then, makes the entire museum, not including the mutants, freeze. Xavier tells Pyro that if he ever feels like showing off, don't.

Soon after, X-Men Storm and Jean Grey find Nightcrawler with the help of Xavier and the mutant-tracking machine Cerebro.

Xavier and X-Men member Cyclops visit the mutant Magneto in his plastic prison cell, inquiring the assassination attempt. The Professor discovers that a covert government operative, William Stryker, has been extracting information from Magneto. Stryker and his assistant Yuriko Oyama capture Cyclops and Xavier and raid Xavier's school. Wolverine kills many of Stryker's men, while Colossus, Rogue, Iceman, Pyro, and most of the students escape through hidden tunnels. Wolverine confronts Stryker, who fails to shed any light on Wolverine's past. Iceman helps Wolverine escape, but Stryker's soldiers succeed in sedating six students and breaking into Cerebro.

Impersonating Senator Robert Kelly and Yuriko, the shape-shifting Mystique gains information about Magneto's prison and helps him escape. She also learns of plans for another Cerebro. Wolverine, Rogue, Iceman, and Pyro visit Iceman's parents in Boston. Responding to a 9-1-1 call from Bobby's brother Ronny, the Boston Police Department arrive just as the group is leaving. Pyro uses his fire-projection power to fend off the police, and Rogue stops him when he begins attacking savagely.

The X-Jet arrives to pick them up, and is targeted by two Air Force fighter jets. Hit by a missile, it does not crash due to the sudden intervention of Magneto. The X-Men reluctantly team up with Magneto and Mystique. At their camp, Mystique unsuccessfully attempts to seduce Logan by taking the form of Jean Grey. Magneto learns that Stryker orchestrated the attack on the president to provide rationale to raid Xavier's school and use an injectable drug to control the mutant students. Jean reads Nightcrawler's mind and determines that Stryker's base is inside the dam at Alkali Lake, where he plans to kill all mutants with a second Cerebro.

Through his son, Jason, Stryker gains control over Xavier, who is brainwashed to use Cerebro to find and kill mutants. Mystique infiltrates Stryker's base by impersonating Wolverine. Storm and Nightcrawler search for the kidnapped students. Jean, Magneto, and Mystique are attacked by a brainwashed Cyclops while trying to rescue Xavier, and in the process cause damage to the generators that keep the dam from collapsing. The force of Jean's telekinetic blast clashing with Cyclops' optic blast awakens him from his brainwashing, but also cracks the dam. Wolverine finds Stryker in an adamantium smelting room, where he recovers some of his memory. Wolverine fights and defeats Yuriko, then finds Stryker on a landing pad, where Stryker bargains for his life by offering to reveal Wolverine's past. Wolverine refuses, and instead binds Stryker in chains.

Storm and Nightcrawler find the students. Magneto and Mystique kill the rest of Stryker's men, and Magneto stops Jason and Xavier before Cerebro kills any mutants. Disguised as Stryker, Mystique uses Jason to convince Xavier to kill all humans; she and Magneto, along with new initiate Pyro, use Stryker's helicopter to escape Alkali Lake, chaining Stryker to concrete rubble. Nightcrawler teleports Storm inside Cerebro, where she creates a snowstorm to free Xavier from his illusion.

The X-Men flee the base as water engulfs it, only to discover that Magneto, Mystique, and Pyro have escaped on the helicopter. Iceman and Rogue arrive with the X-Jet and get everyone on board. The dam bursts, flooding the landscape and killing Stryker. A malfunction aboard the X-Jet prevents it from taking off; Jean sacrifices herself by leaving the jet and creating a telekinetic wall as a shield against the flood. She activates the X-Jet's primary engines before releasing the torrent of water down on herself, presumably killing her.

The X-Men give the President files from Stryker's private offices, and Xavier warns him that humans and mutants must work together to build peace. Back at the school, Xavier, Cyclops, and Wolverine remember Jean, and Wolverine tells Cyclops that Jean chose Cyclops over him. A Phoenix-like shape has formed over Alkali lake.

Cast[]

Mentioned only[]

On Stryker's computer:

On cabinets at Alkali Lake:

Continuity and References to Earth-10005[]

Taglines[]

  • The time has come for those who are different to stand united.
  • First, they were fighting for acceptance. Now, they're battling for survival.
  • Get ready for the return of the Evolution.

Production[]

The film was shot in Ontario, Canada, British Columbia, Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and New York City, New York.

Reception[]

The film recieved high critical acclaim and was a box office success. The film was praised for its acting, action, writing, directing, music, and many more. Some critics disliked the film for its violence, numerous amount of supposed "plot holes" and the treatment of Cyclops and Lady Deathstrike. The was called one of the best superhero movies ever made. Before X-Men: First Class, many fans and critics called X2 the best of the X-Men films. Despite First Class' critical success, X2 has a 88% on Rotton Tomatoes, while First Class has a 87%.

Gallery[]

To be added

Videos[]

To be added


External links[]


Earth-10005
Films X-Men | X2 | X-Men: The Last Stand | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | X-Men: First Class | The Wolverine
X-Men: Days of Future Past | Deadpool | X-Men: Apocalypse | Deadpool 2 | Dark Phoenix | The New Mutants
Cancelled Gambit | X-Force | Other
Characters Earth-10005/Characters
X-Men films
Released X-Men | X2 | The Last Stand | First Class | Days of Future Past | Apocalypse | Dark Phoenix | The New Mutants
Cancelled X-Force | Other
Wolverine films
Released X-Men Origins: Wolverine | The Wolverine | Logan
Deadpool films
Released Deadpool | Deadpool 2
Marvel Cinematic Universe films
Upcoming Deadpool 3
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