As the studio was simultaneously developing X-Men Origins: Wolverine, limitations were set on which mutants could be used for cameo appearances in X-Men 3 in an attempt to avoid risking character development for Wolverine.[63] Gambit was considered for both the convoy scene being freed by Magneto and the Battle of Alcatraz along with the X-Men, but the writers did not want to introduce a fan favorite character and "not be able to do him justice." Kinberg reasoned, "there just wasn't enough space", and considered Gambit would only work with as much screentime as Beast.[31][58] Alan Cumming had been uncomfortable with the long hours he had to take with the prosthetic makeup as Nightcrawler in X2, but still planned to return for the sequel. The part of Nightcrawler was so minimal, however, that the studio felt it was not worthwhile to go through the long and costly makeup process, and the character was cut.[64] Kinberg felt that "there wasn't much left to do with the character. It also felt like he might tread a little bit on the terrain of Beast, in terms of similarities in the characters and their political standpoints in terms of dealing with their mutancy." Nightcrawler's absence was later explained in the tie-in video game.[58] The introductory scenes tried to emulate the Auschwitz opener for the first film, going with different scenes that resonated later in the plot instead of an action scene like in most blockbusters. Afterwards came a scene in the Danger Room, which was considered for the previous X-Men films but never included for budget and writing concerns. The writers tried to make the simulation not feel extraneous by showcasing some of the character conflicts and abilities in a "Days of Future Past"-inspired battle with a Sentinel. Another repurposed scene was Magneto attacking the convoy to free Mystique, Madrox and Juggernaut, which Penn had previously envisioned for X2.[31]
Justin Chang of Variety said the film was "a wham-bam sequel noticeably lacking in the pop gravitas, moody atmospherics, and emotional weight that made the first two Marvel comicbook adaptations so rousingly successful."[122] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly called it a ""diminished sequel, a brute-force enterprise" and said it was an example of "what happens when movies are confused with sandwich shops as franchise opportunities".[123] The Minneapolis Star Tribune characterized Ratner's approach as "Forget subtlety! Let's blow things up!"[124] David Edelstein of New York magazine called it "just another big-budget B-movie. It's a fast and enjoyable B-movie, though."[125] Foreshadowing X-Men: First Class, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said, "Last stand? My ass. Billed as the climax of a trilogy, the third and weakest chapter in the X-Men series is a blatant attempt to prove there is still life in the franchise. And there is: just enough to pull a Star Trek and spawn a Next Generation saga."[126]
In February 2006, Ratner said that The Last Stand could be the final X-Men film: "We wanted to make sure the audiences knew that this was a trilogy. Even though they weren't made together like Lord of the Rings, this is really closure for the X-Men series. ... This is the last stand for sure."[142]
The next two X-Men films, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and X-Men: First Class (2011) were prequels that took place before the events of the first X-Men movie. The first film set chronologically after The Last Stand was The Wolverine (2013), a standalone sequel,[143] that shows Logan heading for Japan to escape the memories of what occurred during The Last Stand. Jackman and Janssen reprised their roles, while McKellen and Stewart appear in a mid-credits scene.[144]
At Worthington Labs building in San Francisco, Worthington's son Warren arrives to take the cure, but changes his mind at the last minute. He breaks free and flies away to New York with his big, feathered wings.
The next morning in San Francisco, Magneto leads his Brotherhood to Worthington Labs. Magneto uses the full force of his powers to move the entire Golden Gate Bridge and his army over to Alcatraz Island. The battle begins, but the soldiers have the upper hand. They now use plastic guns and a lot of mutants are being cured. The guns are destroyed by Arclight and the soldiers are now losing. The X-Men arrive just in time and help the troops fight off the Brotherhood. The fight goes well until Magneto sends Juggernaut in to kill Jimmy. Shadowcat manages to slow him down and make it to Jimmy first, but his powers prevent her from phasing through the walls. Juggernaut arrives, but gets knock out when trying to get Jimmy. Storm defeats Callisto and Iceman defeats Pyro.
So strong is Leech's anti-mutant power that a mutant need only stand near him to lose his or her abilities; maybe the antibody works through pheromones. Meanwhile, Mutant Cure Clinics spring up around the country and are picketed by pro-Mutant militants. Extremists arm themselves with guns that can fire the antibody, and go out to shoot themselves some mutants. Beast, as the administration's Cabinet minister in charge of mutant affairs, is caught in the middle.
"X-Men: The Last Stand" raises all of these questions in embryonic form, but doesn't engage them in much detail, because it is often distracted by the need to be an action movie. Consider, for example, the lengths Magneto goes to in order to neutralize young Leech. The kid is being held on Alcatraz? Very well then, Magneto will stand on the Golden Gate Bridge and use his powers of industrial-strength levitation to rip loose a whole span of the bridge and rotate it so that it joins Alcatraz with the mainland and his forces can march on Worthington's fortress.
One of the distractions in all the "X-Men" movies is that the X-Men are always getting involved in local incidents that have little to do with the big picture. They demonstrate their powers during disagreements and courtships, neighborhood emergencies, psychological problems or while showing off. After three movies you'd think they would have learned to coordinate their efforts, so that Storm (Halle Berry), for example, is not suddenly needed to brew up a last-minute storm and save the neighborhood/city/state/world.
Mr. HUGH JACKMAN (Actor, X-Men): When we were filming this X-Men: The Last Stand, there were arguments on set. For example, the character of Rogue -should Rogue take the cure or not? And, literally, people, we'd be in stand-up arguments about whether some - and it's split, and I'm sure the audience is going to be split.
The writers and actors suggest that it does in ways that are sometimes below the surface. Take Halle Berry, who complained after the last two X-Men movies that her character, Storm, wasn't given enough to do. But she says she feels more invested in the current film, partly because she has strong opinions on the ethical questions raised by the cure.
Before Patrick Stewart reprised his role as the Professor one last time in Logan, he appeared in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, which also showcased the return of many classic cast members, like Hugh Jackman, who fought in a not-so-distant future against the Sentinels. Many fans speculated that Professor X explained his return to the others offscreen at some point since none of the cast questioned his return from almost certain death.
The X-Men films are known for the unanswered questions that they leave behind, casting confusion in their wake as they attempt to piece themselves together. While the series spanned two decades, a standout question still lingers far after the release of X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006. Professor Xavier (Sir Patrick Stewart) is killed as a consequence of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) fully embracing her power as the Dark Phoenix. Xavier's physical body is disseminated, vaporized by the Dark Phoenix's unhinged abilities that are unleashed in her childhood home.
Despite its shortcomings, "X-Men: The Last Stand" may have been the most visually impressive of the 2000s "X-Men." The moment that particularly stands out is when Magneto (Ian McKellen) decides to lift up the Golden Gate Bridge and moves it to connect San Francisco to Alcatraz Island. It's a nonsensical moment that serves as a prime example of how the once complex and sympathetic villain Magneto has been flattened to a one-dimensional bad guy in this film. At the same time, it's a really cool sequence.
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