10 Movie Franchises That Ruined Iconic Characters Twice

2. Jean Grey - X-Men

The First Time

Much like her fella Cyclops, Jean Grey was another frontline X-Men character who felt disappointingly underserved in the original trilogy, despite a solid performance from Famke Janssen.

Fans were excited when it was confirmed that The Last Stand would be adapting the much-loved Dark Phoenix Saga to the big screen, which would place Jean front-and-centre and finally give her the focal role she deserved.

But Brett Ratner's divisive sequel stripped away much of the comic's intrigue, transforming Jean into a relentless killing machine devoid of personality.

For such a popular comic arc to be botched so badly on screen was brutally disappointing, and it wasn't even the last time fans would have to suffer through it.

The Second Time

Young Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) made her first appearance in X-Men: Apocalypse, and Turner's performance was widely ridiculed for both her unconvincing American accent and generally mediocre screen presence.

Naturally there was plenty of concern about the next film, Dark Phoenix, giving her the centre-stage for a second attempt at adapting The Dark Phoenix Saga, but ultimately, Turner's performance is far from the worst thing about the film.

Simon Kinberg's woeful script rushes through Jean's arc, unaided by leaden subplots and wonky directing.

It all adds up to one bizarrely emotionless ending for Fox's X-Men franchise, and another bungled treatment of one of the most intriguing X-Men characters.