8. Pyro - X:2 (2003)
Pyro is there simply to improve the sales of Zippo lighters and be an advocate of teen arsonists worldwide. For Pyro, Singer stayed pretty close to the source material. The character of John Allerdyce discovers he can control (not generate) fire in his early teens. Whereas the comic book version wears a backpack flame thrower Singer thought this a bit too big for your new generation of busy teens, a Zippo lighter is much more accessible. Pyro was going to be in the Brotherhood of Mutants in 'X-Men' but due to budget constraints the character was cut, however Pyro (albeit not Stanford) makes a brief appearance as one of Xavier's students. In 'X:2' the scene at Iceman's house is one of the best action scenes, but for me Pyro is just that little bit too brooding; Aaron Stanford took his character down the emo route. He shared a bromance with Shawn Ahmore's Iceman but defects to The Brotherhood of Mutants towards the end of 'X:2', maybe they had better costumes.
The problem is Pyro's transition from goody two shoes X-Man to evil pyromaniac, this happens within seconds at the end of the film. Secondly, in 'The Last Stand', Stanford takes on a much larger role, particularly after Mystique loses her powers; becoming one of the main antagonists from the Brotherhood he leads the attack on Alcatraz Island. Where Pyro particularly doesn't work is in this role, as a character he just seems too young to be a leader and his jump from bit part to major character happens far too quickly. Whilst Ashmore has been confirmed to return for 'Days of Future Past' there is no word from Singer on the inclusion of Pyro. Probably for the best really, I mean what is that hair about, was he auditioning for 'Twilight'?