1. X-Men: The Last Stand - Magneto And Xavier Let the Phoenix Loose
Magneto: "Hey Charles, you know what I'm going to do so I can win this war against the humans?" Xavier: "No old friend, what's that? I'm sure I'll disapprove whatever it is" Magneto: "Well, you know Jean Grey has a really unstable dark side that can pretty much wipe out everything? I was thinking about freeing it and hopefully controlling her even though we both know I can't!" Xavier: "Yeah, I disapprove." Yes, the above conversation is fictional, but its one that hammers home the idiocy of Magneto's decision to let the Phoenix take over Jean's mind. At the start of Last Stand, we're even treated to a flashback scene where Magneto and Xavier visit Jean's home, proclaiming to each other that she's potentially the most powerful mutant they've ever seen. Decades follow, and after Jean's apparent death at the end of X2, the X-Men find her alive, bring her back to the mansion and let Xavier try to reinstate the mental blocks on Jean's mind that stop the Phoenix from taking over her mind. After Wolverine lets her go, the gang track her down to her old house - where Magneto is already waiting - to try and bring her under control. Magneto, utterly aware of how dangerous Phoenix would be if she were to be set free, instead decides to make her angry. The resulting chaos leaves Xavier a pile of ash on the floor and Magneto stunned at his friend's death and Phoenix's power. After realising towards the end of the film that he can't control her, the old, metal-manipulating fart asks rhetorically "what have I done?". What indeed, you old fool. Got anymore examples of movie heroes not making competent decisions with the brains they were born with? Let us know in the comments below.
Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.
