X-Men: Apocalypse concluded the "First Class" trilogy, but it also paved the way for a new beginning in the X-Men series. Next year, X-Men: Dark Phoenix will reunite moviegoers with Professor X's team of mutant superheroes, and as the title indicates, it will be taking another stab at The Dark Phoenix Saga, which was previously adapted for 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. Given how polarizing that movie was, X-Men: Dark Phoenix will need to make some alterations with its version of the famous tale, and it's possible that one of the ways it might differentiate itself from its predecessor is by including aliens.
One of the audition tapes for X-Men: Dark Phoenix has been uncovered by Omega Underground, and in one of them, Halt and Catch Fire star Toby Huss is speaking the lines of a character known as "Hoover," which is In one of the scenes, Hoover talks to a second character about learning "their" language and refers to the subjects as "primitive people." These people he's talking about are almost certainly the denizens of the United States, given that he soon mentions how "SEALs" are "their most powerful protectors" and are "responsible" for a certain event. In another scene, Hoover is speaking with a "Mr. Manning" about arranging a meeting with the "minister" that Hoover works for, suggesting he is a bureaucrat or government agent.
While it's possible that this "Hoover" may simply hail from another country on Earth, saying "primitive people" has an alien ring to it. Then there's the fact that the Shi'ar Empire (high ranking members seen above) was involved in the original Dark Phoenix Saga storyline. Throw in Bryan Singer mentioning last year how it would be fun to explore the alien and interstellar elements of the X-Men mythology, and it indicates that unlike in X-Men: The Last Stand, the superhero team will be interacting with visitors from another world while Jean Grey is dealing with the Phoenix Force. In The Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean Grey was placed on trial by the Shi'ar Empire for consuming a star while under the Phoenix's control, which resulted in billions dying. That's not to say X-Men: Dark Phoenix would necessarily adapt that part of the story, but taking a cosmic approach wouldn't be unprecedented.
Introducing aliens in X-Men: Dark Phoenix would be uncharted territory for the X-Men franchise, since no extraterrestrial elements have been included or directly referenced in the series. Still, this would be a good way to keep things fresh after 18 years by the time this movie comes out. The X-Men have decades of cosmic stories that remain untapped, so why not take advantage of them? It's also worth mentioning that New Mutants will reportedly include the alien character Warlock, so as this series closes in on 20 years, perhaps X-Men: Dark Phoenix will elaborate on what's beyond Earth in this cinematic universe.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix hits theaters on November 2, 2018.
