Dark Phoenix: What chance does each X-Man have of survival?

Dark Phoenix: Which characters are likely to die in the upcoming movie?

The Dark Phoenix trailer dropped, and it looks promising. We saw clips of the characters in space, which is a nod to the comic. There was also Jean Grey talking to the Phoenix, asking why it made her do something horrible leads the audience to believe the movie will be dark. That scene may mean she has killed one of her fellow X-Men, and it may be Mystique, considering the preview showed her confronting Jean after she asked the Phoenix that question. In his interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Simon Kinberg said, “There are certainly other major casualties in this.” Which characters are likely to be one of those casualties in Dark Phoenix?

Mystique

We’ve already seen the preview of Jean Grey using her telekinesis to toss Mystique. She could be the major casualty in this upcoming movie. During his EW interview,Simon Kinberg spoiled that Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique would be killed off in Dark Phoenix, saying:

"“I felt it was the strongest, most dramatic thing for the movie, and sometimes you have to make those kinds of hard decisions to service the larger story. And the larger story really is Jean cracking up, losing control because she’s more powerful than anyone else in the world. To dramatize that properly, you have to show real loss, you have to show real pain and show real threat and menace.”"

With that said, who’s to say this is actually going to happen? Directors will sometimes say things to throw the audience off to get more people to buy a ticket. However, while it’s likely this is Jennifer Lawrence’s last time portraying Mystique, she is a shape-shifter. Switching actors wouldn’t be a big deal, since Mystique can look like anyone she wants. Maybe Rebecca Romijn will come back. It’s wishful thinking, but one can dream.

Chance of death: 98%

Cyclops

If you really want to shock the world, kill off Cyclops. This would leave the X-Men without a leader. Sure, Professor Xavier could lead the team, but he can’t help them much in the field. Leading the team is more than coordinating the attack, someone has to be by their side in case things go awry. The biggest negative about this death would be how this furthers the perception of Cyclops. Scott Summers has been looked at as a boring character. Killing him adds to the narrative that the X-Men don’t need him. Going out go out in a blaze of glory while saving the universe would make his death meaningful and show any doubters that Cyclops is better than he’s given credit for.

Chance of death: 20%