Script by Ed Brubaker
PAGE SEVEN -
7.1THE GANG enters a SCIENCE LAB. Most of the equipment is covered in plastic, HANK leading the way.
HANK I’m a biochemist by trade and the learning curve on going green is somewhat steep.
SCOTT Passive solar arrays, experimental hydrokinetics in the bay... we should have the whole facility feeding back into the grid by fall...
7.2WARREN WORTHINGTON enters the lab, his wings spread wide.
WARREN We’re experiencing a bit of a mutant brain drain at the moment. I’ve been trying to assemble a think tank on-site to help get our thinking back in line.
WARREN Sadie, hi. You look amazing.
7.3WARREN takes THE MAYOR’S HAND and leans in, kissing her hello.
MAYOR And you’re angelic as always, darling-- mmwah.
ANGEL Have they shown you the observation deck yet or have you just been dwelling underground?
7.4SCOTT and HANK take offense; WARREN waves them off, bored, and directs the MAYOR away from them.
SCOTT We showed her the tunnels, the hangar--
HANK --the tech and bio labs--
SCOTT --the weapons ranges and power ranges--
HANK The gym, the N.O.C, the--
WARREN Boring. Dull, dull dull. Darling-- follow me.
(CONT'D NEXT)
PAGE SEVEN CONTINUED:
7.5OUTSIDE THE X-CENTER NOW: on top of one of the main buildings is a 360-degree glass room overlooking the whole of the headlands and the San Francisco bay. The light of the day hits everything just right and it all looks perfect.
WARREN (OP) There now.
WARREN (OP) Isn’t that better?
7.6WIDE PANEL: On THE MAYOR, WARREN, HANK, SCOTT and EMMA as they stand in the OBSERVATION DECK, the sunlight shining in and bathing the cast in golden light.
MAYOR It’s wonderful. It’s exactly why I love this town.
MAYOR Welcome to San Francisco, X-Men.
PAGE EIGHT - GREG LAND
8.1THE MAYOR turns to the group as THE X-MEN wait for the other shoe to drop, suspicious.
MAYOR There’s something else.
MAYOR The city of San Francisco is incredibly sensitive to your plight and we don’t want you to think allowing this is silent approval or--
SCOTT Madam Mayor.
SCOTT What is it?
8.2THE MAYOR takes SCOTT’S HAND as she talks, the way a vet gives you bad news about your dog. WOLVERINE enters the room from the back.
MAYOR There’s a... confrontational... conceptual artist named Guy DeMondue and... all the mutant activity in town has inspired him to create a piece inspired by...
MAYOR Well, it’s a somewhat dark period in mutant history.
8.3REACTION SHOT on the X-MEN, stunned by the ridiculous bad taste and lack of sensitivity. WOLVERINE raises an eyebrow in near-shock.
MAYOR (OP) He’s acquired three decommissioned mark one Sentinel Units and he’s making them the centerpiece of an art installation downtown.
MAYOR (OP) He’s calling it a “Celebration of Mutant Kitsch.”
(CONT'D NEXT)
PAGE EIGHT CONTINUED:8.4FIXED POV: the X-MEN are mad at the idea of this being called “kitsch” and all start arguing at once. WOLVERINE turns around and leaves, as silently as he entered, waving his hand AT CAMERA as if to say “ta hell with ya.”
WARREN Twenty foot tall death machines--
HANK Genocidal robots no more artful than an A-Bomb--
EMMA Banal, predictable “shock schlock” that was passé in New York ten years ago--
8.5ON THE MAYOR, crossing her arms defensively. She’s sympathetic, but not changing her mind.
MAYOR Make no mistake, I find it appalling with every fiber of my being--
MAYOR But it’s literally impossible to personally agree with everything that goes on in this town... but I’ll defend its right to go on.
8.6ON SCOTT, hands on his hip and coming forward, snapping into leader mode. Looking every bit the leader:
SCOTT I don’t care how decommissioned you think they are, they’re still Sentinels.
SCOTT And those things have been killing my friends since I was a teenager.
SCOTT The X-Men will be there...
PAGE NINE –
1—Big shot. Now, it’s a few nights later and we’re at the art opening. In the park that’s across the street from the SFMOMA, two old-school Neal Adams looking Sentinels are standing posed, but like columns or statues and spotlights illuminate them. These Sentinels are about 15 to 20 feet tall.
San Francisco’s entire glamorous art crowd is seemingly in attendance. To celebrate mutantdom and the X-Men, many of them are IN COSTUME-- so we’ve got a crowd filled with average people – thin, tall, overweight, etc – many of them dressed like X-Men from every single era. Some are just in tuxedos and gowns, though, but mostly they’re in costumes, ill-fitting ones, too.
TITLE(old school style title box, running across the top of the page): CHAPTER TWO: SUPERSTARS OF THE SPANDEX SCENE
CAPTION: Two nights later
NO POINTER(telepathy): This is retarded… Only in San Francisco, right?
2—Across the street, there’s a crowd of protestors in the classic blue and yellow X-Men student uniforms, being cordoned back from the exhibit by the police. Some of the protesters are holding signs that look hand-written. Stuff like: THERE IS NO ART IN A WMD! and YOUR ART IS MY GENOCIDE! and MUTANT DEATH IS NOT FUNNY! – stuff like that.
