X-Men Dark Phoenix: 10 Biggest Unanswered Questions We Still Have

9. Why Does Nobody Age?

Magneto XMen Dark Phoenix
Fox

One of the most comical inconsistencies across the newer X-Men movies has been the characters' absurd lack of ageing despite an entire 30 years passing between First Class and Dark Phoenix.

To put that into perspective, Professor X (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) are all around 60 years of age at the time of Dark Phoenix, while Beast (Nicholas Hoult) is in his early 50s and Quicksilver (Evan Peters) his late 30s.

No effort is made to make the actors look more visibly weathered since Apocalypse, and the only major characters who actually look age-appropriate are the younger mutants, namely Jean, Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who are presumably in their mid-20s.

The Likely Answer

You can certainly explain away Mystique's youthful appearance due to the cell-replenishing nature of her shape-shifting abilities, but the rest of the cast? Not so much.

One suspects if you asked Simon Kinberg, he'd tell you "because mutants", as there's not really any other remotely sensible explanation.

Basically, the production wanted to leap forward in time without having to slather the cast in cumbersome and potentially goofy ageing make-up.

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