One of the sticking points for some cinema goers and comic book fans was how Bryan Singer decided not to send Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) back in time as they did in the comics and instead sent back Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Some people have claimed it was a “box office” scenario, while others have made outlandish claims like Bryan Singer hates women.
In an interview with Empire magazine, Singer addresses this question…
“It was logic for the story, ” the director said. “It felt logical that he’s a character that we’re very grounded with, that we like to see in these movies. And his younger self would have the same appearance as his older self, so the same actor can play the role. Most importantly, the idea is that when we go back in time and discover Magneto and Xavier as young men, they’re at great odds and very wrecked and unmanageable, and I liked the idea of an older character having to manage these two reckless young men. If it had been a character jumping into their younger self, then it would have been a young character doing that and with Kitty Pryde it would have been a very young character. Well, in our world she wouldn’t have been born at all. And lastly Wolverine, from a technical standpoint, is the only one who can traverse that distance. The notion is that she can send people back in time for a week or two which they use in the future as a defence mechanism, but to physically send someone back that far is too damaging for the mind and the body. But Wolverine’s body heals, so as long as he remains focused and calm, he can remain until she can no longer control it.”
“It’s fun to see a guy who’s not very patient, and Charles is going to witness that fierce Wolverine,” he continues. “It’s the guy who’s least likely to be a teacher dealing with Charles Xavier.”
Be sure to read the whole interview here where he discusses the 15-year history of the X-Men movies including his thoughts on X-Men: The Last Stand and the decision to kill off Scott Summers.
Read our reviews of X-Men: Days of Future Past here and here and listen to our podcast review here.
Originally published June 2, 2014. Updated November 29, 2022.