NO POINTER(telepathy): Even the protesters are grinding on my last nerve.
FROM CROWD: MURDER IS NOT ART!
FROM CROWD: MUTANT SOLIDARITY - NOW!
PAGE TEN –
1—Now in the costumed art crowd around the Sentinel display, we see Wolverine, in costume, is scowling as he watches the glitterati sipping champagne and having a good time in the shadow of these Sentinels. Important -- in the background, we also see Beast and Storm chatting with some of the attendees. We just need to establish them here, though, so they don’t have to be that prominent.
WOLVERINE(telepathy): You sure I can’t just kill everyone here, Slim?
NO POINTER(telepathy): Yes, Logan, I’m sure.
WOLVERINE(telepathy): What about this Gee dude, then? He deserves a scare, at least.
2—And in another part of the crowd scene, Cyclops and Emma, in costume, are walking side by side, on the edges of the crowd. Cyc is frowning a bit, and Emma gives him a wry smile.
CYCLOPS(telepathy): That’s not why we’re here… But if you happen to run into him…
CYCLOPS(telepathy): I won’t complain if he wets his pants.
EMMA: Scott, is that a sense of humor you’re developing?
3—Cyclops looks at the three Sentinels, as the spotlights dazzle them and shine up into the night sky. He’d like to blast them to pieces.
CYCLOPS: I don’t know what else to do but laugh right now, Em…
CYCLOPS: Just seeing these things makes me so #@$%ing angry.
PAGE ELEVEN -
1—They stand at the foot of the display, and she looks at him, and suddenly a chubby guy dressed like Professor X, with a bald cap on his head, is approaching them, holding a drink in his hand, smiling.
EMMA: I know… I can feel it radiating off you.
CYC: It’s so --
PARTIER(cutting off): Hey, great Cyclops look… That’s his new outfit, right?
2—Cyc frowns at him, but the guy is oblivious. He just smiles and gestures at his look. He’s got fake eyebrows, so they’re like Xavier’s old peaked brows, and a few strands of hair stick out from under the ill-fitting bald cap.
CYCLOPS: Yes. It is.
PARTIER: I went with the classic Professor X.
PARTIER: But, you know, without the wheelchair. Too much hassle.
3—Emma glares at the man, and he realizes they’re actual X-Men now, and gets a little flustered.
EMMA: Yes. I’m sure the Professor would agree.
PARTIER: Hey… oh my god…
PARTIER: You’re actually them.
4—Then he smiles widely, like this is just the best.
PARTIER: Can I get your autographs?
5—Emma glances at Cyc, who gives her a little frown and sneer at the same time, shaking his head. The guy just stands there.
EMMA(telepathy): Mindwipe, Scott?
CYC(telepathy): No, Emma… just make him ignore us.
PAGE TWELVE -
1—Now we see another part of the crowd scene (sorry, it’ll end soon, I swear) and we focus on Angel, Nightcrawler, and Colossus, all in costume, standing around talking, as the crowd mills about. In the crowd, with his back to us, we see someone in a Magneto costume and helmet. This is actually Magneto, but we don’t know it yet.
COLOSSUS: I must admit, while strange, it’s nice to be so embraced by a city.
ANGEL: That’s why we’re here, Peter.
ANGEL: I can walk around with my wings out and no one cares.
NIGHTCRAWLER: Letting your “freak flag fly” as it were, eh, Warren?
2—Closer on Angel, smiling at Nightcrawler.
ANGEL: You’ve been doing some research, haven’t you, Pete?
ANGEL: I think after last month’s fiasco, I’m all done with freak flags for now.
3—As the crowd moves, Colossus bumps into the man in the Magneto costume and helmet, who we don’t see much of. The Magneto guy hands him a champagne glass, like he thinks Colossus is a waiter or something.
COLOSSUS: Oh, excuse me.
MAN: Can you take this for me?
4—Colossus starts to hand the glass back, looking at the man, but too distracted to realize who it is. Magneto still has his back to us.
COLOSSUS: I’m sorry… but I’m not part of the catering staff… I –
PAGE THIRTEEN -
1—And suddenly, Colossus’s fingers are splayed open like someone is bending them back in as hard as they can, and he drops the glass and yells, and we see that the guy is actually Magneto, who smiles menacingly out from beneath his helmet.
COLOSSUS: Ahh!
MAGNETO: No… but then, the caterers aren’t quite as blind as you, are they, Colossus?
2—And now we pull back a bit, as Colossus starts to be levitated, his whole body being stretched on an invisible rack, basically. Magneto is holding a hand towards him, like he’s doing this, which he is. Angel and Nightcrawler are just realizing what’s going on, NC crouched low now, sending a telepathic message to the others. The crowd around them is backing away, but watching with interest, not sure what’s going on just yet.
COLOSSUS: …Aaahggg…
MAGNETO: Oh, does it hurt?
NIGHTCRAWLER(telepathy): Scott, Emma – We’re under attack.
GUY IN CROWD(small): Is this part of the show?
3—Cyclops is pushing through the crowd, now, yelling, followed closely by Emma, who is in her diamond form now, shoving people aside.
CYCLOPS: Move!
CYCLOPS: Out of the way!
4—Back with Mags and the others, Angel points at Magneto and yells. Colossus still hovers, obviously in pain.
ANGEL: Magneto! Put him down!
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